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Scott Olsen, Marine Vet Injured During #OccupyOakland, Finds Support Online

Unless your head has been buried deeply in the sand, you are aware of the #Occupy movements going on all over the world. The movement, responsible for the “we are the 99%” mantra, began in...
Scott Olsen, Marine Vet Injured During #OccupyOakland, Finds Support Online
Written by Josh Wolford
  • Unless your head has been buried deeply in the sand, you are aware of the #Occupy movements going on all over the world. The movement, responsible for the “we are the 99%” mantra, began in New York with #OccupyWallStreet and has moved to cities everywhere.

    One of those cities is Oakland, California. During an exchange between Oakland PD and the protestors, a United States Marine and veteran of the Iraq War was injured when a projectile hit him in the head, causing injury to his skull.

    The police used rubber bullets, teargas, and flash canisters on the crowd of protestors. Nothing can explain the scene better than a video can, so here are a couple:

    The guy being carried off is 24-year-old Scott Olsen. He was in critical, but stable condition for hours following the incident, but has now been upgraded to fair condition.

    When the details began to emerge shortly after the videos began to go viral, it didn’t take long for the incident to strike a chord with Olsen’s fellow marines. This photo became huge on Reddit, and garnered hundreds of comments.

    Other Marines, as well as members of the other branches of service took to the site to express their solidarity –

    As a fellow (Active Duty) vet as well, though never a Marine. I can’t stand this hypocritical stance that the elected officials are taking this horrible event. Though I was never a Marine, he is a brother in arms. As a family, we must stand together. I do recall that when I took my oath of enlistment that no where did it say that I will protect corporate greed. I know for one, if shit gets out of hand, I stand with the people and not the corporate lackeys.

    Former Marine Corpsman here (Desert Storm, Somalia, 1st Med Btn, BSSG 7, 7th Engineers)-
    Absolutely disgusting. Is it enough yet? Have we had enough? What’s left? I loathe anything that harms a Marine, especially one exercising his rights, unarmed and peaceful. Get well my brother, we’re thinking of you.

    Semper Fi From a Brother Marine, this country of mine is really starting to piss me off. I didn’t serve my country to come home and see the Banks and Greedy Corporations bailed out with my tax money. All the while CEO’s are banking million dollar bonus’s for laying off hundreds of thousands of workers, and banks who were bailed out with my tax dollars are foreclosing on the same people who’s money bailed them out. now the police are acting as jack booted thugs who seem to work for the corrupt elites. and beat the shit out of my brother.

    A group called #OccupyMARINES, has also flooded the web with support for Olsen.

    HM1 “Doc J” says WHEN YOU SHOOT ONE MARINE, YOU SHOOT AT ALL OF US. OORAH. Do It Peacefully Occupy We Stand In Solidarity 2 days ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    They have listed a series of demands on their site,

    In Response To The Oakland Shooting Of Scott Olsen OccupyOMC Request The Following:

    Identify the 3 SFSD ESU riot officers by name, photo, and badge number with boots on the ground engaging in illegal excessive force acts against peaceful American for prosecution

    Identify the officer responsible for harming Scott Olsen by name and photo for prosecution

    The honorable resignation of Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and CCSF Sheffir Michael Hennessey

    A public apology from California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. for the unlawful injury of our brother Scott Olsen

    The whole OccupyMARINES movement of service members backing the #OccupyWallStreet protestors seems to have spawned from his viral video that has over 2.2 million hits. It shows a Marine, Sgt. Shamar Thomas, unleashing on NYC police for their handling of the protestors.

    It’s clear that many on the interwebs feel strongly about what happened to Scott Olsen. What are your thought? Let us know in the comments.

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