The Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, which began last month in New York City as a way to protest the corporate greed of the nation’s banks, the influence of Wall Street in causing the current recession and how the richest 1% of the nation’s people have too much power in controlling the global economy. Prompted by a Canadian activist group known as Adbusters, the Occupy movement has quickly spread in cities all over the country as well as all over the world.
One of the most violent and controversial Occupy protests in the United States has been happening in Oakland California, where local protesters have clashed with the Oakland Police Department and various other law enforcement agencies in the East Bay area city. Oakland and the San Francisco Bay Area has been in the news frequently this year as protesters displayed their anger in the 2009 killing of a young African American man by a BART police officer and another killing of a homeless man by BART police during the 4th of July 2011 weekend. Protestors in San Francisco have attempted to close down BART stations in San Francisco and it is likely many of these same protestors are now concentrating their efforts in both San Francisco and Oakland for the Occupy movement.
Since these Occupy city protests have spread nationwide, many veterans have stepped forward and expressed their support for the protests. One Iraq War US Marines veteran who has been in the headline news this week is Scott Olsen, of Wisconsin. Scott Olsen is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War. Now living in the Bay Area and working as a network administrator, Olsen was severely injured by what may have been a projectile by one of the law enforcement personnel who were attempting to break up the angry crowd of protestors on Tuesday evening. Immediately after being shot, Olsen fell to the ground and several of the protestors ran to his aid and were greeting by tear gas canisters. Despite the protestor’s pleas to have the fallen ex Marine, the riot squad ignored the injured person. Several of the protesters then quickly took him to Highland Hospital in Oakland where he has been ever since.
Olsen was unconscious for 12 hours and his brain was bruised from the impact of the projectile and initially was in critical condition. These past few days Olsen has made some progress and is reasonably alert but unable to speak and only can communicate with a notepad. His parents flew in from Wisconsin and are staying in Oakland while being cautiously optimistic of his full recovery.
Scott Olsen is a United States Marine Corps veteran who served two tours in Iraq with the 3rd Battalion, Marine Regiment. Various media outlets have said that he escaped harm while stationed in Iraq, only to come home to the United States and get severely injured by American police officers. A charity group has been set up to help offset Scott Olsen’s medical costs and as of today, it is unknown whether he will be able to speak again or when he might be released from the hospital.
Whether people disagree with the Occupy movement that has taken hold of the nation’s consciousness, it is reasonable to assume that this movement will carry on far into the New Year and might even make an impact in next year’s elections. Recent polls have indicated that 45% of the people polled support the Occupy Wall Street protests and it’s quite possible more people will want to get involved. After all, aren’t most of us part of that 99%?