Did Oakland Police Intentionally Shoot Marine Vet Scott Olsen In the Head?

Marine Veteran Was Peacefully Standing When Attacked by Police

The following photograph on videos show that Marine veteran Scott Olsen was peacefully standing at the Oakland protest when police fired a projectile at him:

Did Police Intend to Hit Olsen In the Head?

Here is a photo of the ammunition or projectiles which police shot at the Oakland protesters:

Karl Denninger argues that the police intended to hit Olsen in the head:

One ex-Marine — a combat veteran — took a rubber round in the head. He is in critical condition and may die. That was not a mistake; that was aimed fire and an intentional assassination. Sorry folks, that’s facts – from 50′ you don’t “miss” and hit someone in the head with these things if you’re shooting for the legs or other non-vital parts. He was shot in the head by someone who aimed for the head. Those projectiles are not “non-lethal” and the bomb thrown by a cop at the people trying to come to his assistance after he fell wasn’t tossed accidentally either.

The policemen firing seemed to be having a little too much fun:

A protester also says the police shot him with a rubber bullet when he helped carry Scott Olsen to safety after he had been injured:

The Oakland police violated their own rules (page 9), and some have argued that they would have violated the Geneva Convention against targeting wounded combatants or those attempting to render medical aid.

No wonder even Amnesty International has condemned the use of tear gas as well as the actions of Mayor Jean Quan of Oakland, who said the measures were justified because protesters threw rocks. Although the Obama administration and the Department of Justice has shown no interest in investigating.

Olsen Is an Extremely Hard-Working Network Engineer and a Decorated Veteran

Olsen is a decorated veteran, who was an extremely hard-working network engineer:

Scott Olsen, 24, joined the protests as he worked his day job as a network engineer and left his apartment each night to sleep alongside protesters in San Francisco and Oakland, Calif., Keith Shannon said.

***Olsen, who is originally from Wisconsin, served two tours of duty in Iraq, makes a good living at a San Francisco software company and had a hillside apartment that overlooks San Francisco Bay.

***

Each night, he would go out to the tent camps that have sprung up over the past month in cities as the movement spread to protest economic inequality and what they see as corporate greed.

***

People at OPSWAT, the company where Olsen works, were devastated after learning of his injuries. They described him as a humble, quiet guy who worked hard over long hours.

“He’s been a big piece of what we do here and our growth strategy, so obviously it’s pretty devastating for us that he’s in the shape he’s in,” said Jeff Garon, the company’s director of marketing.

Olsen was awarded seven medals while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, which he left as a lance corporal in November 2009 after serving for four years.

He went on two tours in Iraq, one in 2006-2007 and another in 2008, where he worked as a data network specialist. He was awarded seven medals, including the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal, according to the Marine Corps.

Olsen’s condition has been upgraded from critical to “fair”, although neurologists say that he may require brain surgery.

Militarization of the Police is the Problem

Some are comparing police brutality towards the Occupy protesters to that used by Israeli forces against Palestinian protesters. Indeed, numerous heads of U.S. police departments have traveled to Israel for “anti-terrorism training”, and received training from Israeli anti-terrorism experts who have traveled to the U.S. See this, this, this, this.

But whether or not Israeli influence on U.S. police forces is a problem, the increasing militarization of U.S. police departments is clearly the problem (more).

In October 2010, the Oakland Tribune reported:

An Oakland police SWAT team finished second in a prestigious, internationally known training competition this past weekend, losing out to a group of Israeli police but beating more than two dozen other Bay Area law enforcement agencies that participated.

Indeed, the Alameda County Sheriff has hosted some of these Swat competitions (Oakland is in Alameda County, California).

Veterans Are Not Amused by the Attack on Olsen

Veterans are not amused by an attack on one of their own:

Apparently, veterans led the march to re-occupy Oakland after Olsen was injured.

And see this.

Anonymous Releases Police Information

Anonymous released a video in support of Olsen:

The group also temporarily took down the Oakland police website, and released personal information about Oakland police officers.

Mayor Backs Down

And the Mayor of Oakland has now done an about-face, saying the protesters can stay and that she “supports” them.