Second Iraq War Vet Injured By Police At #OccupyOakland Protest

By Heather — November 4, 2011

Countdown's David Shuster talked to The Guardian's Adam Gabbatt who broke this story of yet another Iraq War veteran being the victim of police brutality at the Occupy Oakland protests -- Occupy Oakland: second Iraq war veteran injured after police clashes:

Kayvan Sabehgi in intensive care with a lacerated spleen after protests in Oakland, a week after Scott Olsen was hurt. He says police beat him with batons

A second Iraq war veteran has suffered serious injuries after clashes between police and Occupy movement protesters in Oakland.

Kayvan Sabehgi, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, is in intensive care with a lacerated spleen. He says he was beaten by police close to the Occupy Oakland camp, but despite suffering agonising pain, did not reach hospital until 18 hours later.

Sabehgi, 32, is the second Iraq war veteran to be hospitalised following involvement in Oakland protests. Another protester, Scott Olsen, suffered a fractured skull on 25 October.

On Wednesday night, police used teargas and non-lethal projectiles to drive back protesters following an attempt by the Occupy supporters to shut down the city of Oakland.

Sabehgi told the Guardian from hospital he was walking alone along 14th Street in central Oakland – away from the main area of clashes – when he was injured.

C&L's Occupy America has decided to start raising money to help pay for costs and other treatments Scott Olsen might need to aid in his recovery with Occupy America's Scott Olsen Solidarity Fund. As Michael Moore proclaimed the other day up in Oakland: "We are all Scott Olsen!"

"There was a group of police in front of me," he told the Guardian from his hospital bed. "They told me to move, but I was like: 'Move to where?' There was nowhere to move.

"Then they lined up in front of me. I was talking to one of them, saying 'Why are you doing this?' when one moved forward and hit me in my arm and legs and back with his baton. Then three or four cops tackled me and arrested me."

Sabeghi, who left the army in 2007 and now part-owns a small bar-restaurant in El Cerrito, about 10 miles north of Oakland, said he was handcuffed and placed in a police van for three hours before being taken to jail. By the time he got there he was in "unbelievable pain".

He said: "My stomach was really hurting, and it got worse to the point where I couldn't stand up.

"I was on my hands and knees and crawled over the cell door to call for help."

A nurse was called and recommended Sabehgi take a suppository, but he said he "didn't want to take it".

He was allowed to "crawl" to another cell to use the toilet, but said it was clogged.

"I was vomiting and had diarrhoea," Sabehgi said. "I just lay there in pain for hours."

Sabehgi's bail was posted in the mid-afternoon, but he said he was unable to leave his cell because of the pain. The cell door was closed, and he remained on the floor until 6pm, when an ambulance was called.

He was taken to Highland hospital – the same hospital where Olsen was originally taken after being hit in the head by a projectile apparently fired by police. Read on...

You've been so generous thus far when it comes to the OWS movement that I'm hoping you can donate any amount of money that you can because it all adds up quickly. We'll collect all the money and then bring a check up to the Bay Area and present it as a token of our solidarity with Scott and his family and friends. I'm sure they will appreciate all the help we can give.

We cannot permit mayors, politicians and cities across this country to brutalize peaceful protesters. Let's send another message of our unity to those One Percenters who believe there should be no middle class in our country whatsoever and who have no problem unleashing violence against protesters. Thanks in advance for your help. (I've set up a separate code for the Scott Olsen Funder so I can track the donations easily.)

You can also snail mail a check to our address. Please write "Scott Olsen" in the notes section.: