Friday, October 28, 2011

Doctors: Scott Olsen suffered brain damage and is unable to speak

By Stephen C. Webster/Raw Story

The Iraq veteran seriously wounded Tuesday night at “Occupy Oakland” sustained minor brain damage and has been rendered unable to speak, doctors said Friday, adding that he will likely be able to make a full recovery in time.
Scott Olsen, 24, was said to be otherwise lucid and able to communicate with his family by writing notes, but his ability to spell is also damaged, according to sources who spoke with The Guardian. He is, however, able to understand what’s being communicated to him.
Keith Shannon, Olsen’s roommate who served with him in Iraq, explained that “He cannot talk right now, and that is because the fracture is right on the speech center of his brain,” the paper added. “However, they are expecting he will get that back.”
Olsen is believed to have been struck in the forehead by a police projectile, and many speculate it was either a tear gas canister or a beanbag full of lead fired from a shotgun. Both can be lethal at close range, although many police departments use them as “non-lethal” weapons. Video from the scene seems to show him being struck by a tear gas canister fired from just a few feet away, but the image is not clear.
The blow was so severe that doctors were forced to place Olsen in a medically-induced coma to help fight swelling on his brain.
The two-tour Iraq veteran has since become a flashpoint for the 99 Percent movement, who’ve seemingly been targeted for police harassment in most major cities.
In response to Tuesday’s events, the general assembly at “Occupy Oakland” has called for a city-wide general strike on Nov. 2, aimed at shutting down city services for one day to protest police violence.
Oakland Mayor Jean Quon, who authorized the eviction, has since distanced herself from the police chief, saying on Friday “I only asked the chief to do one thing: to do it when it was the safest for both the police and the demonstrators.” Current TV’s Keith Olbermann has called on her to go further than pass the blame: he wants Mayor Quon to fire the police chief or resign. There’s no indication that she plans to do either.
Since the violence she’s also claimed to support the 99 Percent movement and withdrawn much of the police presence near the park where protesters had been camping.
Olsen may still face brain surgery, but doctors haven’t determined whether that’s necessary just yet.

4 comments:

Honkey Honkey Honkey said...

If you ignore multiple warnings from the Po-Po to move, and you refuse, then what happens to you is not tragic, it is Darwin.

That said, how's that General Strike going? Hell, if Olberman was publicizing it there must be at least 20 folks that know about it.

LOLZ.

Honkey Honkey Honkey said...

uh oh, when is a martyr not a martyr?

http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1379387

Oh my, own goal.

Motor City Liberal Returns said...

A forum from a right-wing gun nut site is your source of information? Excuse me I don't if I don't believe it because you guys on the right are not really fans of truth and reality. And I bet if this was one of your idiot tea bagger brothers that got hurt by a police officer I doubt you would be singing that tune.

Motor City Liberal Returns said...

One I'm over 75,000 in total page views and I get about 100 views per day to me that's pretty good considering I post stories past the 8 o'clock hour. As for comments what does that matter? Would I like more people commenting? Sure. But I'm not going to hold it against people who just drop by and read the post. As for you not showing up and leaving the dog turds you call counterpoint I managed to survive somehow.