#OWS #OccupyWallSt #OccupyOakland

From The Bay Citizen:

Scott Olsen returned unscathed from two tours in Iraq only to be critically wounded during a violent confrontation between police and Occupy Oakland protesters.

A YouTube video shows people carrying Olsen, who is bleeding from the head. The people tell the cameraperson that Olsen was shot. The incident occurred near 14th and Broadway at around 7:30pm last night.

As of noon Wednesday, Olsen, 24, remained in critical condition at Highland Hospital in Oakland.  A handful of friends, many of whom are also veterans of the Iraq war, stood vigil outside the emergency room door.

They said they had been informed by nurses that he was still unconscious. Aaron Hinde, an Iraq war veteran who, like Olsen is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, said Olsen was brought to the hospital by “two good Samaritans” around 8pm Tuesday evening and lost consciousness on the way to the hospital.

“I think its terrible for him to go two tours in Iraq and exercise his rights that he fought so hard to defend and get a serious injury like this,” said his roommate Keith Shannon, who served alongside Olsen in the Marines in Iraq.

An Oakland police officer told The Bay Citizen that the police department is investigating a use of force incident that caused serious injuries, but that it may not be OPD who was responsible. On Tuesday night, Oakland police said officers did not use any rubber bullets or non-lethal munitions to quell the protest.

Siri Margerin, a local peace activist, said two Oakland police detectives in body armor, visited the hospital around midnight and interviewed Olsen’s friends.

Two Alameda County Sheriffs Deputies also interviewed them this morning, she said.

Shannon, who in Iraq alongside Olsen between 2006 and 2007, described his friend as a “quiet kind of person, someone who was always smiling.”

Shannon said Olsen moved out to California after his discharge from the Marine Corps because he wanted to work in the tech industry. Olsen worked at the San Francisco tech firm OPSWAT, Shannon said.

Olsen mother, Sandy Olsen of Onalaska, Wisconsin said her son joined the military out of high school in 2005 because he “wanted to help the people over there,” but soured on the war during his tours of duty.

When he came home, she said, her son joined Iraq Veterans Against the War, a group which has joined many of the Occupy Wall Street protests around the country.

His roommate, Shannon, said Olsen joined the protests “because he thought the banks pretty much run free and unregulated and are never held accountable for their actions.”

“It is about the people taking back the government as well as placing restrictions on the corporations,” he said.

Shannon said Olsen, who lives in a two-bedroom apartment in Daly City, had taken part in numerous Occupacy Wall Street protets in San Francisco, joined the Occupy movement in Oakland for the first time Tuesday evening.

Enough is Enough!

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/159541/20110608/montreal-police-shooting.htm

This story exemplifies “trigger-happy” policemen, which our people are dealing with on a daily basis.  The police were called to the scene after receiving information that someone cutting open garbage bags and knocking trash cans over.  Why was this man cutting open garbage bags and knocking over trash cans?  According to the source from the local homeless shelter, this man collected cans and returned them in order to feed his family.  It is doubtful that these policemen will be held accountable for their actions.  Homeless people represent a voiceless, disenfranchised public who along with felons, are treated as an irrelevant constituency.  We already know that many homeless people are from vulnerable groups: oppressed minorities, war veterans, or mentally ill people.  In all cases, these are people who the government has maliciously neglected.  The manner in which the police killed this man is similar how they would treat a rabid animal.

This particular incident has only become newsworthy because a male nurse was also killed by a stray bullet during this incident.  If only a homeless man had been killed, it would not be causing as much fervor.  Today, there was a march in protest against police brutality that included several hundred people.  While it was primarily peaceful, there was a small group that separated and smashed some windows.  These misguided activists were not liberating property; only destroying it! We don’t endorse these kinds of ultra-leftist tactics.  These violent tactics alienate working class people and therefore lessen its ability to be a truly mass movement.

We salute the people of Montreal who marched to demand an end to police brutality!

Jordan Miles After Police BeatingAfter

http://www.blackyouthproject.com/blog/2011/05/jordan-miles-honor-student-brutally-beaten-by-pittsburgh-police-speaks-for-the-first-time/

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/30/us-woodcarver-police-idUSTRE73T0JN20110430

Seattle to pay $1.5 million in cop-slain woodcarver case

The conference called by the Chief Seattle Club started with a ceremonial drum blessing, then speakers took turns relating their experiences with police or talked about what they said is an ongoing problem with police and racism in Seattle.

(Reuters) – City officials on Friday agreed to pay $1.5 million to the family of a Native American woodcarver fatally shot by a white cop in a confrontation that stoked racial tensions and helped spark a federal probe of Seattle’s police force.

A police firearms review board deemed the August 2010 shooting of John Williams, 50, unjustified, ruling that although he was intoxicated at the time he posed no threat “of serious harm” to the officer.

But prosecutors chose not to bring criminal charges against the policeman, Ian Birk, 27, finding insufficient evidence of the criminal intent or malice required under Washington state law to prosecute a law enforcement officer for homicide.

Birk quit the force the same day, February 17.

The civil settlement, announced by the Seattle city attorney’s office, was reached through mediation by municipal officials and Williams’ relatives.

The settlement document states that $1.25 million will be paid to Williams’ estate and $250,000 paid to his mother, Ida Edward of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Birk had insisted he believed Williams was armed and that he shot the man in self-defense. A knife with the blade folded closed was found next to Williams after the shooting.

His death sparked several rallies, attended mostly by minority citizens, protesting policing practices they claimed were racially discriminatory.

The Williams shooting was one of several incidents cited by the American Civil Liberties Union in seeking a U.S. Justice Department investigation into an alleged pattern of excessive force by Seattle police officers, particularly against ethnic and racial minorities. The Justice Department in March said it had launched such an investigation.

Williams’ family on March 16 asked the King County Superior Court to convene a citizens grand jury to determine whether Birk should be criminally charged. No ruling has been made.

A lot of people don’t realize the role that police brutality has played in sparking these uprisings.  By no means the only or even the main issue at hand, it is nonetheless a very important element of what sparked the initial periods of uprising.  Check for yourself:

TUNISIA

Uprisings in Sidi Bouazid erupts end of December 2010 because a youth – Mohamed Bouazizi – has attempted to kill himself (by setting himself on fire).  What caused Bouazizi to do this?  The corrupt police force had trashed his vegetable stand and roughed him up; ruining his livelihood and attempting to take any dignity Bouazizi had.

Mohamed Bouazizi

The dictator Ben Ali had the nerve to visit Mohamed Bouazizi in his dying moments.

Protestors hold up a poster of the martyr Mohamed Bouazizi.

The police officers in Tunisia may have thought they had the last laugh when they attempted to destroy Bouazizi’s life; but instead history will note that it was this young martyr who sparked regional uprisings and ended dictatorships which had reigned for decades.

EGYPT

The events that have transpired – and continue to transpire – in Egypt were certainly affected by the uprising in Tunisia (which overthrew the dictator Ben Ali).  But the original protest that began it all in Egypt (recently that is) was already scheduled before the Tunisians had rose up.  And it was scheduled because a youth in Alexandria – Khalel Said – had been beaten to death by police (in June of 2010).  When the protest came around it took on a much greater life due to events going on in Tunisia , among other factors, but we can still see the huge role played by the martyr Khalel Said.

Khaled Said RIP Murdered by Egyptian police in Alexandria June 2010

Protesters hold up portraits of Egyptian victim of torture Khaled Said during a demonstration outside the journalists syndicate in Cairo on June 19, 2010.

Although Mubarak is not out of power as of the publishing of this article, most analysts agree that his days are numbered.  We will say the number is 3 or less.

Police brutality continues to be a rampant problem across the globe (can’t forget about riots in Greece in ‘08 due to the police murder of a youth).  We don’t want to reduce the reasons for the recent uprisings to police brutality, only to point out that this issue played a part here as well that shouldn’t be glossed over.  The leaders of the world should probably be on notice at this point that the youth is getting fed up with police-oriented solutions for economic problems.

Hands off the Middle East!!  Power to the People of Tunisia!!  Power to the People of Egypt!!

By CLAY WADENA

Thousands of prisoners in Georgia made history on Dec. 9 when they carried out what has been hailed as the largest prisoner strike in American history—refusing to work or leave their cells in 11 of the state’s prisons.

The prisoners issued nine demands that began with a call for a living wage for the work they perform and included demands for better educational and vocational opportunities, better health care, better food and living conditions, better access to their families, ending all cruel and inhumane punishments, and a more just parole process.

The strike lasted a week in most prisons, with isolated pockets of resistance still being reported later, and was an outstanding achievement for the prisoners’ rights movement even if their demands were not immediately met.

Prisoners in Georgia are standing up to a mighty force when they confront their state machinery, as Georgia leads the nation with the highest rate of adults that are under state control or supervision.  According to the Pew Center on the States, one out of 13 adults in Georgia is in a prison or jail, or on parole or probation—higher than any other state.

Georgia nearly tripled its prison population between 1988 and 2009, and this included a disproportionate amount of African American inmates, who now make up 63% of Georgia’s prisoners but are only 30% of the state population.  Of the Georgia inmates who make it out, two-thirds will be rearrested within three years of their release (such a high recidivism rate that even conservative Newt Gingrich was prompted to write an editorial calling for Georgia to focus on lowering it). Additionally, Georgia spends only $49 a day per prisoner, compared to a national average of $79.

On top of it all, Georgia is one of only a few states where the inmates are paid absolutely nothing for their labor (unless they have one of a handful of exclusive jobs that are not readily accessible to the general inmate population). Inmates perform road cleanup for states and local governments and they provide labor to prison-run businesses that make furniture, garments, and signs—but they receive nothing for it. Most inmates across the country work for pennies an hour doing the same thing, a pittance that can’t be considered fair in any way, but in places like Georgia, Texas, and Arkansas they don’t even get that chance.

Georgia politicians seemingly wouldn’t have it any other way, and displayed their disgust for the prisoners’ demands when interviewed by the press during and after the strike. Republican state senator Johnny Grant said, “If they want to get paid, they shouldn’t commit crimes. … If we started paying inmates, we’d also start charging them for room and board, as well. They ought to be careful what they ask for.”

Democratic state representative Barbara Massey Reece agreed: “After all, they are behind those prison walls for a reason. They are there to make restitution to society for whatever their crime was. … I can’t see paying inmates anything. I would much rather take that money and put 25 more state troopers on the highway. … Most of the men that I have encountered on [unpaid] work details take real pride in their work and are appreciative of the chance to work. If they weren’t out working, they’d just be sitting behind the fence.”

Don’t be fooled by Ms. Reece’s claims; by issuing their own demands the prisoners have made sure that no politician can claim to speak for them and paint a rosy picture of modern-day slavery.  And contrary to her view that prisoners “appreciated” working for free, the prisoners made it very clear that this issue was the biggest driving force of the entire strike.

It is important to note the desperate economic position these inmates are placed in by the system. They are not provided enough food and amenities to squeak out even a minimally sufficient life, and often come from families who can’t afford to keep money in their commissary account. Even for those inmates who can get money wired in, the monopoly on money transfers held by private company J-Pay takes a 10% commission and the commissary prices are high. If inmates would like to talk to their family members legally, it costs $55 a month for once weekly 15-minute phone conversations.

Normally, the meager conditions of prison life and the astronomical prices they pay for basic necessities are offset, very slightly, by the ability of inmates to earn a tiny amount of money doing work in or for the prison. In Georgia, however, inmates are not even able to provide for themselves in this hyper-exploited manner, despite the work they do.

With deplorable conditions and practically no institutional route of addressing them, the prisoners took it upon themselves to be heard, and put in a momentous amount of work to pull the strike off and bring their message to the public. This cannot be overstated. It is worth noting the different roadblocks these men faced and overcame, so what they have accomplished can be truly appreciated.

First, these prisoners had to overcome the divisions that normally prevent any type of unified inmate action. Prison administrations count on all forms of racial, sexual, economic, and street-organization violence to sow deep division among the prisoners and make them easier to control. In a testament to the organizers of this action, inmates in Georgia were able to overcome these divisions, which normally wreak havoc.

“It’s a universal, unified effort on the part of men who have been treated like slaves, whether Black, white, or Latino,” said Elaine Brown, spokesperson for the prisoners and former leader of the Black Panther Party.

Additionally, the prisoners had to coordinate both the protest action (in multiple prisons) and the media outreach from inside prisons, where all normal correspondence can be monitored. To accomplish this, they used contraband cell-phones, bought from prison guards anxious to cash in on the lucrative prison illicit market (where a $20 cell-phone can easily go for $350).

In the articles that were eventually written about the strike, much has been made of these cell-phones, both about the ingenuity of the prisoners and the illegal and high-priced nature of the phones themselves. It is worth noting, primarily, that these prisoners acquired and effectively used these phones under great physical and legal danger; being caught with one is a felony charge and might be accompanied by a ruthless beating from corrections officers.

Coordinating the protest action was done on cell-phones and by word of mouth. But without the cell-phones it would have been nearly impossible to overcome the initial media blackout of their protest action. After a couple days a few major outlets finally covered the prisoner strike, but this was only after the Georgia Dept. of Corrections (DOC) had declared that they had instituted a “lockdown,” and the story was generally reported as such (as opposed to a self-imposed work strike).

It was largely left to the alternative media (notably Black Agenda Report and “Democracy Now”), prisoners’ advocates like the Concerned Coalition to Respect Prisoners’ Rights (CCRPR), and the prisoners themselves to get the story out. The New York Times did not run a story on the strike until after the prisoners had contacted the paper themselves. But the prisoners took responsibility for advancing their message against all odds and had a fair amount of success given the initial blackout.

“The mere fact that this got the attention of the nation, that in itself is a lot, because once it got the attention of the nation, people began looking, people began inquiring. …  It was powerful,” said Robert King, author and Black Panther Party member who organized in Louisiana prisons in the 1970s and spent decades in prison when he was framed by prison officials as a result.

The capitalist media’s hesitation to report on the strike prompted accusations from prison activists that they were purposely withholding the story to prevent the strike from spreading. And while the prisoners struggled to find a hearing for their voice outside of the prison walls, they also faced severe repression inside the walls.

In a statement released New Year’s Eve, the CCRPR detailed a severe reprisal beating administered on accused striker Terrance Bryant Dean at Macon State Prison by prison guards.  On Dec. 16, the seventh day of the strike, Dean was reportedly carried from his cell cuffed at his hands and ankles, and beaten unconscious. He was then subsequently hospitalized. Reports of beatings aimed at breaking the strike were reaching activists in the CCRPR at this time, who then demanded that the DOC allow them to tour the affected prisons and talk to prisoners.

Even as the DOC allowed the CCRPR to tour the prisons they did not admit that at least one prisoner was hospitalized from a guard-administered beating. In addition to the plight of Terrance Dean and the strikers at large, the CCRPR has also stated concern for the 37 men that the DOC has identified as strike “conspirators,” who are likely being targeted for violence by the DOC. The CCRPR intends to release a full report on its investigations and the prison visits it has conducted.

Mainstream analysts believe that Georgia is currently facing $2 billion in budget cuts, and that the state is poised to cut services and funding to prisoners even further, rather than grant prisoners’ wishes. Refusing to negotiate with the prisoners on these issues—while raining terror and brutality upon them—could have tragic results, as prisoners have been quoted in the press to the effect that cooler heads prevailed this time as prisoners decided what course of action to take; but that without any change the next action may be guided by those who favor violent protest.

These prisoners need allies on the outside of the prison walls who will assist them in building a mass movement dedicated to overthrowing this system of modern-day slavery, these warehouses of human beings. If the DOC sparks a violent confrontation it could turn into a bloodbath, which would generally serve the interests of the oppressors at great cost of human life for the prisoners. The real conditions of these gulags must be exposed, and this unjust system must be torn down as the French once tore down that old symbol of their own imprisonment—the Bastille. Please join with activists as we educate, agitate, and organize to end this oppression!

To see the full press release from CCRPR:

http://www.ushrnetwork.org/content/pressrelease/georgia-prison-striker-severely-beaten-department-corrections-cover