Occupy Oakland protester Scott Olsen awake ahead of brain surgery

[LeighAnn]

Source: Guardian

Scott Olsen, the Iraq war veteran who suffered serious head injuries after being hit by a projectile fired by police during the Occupy Oakland protests, has woken up and is lucid as he awaits surgery, hospital officials and family members have said.

Olsen, a 24-year-old former US Marine, was struck in the head during anti-Wall Street protests on Tuesday night. He has been upgraded from critical to fair condition.

Olsen "responded with a very large smile" to a visit from his parents, Highland General hospital spokesman Warren Lyons said. "He's able to understand what's going on. He's able to write and hear but has a little difficulty with his speech," Lyons said.

Doctors had not operated on Olsen yet and were waiting to see if swelling in his brain eased, Lyons said.



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/27/occupy-oakland-scott-olsen-surgery

[MADem]

1. I thought they decided against surgery. This is very recent material:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/27/MND61LN3LM.DTL

Harken said Olsen had suffered a 2- to 3-inch fracture on the left side of his skull. He is able to write and move, but is having trouble speaking, Harken said.

Olsen has a bruise on brain that is causing swelling, but should recover fully without needing surgery, Harken said.

Olsen was dropped off at the hospital by people in a private car and was unconscious for 12 hours, Harken said. He is unaware of the global interest in his condition.

"He wouldn't be able to comprehend it," the doctor said.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/27/BAD61LN3LM.DTL#ixzz1c3ItVP3Q

[Fumesucker]

2. Dropped off at the hospital by people in a private car..

So, despite the huge police presence to "protect" people a critically injured man had to be taken to the hospital by car and not by ambulance?

[Poll_Blind]

3. Reminds me of one of the speakers tonight in Oakland- the girl who first went to...

...his aid. Did you catch her tonight? I have a feeling WillyT and I weren't the only DUers getting choked up listening to her account.

She begged the police for an ambulance.

They did nothing.

Other protesters turned around and rushed back to where Olsen was laying on the ground and they asked the police to get an ambulance.

They did nothing.

Then a policeman, possibly the same one who shot Scott in the first place, tossed a concussive flash device into the middle of them.

FUCKING DISGUSTING. I have no doubt they didn't lift a finger the entire time. I'm assuming that only one policeman shot Scott, but all of them in that line who refused to provide help are guilty.

"Protecting the people of Oakland" my ass.

PB

[Fumesucker]

4. My connection isn't good enough to do video reliably..

So I missed it, thanks for cluing me in..

There are some police departments that act like an occupying force, Oakland seems to be one of them.

[msongs]

5. that's because police are a legal gang nt

[dgibby]

6. He's lucky they got him out of there before he was arrested;

otherwise, he'd have ended up in a holding cell and probably would have died during the night or been permanently severly brain damaged. OPD has never been noted for its compassion, AFAIK.