Released from hospital, injured 'Occupy Oakland' Marine calls for justice, peace
Now out of the hospital after a painful injury dealt by the business end of an Oakland police projectile, Marine veteran Scott Olsen, 24, has begun his road to recovery -- but he's still waiting to hear if justice is served to the officer who cracked his skull.
After during a raid on "Occupy Oakland," Olsen was reportedly due to minor brain damage. Friends and supporters will be glad to know that's not the case anymore, although he still appears to suffer from some minor speech impediments.
"It was a very frustrating process," he explained in his first on-camera since the injury, speaking to a cameraman with East Bay Indymedia. "Initially, I couldn't form any words. I couldn't make any words. Initially, my brain was all pretty much there, I'd have brain farts more often than everyone does. Mentally I was there, I just couldn't spit these things out of my mouth. They worked hard with me to get me better. I am doing much better than when I look at myself a month ago, two days after the attack, I was not doing good. I'm doing a lot better from them."
Though he still wears a neck brace, Olsen said he expects to fully recover in the coming months. As for the officer who so severely injured him, he or she has not been identified and an investigation is ongoing.
"You would think something like this wouldn't take too long to find out, who was responsible, but it's been over a month," he said. "How long does it take to see who fired this at me?"
His final advice to supporters of the 99 Percent movement: "Stay peaceful, because that's what this is about. It's about working with one another and it's about being open with each other, and that's how we can solve our problems."
This video is from East Bay Indymedia.
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