This was just posted on FaceBook, 26 Oct. 2011, Anyone in Oakland, below the fold:
Scott Olsen is seen here on the right moments before he suffered his head injury and those who rushed to his aid were assaulted by police. read here>>>
A Call for Tonight for Scott, Oakland and Across This Nation!
Peaceful Vigil / Solidarity Vigils for Scott Olsen - Oakland
There will be a peaceful vigil held Thursday, Oct. 27 for Scott Olsen, Marine veteran with two tours in Iraq and member of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). Scott was critically injured by a police projectile at Occupy Oakland on October 25.
The Oakland vigil will be held during the General Assembly of Occupy Oakland at 14th St and Broadway.
A call has gone out to the Occupy Movement for Occupy encampments across the nation and world to hold SOLIDARITY VIGILS at this time (7pm in their respective time zones).
If you are holding a rally in your city, please let IVAW know about it by emailing details to media@ivaw.org.
Donations for Scott's medical costs & his family's travel expenses can be made at IVAW.org with 'Scott Olsen' under Special Projects.
Marines reactions from around the country and world:
MARINES TO OAKLAND POLICE: 'You Did This To My Brother'
Oct. 27, 2011, 4:55 AM - Marines around the world are outraged by the injuries inflicted by police on Scott Olsen at Tuesday's Occupy Oakland protests. The following picture is taken from the Reddit thread "How I feel, as a United States Marine, about what occurred in Oakland."
This man is not alone. In the five hours since the thread went up there have been over 600 comments.
PLEASE FORWARD: TODAY 3pm--Oakland City Hall--Vigil for Scott Olsen, US Marine Veteran
A vigil will be held this afternoon in support of Scott Olsen, a Marine veteran who was hit by a police projectile in downtown Oakland at the Occupy Oakland demonstration on the evening of October 25, 2011.
Olsen completed two tours in Iraq and is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War. At this time, Ols...en is in stable yet serious condition at an Oakland Hospital.
At the hospital, he is accompanied by friends and other Iraq Veterans Against the War. Olsen is a valued community member of Occupy San Francisco.
Please join this vigil in support of Olsen and others that were affected by the events at Occupy Oakland last night.
This is a PEACEFUL vigil.
For more information information and media inquires, please contact:
Dottie Guy: dottie.guy@gmail.com
Adele Carpenter: yesyesready@gmail.com
Siri Margerin: sirism@mac.com
And will add the VFP Statement on this tragic, but we vets are used to these, incident.
This is called 'supporting the troops', by the oh so very patriotic flag wavin, when they aren't walking in lockstep as corporate funded teabaggers or similar media darling groups!!
Official VFP Statement Regarding Occupy Incident in Oakland
October 26, 2011 - Veteran For Peace member, Scott Olsen, a Marine Corps veteran twice deployed to Iraq, is in hospital now in stable but serious condition with a fractured skull, struck by a police projectile fired into a crowd in downtown Oakland, California in the early morning hours of today. Other people were injured in the assault and many were arrested after Oakland police in riot gear were ordered to evict people encamped in the ongoing "Occupy Oakland" movement. Olsen is also a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War.
VFP members are involved with dozens of these local "occupy movement" encampments and we support them fully. In Boston, for example, our members, wearing VFP shirts and carrying VFP flags, stood between a line of police and the encampment, urging police to "join the 99%" and not evict the protesters. In that case, several of our members were banged and bruised when the police decided instead to carry out their eviction orders.
In Oakland, last night, a similar thing happened, according to VFP Chapter 69 member and Navy veteran, Joshua Sheperd, who said he went to downtown Oakland "to see if, as a VFP member, I could help still the anger...to be between the police and the protesters...it seemed unconscionable to me that the police use the cover of darkness like that to do what they were doing." Fortunately, he was not injured in the police assault that left Olsen with a fractured skull
As with virtually every example of the occupy movement across the country, those encamped were conducting themselves peacefully beforehand, protesting current economic, social and environmental conditions in the U.S. brought about by decades of corporate control, a criminal financial industry and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that are driving the U.S. global empire into bankruptcy. These "occupy movement" participants are telling us something we need very desperately to hear. They should be listened to, not arrested and brutalized.
Police in the majority of cities are acting with restraint and humanity towards the encampments, but Veterans For Peace will not be deterred by police who choose to use brutal tactics. In fact, as happens with repression everywhere, more people join the cause. We do believe that the rank and file police officers are part of the 99%, the overwhelming majority of Americans who are suffering at the hands of an intolerable system. Layoffs and cutbacks in city after city prove that we must join together to demand justice for all.
We send our very best to Scott Olsen and his family and wish him a speedy recovery to health.
We shall not be moved.
UpDates:
Just got up a little while ago and seeing this still up on the recommend list decided to update this rather then just place in the replies.
This I found on the Occupy MARINES FB this morning, a report from last night.
Late-night Occupy Oakland crowd marches jubilantly through city streets
Protesters march up Broadway toward City Hall, arriving at 14th and Broadway a little after 11pm. Photo by Maggie Beidelman.
After Occupy Oakland protesters reconvened at Frank Ogawa Plaza Wednesday night and voted to organize a city-wide general strike on November 2, a jubilant crowd poured out into the city streets, dancing and cheering.
But their attempts to head across the bay to join the Occupy San Francisco group were thwarted by BART officers, who shut down the 12th Street BART entrance as protesters–including those towing a giant stereo system on wheels–tried to make their way into the station. For about ten minutes, protesters chanted “Police brutality!” and “This is what democracy looks like!” at the BART officers before moving on to the 14th Street and Broadway intersection. read more>>>
Ironically after the sad circumstances of the actions by police in Oakland and Scott's injuries from CBS News had a report on one of the off base coffee house's established by IVAW members, this one at Ft Lewis McCord, and showing what this group of Vets, like we did during Vietnam and after, are about related to soldiers and veterans.
Coffee shop is talk therapy for vets in distress
October 26, 2011 - Deborah Flagboam is still traumatized by a sexual assault during during boot camp, and needs a post-traumatic stress disorder therapy dog to help her cope with her thoughts of suicide.
"It wasn't just a cry of help, it was real," Flagboam tells CBS News correspondent Barry Petersen. "My life really wasn't the same, I couldn't really find a way to live any more."
But the former Marine was told by military officials there was a two-month waiting list for long-term psychiatric therapy. So she came to Coffee Strong, a coffee shop just outside Joint Base Lewis McChord.
Iraq war veteran Jorge Gonzales is executive director of Coffee Strong. The veteran-owned shop opened three years ago to serve free coffee to soldiers and Marines. Over time, it became a place for troops to share their problems and treat the mental scars of war. Veterans at Coffee Strong found help for Flagbom within 24 hours.
"I dont think i would be alive today to be honest," Flagboam said, "I could have ended up like Sgt. Jared Hagemann. Army Ranger Jared Hagemann killed himself this past June. He was facing his eighth combat deployment as a member of the Special Forces.
"At that moment," his wife Ashley said, "I knew this would be the death of him." Ashley said she warned base officials soon after her husband threatened suicide. He had that look in his eyes that he just wanted to die. read more>>>
And this was on Rachels show last night in case you might have missed it:
History frowns on violent response to protests
Oct. 26: Frank Rich, writer-at-large for New York magazine, talks with Rachel Maddow about lessons history offers for politicians who want to use violence to put down popular protests.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
CBS NEWS This morning:
Tensions high after "Occupy"er's skull fracture
October 27, 2011 6:11 AM - Oakland's police chief is promising a vigorous investigation into a clash between police and Occupy Wall Street protesters that left an Iraq War veteran in critical condition with a fractured skull.
Police Chief Howard Jordan spoke Wednesday as tensions grew over demonstration encampments in key California cities. read more>>>
CNN this morning:
Occupy Wall Street protesters support injured war vet
6:27 AM EST, Thu October 27, 2011 - More Occupy Wall Street protests were scheduled in New York on Thursday, a day after demonstrators marched to support an Iraq war veteran who was hurt in California.
Hundreds packed the streets near Manhattan's Union Square on Wednesday in a march in support of veteran Scott Olsen. At least 10 people were arrested in clashes with officers, a New York police spokesman said.
Olsen suffered a skull fracture Tuesday night after allegedly being shot in the head with a police projectile in Oakland, California, according to Iraq Veterans Against the War.
The former Marine has become another rallying cry for the Occupy Wall Street protests spreading throughout the country. read more>>>
From MilitaryTimes blog:
Former Marine’s skull cracked at ‘Occupy Oakland’ clash
October 26th, 2011 - In the video, the crack of a crowd-control projectile is followed by heavy smoke. People scream and run toward the smoke, converging near the ground over the body of a young man.
Another crack is heard and more smoke billows. Out of that plume, a crowd emerges carrying the man who appears bleeding and unresponsive.
The injured man has been identified as former Marine Cpl. Scott Olsen, who deployed twice to Iraq with Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines based out of Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Olsen, who was a tactical communications Marine, got out of the Corps last year and landed a job in San Francisco as a systems administrator with the help of his friend and roommate, Keith Shannon, who was also a Marine.
Olsen was listed in stable but critical condition and it wasn’t known yet whether surgery would be performed. read more>>>
From his hometown and his Uncle, a brother Marine and brother Vietnam Vet:
Iraq veteran hurt at Oaklan's Occupy rally is Onalaska {Wis.} native
October 27, 2011 12:15 am - Scott Olsen served two tours of duty in Iraq without injury. But on Wednesday night, the 24-year-old Onalaska native and former Marine was in critical condition at Highland Hospital in Oakland, Calif.
His family says police struck Olsen in the head with what’s believed to be a tear gas canister during an Occupy Oakland march.
Olsen has a skull fracture and is under sedation while doctors try to determine whether to operate.
“It’s just so damn ironic,” said George Nygaard, Olsen’s uncle. “To do two tours over there and not a scratch. All of a sudden he comes back here and a damn cop hits him with a projectile. It’s crap.”
snip
Nygaard, of Chaseburg, shares a special bond with his nephew. Both were Marines, Olsen in Iraq and Nygaard in Vietnam.
“Once a Marine, always a Marine. There is that camaraderie,” Nygaard said. “He is a brother as well as being a nephew.” read more>>>
Haven't found anything yet as to Scott's latest condition.