First Scott Olsen, now this:
A former U.S. Army Ranger and Occupy Oakland protester was in intensive care on Friday after a veterans' group said he was beaten by police during clashes with anti-Wall Street demonstrators this week.
Kayvan Sabeghi, 32, was arrested and hospitalized about a week after another U.S. military veteran, former Marine Scott Olsen, was badly injured in a confrontation with police that helped spark the latest round of unrest.
The group Iraq Veterans Against the War said Sabeghi was detained during disturbances that erupted late on Wednesday in downtown Oakland and was charged with resisting arrest and remaining present at the place of a riot.
-Reuters
Kayvan was seen in news footage talking peacefully with with riot police prior to his arrest/beatdown. News footage also showed him face-down at the bottom of a pile of baton-wielding riot police. He suffered a ruptured spleen, but police denied him medical treatment for 18 hours.
A man who said he shared a cell with Sabeghi at Glenn Dyer jail in Oakland said Sabeghi showed his wounds, which looked like baton bruises mainly to his torso.
(Sabeghi's friend David) Goodstal said they posted bail about 12:30 p.m. Thursday, but the partner who made the trip down there did not see Sabeghi. The next time they heard from him, he was calling from Highland Hospital.
"I didn't know he was going to take part in the protest; I heard about it when he called me and said he was seriously injured," Goodstal said. "He said he went to the port, and then he and a friend had dinner and he was leaving and was confronted by the police."
Goodstal said his friend told him that he was not part of the group that took over the building or fought with police.
He told him that he was in tremendous pain while he was in jail and asked for help, but none came.
"He said he was throwing up bile," Goodstal said. "He told me one of the cops said, 'You need to get off heroin.' That's what Kayvan told me; I wasn't there. I'm sure the police will have a different story.
"He went by ambulance to the hospital. He couldn't get up himself and walk out so he said they just locked the cell," Goodstal said.
-Inside Bay Area
Protestors had occupied the former Traveler's Aid Society building, and as or beeven before Mayor Quan was offering to negotiate the return of Traveler's Aid Society, Oakland Police and Alameda Sheriffs were posse-ing up for a riot. And then there was a riot.
At a city council meeting the next night, Mayor Quan warned Occupy Oakland to start talking with the city or else...even though she clearly isn't in charge anyway.
It's been interesting to see how the movement has addressed the black bloc issue. Many people are physically intervening. Others are merely calling them out for what they are. The issue, which has been a hot topic over over the past 36 hours, is far from being resolved, but it is good to see the movement majority clearly not fully endorsing such behavior.
