Scoop Images: Homefront War Casualties In Oakland

Truthout.org's Editor's Note: Take a good long look at this photo, captured from stills taken by a video camera in Oakland, California:

This young woman was shot in the face today by Oakland Police officers, who fired wooden pellets at protesters marching against the war in Iraq. The pellet:

The launcher is essentially a metal pipe with a charge inside. Note the legend on the weapon:

There is one more photograph of note. Understand the meaning of the wounds on this man:

Not only was he shot three times with these weapons, but he was shot in the back three times. This means, in short, that he was running away from the police. This means he was no threat whatsoever to armored cops. He was heading away from them when they fired those slugs into his retreating back. "Police moved aggressively against crowds because some people threw rocks and big iron bolts at officers," said Deputy Police Chief Patrick Haw. It is difficult to 'move aggressively' when your back is turned.

Along with the protesters, a number of longshoremen working the docks were hit by errant shots coming from the Oakland Police. "I was standing as far back as I could," said longshoremen Kevin Wilson in the story below. "It was very scary. All of that force wasn't necessary." Trent Willis, a business agent for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, said, "They shot my guys. The cops had no reason to open up on them." – William Rivers Pitt

LINK TO STORY ON THE DEMONSTRATION

Police Open Fire At Anti-War Protest, Longshoremen Injured
Martha Mendoza
Associated Press
Monday 7 April 2003

Police opened fire Monday morning with wooden dowels, "sting balls" and other non-lethal weapons at anti-war protesters outside the Port of Oakland, injuring at least a dozen demonstrators and six longshoremen standing nearby.

Most of the 500 demonstrators at the port were dispersed peacefully, but police opened fire at two gates when protesters refused to move. The longshoremen, pinned against a fence, were caught in the crossfire.

The port protest was one of several anti-war demonstrations Monday in the San Francisco Bay area. Twelve people were arrested at the Concord Naval Weapons Station, and seven were arrested after temporarily blocking an off-ramp from Interstate 280 in San Francisco.

The Rev. Lee Williamson of Hayward knelt quietly in prayer at the foot of one officer at the naval weapons station.

"I think it's necessary to come to places that continue to fuel death and destruction," Williamson said. "I think the whole thing is immoral from the get-go."

CLICK FOR FULL STORY…
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/04/07/state1145EDT0063.DTL

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