‘Street medics’ describe injuries and other hazards at the RNC protests

[annm4peace]

** Please do not forget what happened in St Paul last week ***

‘Street medics’ describe injuries and other hazards at the RNC protests

http://www.fleshandstone.net/healthandsciencenews/streetmedics.html
http://www.kare11.com/life/community/gallerypublic.aspx?plckGalleryID=deb84890-87e6-4f61-bee0-0eb9082d5668

Volunteer street medics were among those pepper sprayed and arrested while aiding demonstrators during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN Sept. 1-5.

Many dozens of volunteers – activists as well as doctors, nurses, EMTs, psychologists and other health workers -- stepped in to serve as “street medics” during the RNC demonstrations that concluded with more than 800 arrests.


How can Mayors Coleman and Rybak still say the Convention went well.. and the law enforcement did a great job. Shameful.
There is so many pictures and video's that say something else.

I can not blame the officers just like I can't blame the troops. I hold the leadership of the cities accountable.

[stillcool]

1. It is incredible..

According to Sean McCoy, an EMT and Navy veteran, “My medic partner and I were treating a handicapped male in a wheelchair for pepper spray to the face at the parking lot of Jackson Street. In the process of treating the patient, we were surrounded by several police officers in riot gear and forcibly thrown to the ground and told we were under arrest. We were then forcibly removed from our patient, handcuffed, and forced to lay face down on the ground while the officers proceeded to cut our bags off of us and remove all of our medical gear by dumping it on the ground.” NSHC said McCoy was held 55 hours in Ramsey County jail before being released.

[crickets]

6. Why arrest someone offering medical care?

Especially since they were providing medical care to a guy in a wheelchair. And then to dump out all the gear, perhaps destroying stuff that could have helped other people another day--that's just so wrong. As was obvious time after time during that week, 'the mission' wasn't really about providing security and keeping the peace, it was about grinding people under a jackboot.

[AzNick]

12. American police suck at crowd control

They have no clue and act like storm troopers.

I come from France, where there is on average one demonstration per day, and no, it's not a proof of social chaos, it's a proof of freedom of speech used properly and respected.

Each time, the riot police in full gear are present, just in case, and each time the demonstrators sing anti-riot police songs (usually calling them "SS", which in French rhimes with "CRS", the abbreviation for the riot police) and usually nothing bad happens.

Once in a great while, usually during youth protests, a real riot occurs, because kids from the projects show up with intent to get into a fight.

But usually nothing as bad as in St Paul occurs.

The worst part is that these cops were acting against their own interest.

Lower taxes = less cops.

[Cerridwen]

2. Kick, recommend.

I hope I don't kill your thread. Sorry. I have the effect some days.

I promise I'll kick again if I do.

Thanks for bringing this back into the discussion.

[Cerridwen]

3. Promised kick.

Maybe you needed to put 'palin' or 'bitch' in the subject line.

*sigh*

[Greyhound]

4. Nope, nothing to see here, move along now. Oh look over there, it's Sarah Palin!!

If there is anything after, Mencken has probably ruptured something from non-stop laughing for so many years.

"You can't fix stupid" - Engvall

:kick: & R

[Cerridwen]

5. Another kick.

I'm not sure if I'm helping or hurting at this point, but I'll kick anyway.

[Egnever]

7. keep on kicking

This is important stuff. Did you see the videos of the private security team?

[Cerridwen]

8. Saw and reported on.

And kicking as I can.

I'm afraid I'm a thread killer today, so if you'll kick as you can, that would be great.

[Egnever]

9. Reported on?

[Cerridwen]

10. A friend and I tried to keep a running commentary as it was happening

the first day of the protests.

Not very popular. We did what we could. We weren't there but we were watching. It sucked. Not being there.

[Raksha]

11. K & R

[kas125]

13. I can't forget - I was there.

and it was simply horrendous. The people of St. Paul seemed to be absolutely appalled at what was going on in their city.