Dramatic Portland Pepper Spray Photo Was a Total Accident

[L. Coyote]

Source: theatlanticwire.com

one of those images that galvanizes activists, embarrasses police, and makes competing photographers seethe with jealousy, and Portland Oregonian shooter Randy L. Rasmussen didn't even know he had taken it. The photo of a young woman protester getting hit in her open mouth, point-blank, with a torrent of pepper spray as riot cops pushed back protesters in Portland during Thursday's Day of Action has exploded on Twitter, blogs, and trade sites since The Oregonian posted it Thursday evening. But in the confusion and impending darkness on Thursday evening, Rasmussen was shooting blind. He said he didn't see the photo until his editor did, as they went through the day's frames together that night.

Update (5 p.m. EST): The woman in the photo is 20-year-old Elizabeth Nichols,


FAIR USE

Read more: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/11/dramatic-portland-pepper-spray-photo-was-total-accident/45186/

---

When did the sidewalks become bank property?

[L. Coyote]

1. Portland Police Chief Mike Reese calls himself a candidate

Portland Police Chief Mike Reese calls himself a candidate at Urban League event: Portland City Hall roundup
Published: Friday, November 18, 2011, 10:04 AM
http://blog.oregonlive.com/portlandcityhall/2011/11/portland_police_chief_mike_ree_2.html


OPB's Think Out Loud hosted Portland Police Chief Mike Reese this morning for a discussion of Occupy Portland and protesters' clash with police Thursday.

When asked the question that's on every Portland political junkie's mind -- will you run for Portland mayor -- Reese demurred. He said he was in his city of Portland office -- and in uniform.

But last night at the Urban League fundraiser, Reese stood up when all the candidates for public office were asked to do so. Reese was also wearing his uniform at the time, guests at the event said.

..............

[yardwork]

2. The police starting pepper spraying when it got dark.

The photographer says that he couldn't see anything anymore because it was getting dark, and then somebody shouted "they're pepper spraying."

The cops didn't start pepper spraying until it got dark, when nobody would be able to see what they were doing.

[L. Coyote]

4. The wonder of digital cameras is they do see in the dark

Some of my favorite photos are those I've taken in very low light. The camera knows when the exposure is perfect! All I need do is make certain it does not move.

[Xtraneous]

17. Mmmmm.... in the dark when no one could see...

mmmm... that could work both ways.

[No Elephants]

19. Badge numbers are hard enough to read in broad daylight, unless you are up in the cop's face.

[G_j]

3. this IS a serious crime

not that that matters...

[L. Coyote]

14. How much wil this cost the taxpayers?

I bet it ends up in civil court!

[Festivito]

15. Assault with a deadly weapon to attempted first degree murder.

Hitting pepper spray in the mouth can kill.

[Johnny Noshoes]

5. WTF...

Seriously - how the hell are ANY of these people ANY threat to heavily armed police? This is madness!

[L. Coyote]

6. Second degree trespass of the sidewalk? n/t

[phasma ex machina]

7. Our central banking overlords actually owned it all for a very long time. That photo clearly

illustrates fascist blowback from bankster psychopaths who feel threatened.

[russspeakeasy]

8. If banks say they own the sidewalk, that's it. They own it.

We don't need no stinkin regulations. Just take their word for it.

[The Wizard]

23. Then the bank can get sued

until the cows come home by those damaged on their property. Everyone who was injured in any way should see as many doctors as possible to prove damages. Get as much therapy as possible. Give the bank a new name, Defendant. Ownership has its privileges and responsibilities. The bank is obliged to make whole those damaged on bank property.

[lbrtbell]

27. That's a great idea!

Sue the banks, as well as the cities who sicced the riot police on the protesters. Hit the 1% where it hurts--the wallet.

[russspeakeasy]

29. great idea wizard.

[Pharaoh]

9. Some of my best photos

are totally unexpected. The ones I think might be great usually aren't then there are those I shoot just for the sake of shooting and am awed when I develop them.

[emcguffie]

32. Yesterday we drive through New York City --

-- on the way back from a college interview for my daughter, and my husband stuck his old 8 giga -whatever camera out of the sun roof as we were driving down Broadway and just kept snapping. Which is something he never would have done in the days of film, because of the costs of developing the film.

He got some excellent pix! Perfectly framed! It's kind of astonishing. Just keep snapping!

The upside of digital photography that we didn't realize was there?

[Javaman]

10. The people are getting really pissed. The cops are bringing this on themselves.

they look at us and everyone else as nails.

This is going to get a lot worse before things improve, mark my words.

[Zorra]

11. Nuremburg Article IV

"Her mother, Annie Nichols, said after the photo was taken, police threw Elizabeth to the ground and arrested her. Annie, who is housebound with multiple sclerosis, said Elizabeth joined Occupy Wall Street because of her parents' dire situation. "I have no medical care. I'm not eligible. My husband's disabled ... We live on one disability check. No, we don't live. We exist."

Nuremburg Article IV

"The fact that a person acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him".

In other words: "It is not an acceptable excuse to say 'I was just following my superior's orders'".



Keep on rockin' in the free world.

We got a thousand points of light
For the homeless man
We got a kinder, gentler,
Machine gun hand
We got department stores
and toilet paper
Got styrofoam boxes
for the ozone layer
Got a man of the people,
says keep hope alive
Got fuel to burn,
got roads to drive.

Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.
Neil Young

[zeemike]

13. Thanks for the reminder.

I had forgotten the lyrics to that song...I just love Niel Young's music.

[No Elephants]

22. .....

"Obama OKs use of force in Occupy crackdowns."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/16/1036948/-Obama-OKs-use-of-force-in-Occupy-crackdowns-:(

[tblue]

26. "Void where prohibited" Dare we say

HE LIED?

I mean, really, did he mean what he said or not? Did I miss the "Void where prohibited" caveat?

[lbrtbell]

28. That picture says it all! - n/t

[orbitalman]

12. You know... you can't not defend yourself. n/t

[arcane1]

16. In the financial district of San Francisco, at least, they are private property

And you'll see these little notices embedded in the sidewalk that say something to the effect of "permission to walk here is granted by the owner of this building"

[indepat]

18. The Administration's silence on such as this is deafening

:patriot:

[No Elephants]

21. Well, the Administration has not exactly been silent.

"Obama oks use of force in Occupy crackdowns."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/16/1036948/-Obama-OKs-use-of-force-in-Occupy-crackdowns-:(

[indepat]

30. Wow, the eagerness to bow to the wishes of/protect the 1% overwhelms any

pretense of protecting citizens in their exercise of their basic constitutional rights. The idea that any ole willy-nilly wishy-washy reason is sufficient to deny those constitutional rights is sophomoric, anathema to the concept of liberty and freedom, and flies in the face of the President's January 18th admonition to the Egyptian leaders regarding basic human rights. Sheesh, how disappointing! :patriot:

[No Elephants]

20. They always go for the women first, especially the younger or the older ones.

Riles up the crowd and then the cops can say violence was justified.

[dotymed]

24. Are these thugs,

America's bravest? The people that we count on to "serve and protect" are quickly getting ( in many cases, well deserved) the reputation of being cowards. It seems to me that rather than maintain the "blue wall of silence," the brave and caring police officers would come forward, denounce these actions and report all cowards in their ranks.

Can you imagine if there were a Union (as these cops are) school Teacher that physically abused his/her students with the full knowledge of the other Teachers in the school. Yet they made no effort to stop or report this behavior? Man, first it there would be an all out attack (like there currently is) on Union Teachers. Then all of the teachers in that school would probably lose their jobs (justifiably).

Yet, the very most that we can hope for is that cop who inflicted this critical injury on an innocent young lady (maybe she was being too loud?), may be reprimanded. All of the assaults that are not captured on film will never be punished. The cops won't be responsible, empathetic (let alone outraged) and report "one of their own" for torture or depriving a citizen of their civil rights. To them, that is a good and comforting thing.

[DallasNE]

25. When You Match This Up With The Photo

Of he young man with blood all over his head and the police riots in places like Oakland and an image of a police state emerges. So what is it with these Mayor's ordering military operations against their own citizens. We criticise rightly when this happens in places like Iran. It is even worse when done in our own country.

[L. Coyote]

31. Chief Mike Reese apologizes for saying Occupy Portland delayed response to rape report

This morning's Oregonian reports on Portland police Chief Mike Reese's apology for misleading remarks earlier in the week about how Occupy Portland delayed police response to a rape report.

In the interview, Reese said police officers took three hours to respond to the call because they were tied up with Occupy Portland events.

But the call actually came in on Nov. 6, two days after the alleged sexual assault and when Central Precinct had only four officers and one sergeant assigned full time to the downtown encampments.

"It was not my intention to mislead people, especially around an incident as serious and sensitive as a reported sexual assault. I spoke about the incident without knowing all of the details and made assumptions that were not correct," Reese said in a statement. "I apologize. I should have gathered all the information before discussing it publicly."

......... http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/11/northwest_news_police_chief_mi.html

[L. Coyote]

33. check this pepper spray photo and watch the VIDEO

Police pepper spraying and arresting seated students at UC Davis
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x635917

[Liberal_in_LA]

34. k&r

**thanks to whoever gave me the star! **