He was beaten repeatedly in the back and has now lost use of his right arm

[Fire Walk With Me]

ALERT! A man named Justin James Bridges, musician & ASL translator for Occupy Portland General Assembly, was assaulted by @PortlandPolice today during camp clean out.

He was beaten repeatedly in the back and has now lost use of his right arm. Though Justin was lying on the ground in compliance, Portland Police continuously beat him in the back with clubs until his eyes rolled back in his head. Fellow protesters thought he was dead. He is now in critical care.

IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE, DO NOT HESITATE TO COME FORWARD.
National Lawyers' Guild # 503-902-5340. Protect rights, protect the truth.

http://www.twitlonger.com/show/e63e9b

[Ship of Fools]

1. I have no words for this. None.

[dballance]

2. This is Awful - but it's not typical Portland

This is a terrible thing to have happened. I know Portland Police and District attorneys. This is not the way they act and not they way they would endorse people acting. I'm so sorry an officer made a bad decision and I hope he is made accountable for it. He needs to be off the force.

[Fire Walk With Me]

3. Salem and other departments were called in and they didn't look like they'd mind

busting heads.

The Portland PD looked uncomfortable at best, standing there against their citizens.

[Kalidurga]

4. The Portland PD's official stance I believe was given by a Portland Policeman

he said at most the Occupiers were committing misdemeanors and violating city ordinances and they (the Portland PD) didn't think it was necessary to escalate the situation to the point of using force against the protesters.

[Fire Walk With Me]

5. So the mayor called in the violent ones?

[skyounkin]

22. But they did it anyway.

[quakerboy]

30. It is slightly unnerving

to stand across that invisible line staring into the face of a man who is dressed all in black, with no identifying markings other than "police", with a weapon at ready (be it a club or a gun), face shield down, standing shoulder to shoulder with others similarly dressed and arrayed. When they have the baklava up to conceal their faces, it moves to a definitely unpleasant experience. Fortunately they did not have gas masks on when I was present, which I am sure would make it that much more intimidating. And unnecessary.

From what I saw there, the individual officers are mostly doing a reasonable job. Stories like this make me doubt myself saying that, but what I saw personally was reasonable in the context of socially acceptable behavior, while ultimately fruitless and disagreeable to me personally.

I do think whoever was directing those lines was a bit of an ass, both in how they dealt with things(Police action was confusing, contradictory, and apparently designed to cause max confusion among protestors, nearly provoking a completely unnecessary incident from what I saw), and the specious reasoning to be there in the first place. Getting the occupy camp up to whatever safety standards were needed would have been a far cheaper proposition for the city than trying to put it down.

[truedelphi]

37. This is speculation on my part, but I think police directives are coming from the

Same master minds that brought us the TSA gropings at the Airport.

There re two Americas, and the one that master minds security is defintitely more in favor of bashing in people's heads, than letting people express themselves and take the country back from the .01%

[liberation]

27. You're right, the real victims here are the Portland PD and their good name

shame on that fellow who repeatedly hit the innocent police batons with his back to make 'em look bad!

[roguevalley]

46. agreed

Roguevalley

[valerief]

6. How can they do this? What is wrong with these goons? nt

[PETRUS]

7. kick

[krispos42]

8. K&R n/t

[hootinholler]

9. I wonder if he was in 'the box"

IIRC There was someone carried out on a tarp when they were tearing it down.

[Uncle Joe]

10. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Fire Walk With Me.

[snot]

11. It's a bad sign when authorities evict the media before moving in.

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. ...

:grr:

[avaistheone1]

13. Enough!

:grr: :grr: :grr:

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Up to a month ago I'd say the same of my local cops

No more...I expect violence now from the thin blue line.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[femrap]

16. Fucking

pigs. Please let this Occupier recover. Please.

[uponit7771]

17. Anyone got any video!??!?

[Fire Walk With Me]

36. So far only his words from the hospital, see post #33.

[Downwinder]

18. Is this the reason Central Command had their war games

in Portland?

[NOLALady]

19. Video

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/14/1036342/-Occupy-Portland:Musician-Loses-Use-of-Right-Arm


"He's at , room . He told me his story. He caught between the trash can and a crowd of people. His back was already broken. He ended up on the ground. They pulled his arms around his back, accused him of resisting arrest, dragged him around more because he couldn't move his legs. He still doesn't have full feeling back in his right leg. While they were carrying him around and screaming at him because he couldn't get his feet under him and carry his own weight, they carried him by his arms and his ankles, and he passed out because he was choked unconcious because they had ahold of jacket, collar and the bandana. He complained he couldn't breathe and they said you can breathe 'cause you're talking, and then he passed. He came to, gasping for air, looking up at the trees. He asked for help but they refused to listen to his hands. He was not arrested nor booked. They sent him to the hospital on a stretcher. He did nothing but tell the officers that he loved them from the bottom of his heart, but that he was disgusted at them and ashamed of them.

[cyberpj]

28. Is it the Blackwater training that's causing this outrageous behavior or is it simply that SOME cops

now have an excuse to demonstrate the elevated power they have always thought they held over ordinary citizens?

OR - is there a vast right-wing conspiracy talking to all of these police departments saying the demonstrations must stop immediately?

Or perhaps all of the above...

[Alameda]

47. I think there are "some police" who are there for the wrong reason.

they are sadistic MF who get off on power. They certainly are not all like that....but I've met one of those sadistic power ones and they are NOT pretty.

[Defectata]

20. Here is a facebook page for Justin James Bridges from Portland

http://www.facebook.com/BridgesJustinJames?sk=wall

[onestepforward]

21. Kicking for Justin. n/t

[defendandprotect]

23. And one after another police officer gets away with it -- because higher ups want this to happen!!!

[quakerboy]

31. I am curious

Anyone know what the laws are for Portland, in regards to police ID? I recall it coming up in discussions of Oakland that they were legally supposed to have their names exposed, despite the fact many of them used black tape to try to hide themselves in anonymity.

[defendandprotect]

35. Evidently it was quite an attack, viewed by many so trust the officer/s involved will

be identified by witnesses.

But don't know the answer to your question.

I thought all officers had to be identifiable?

[Duval]

24. Damn! n/t

[sakabatou]

25. Gah...

[a2liberal]

26. K&R (n/t)

[tcaudilllg]

29. The Portland police are beasts.

[cliffordu]

41. LOL.

Try Oakland.

Then come back and say this.

[tcaudilllg]

42. They are not all beasts... but there are certainly beasts among them.

They have forgotten the spirit of the law, remembering only what people describe to them as the letter. They no longer serve even law, only judges.

[cliffordu]

43. Yeah, but that isn't what you said, is it??

:hurts:

[tcaudilllg]

45. what are you talking about?

[cliffordu]

49. You said the portland Police are beasts without qualification.

You backpedaled pretty good after that.

[tcaudilllg]

52. Not hardly.

It was a proposition. It's up to them to demonstrate the truth or falsity of it.

[quakerboy]

32. Another take on it.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/11/occupy_portland_protester_says.html

His account is also interesting.

[Fire Walk With Me]

33. VIDEO: Justin James Bridges talks from the hospital

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9xdsfolmVs&feature=youtu.be

[Divine Discontent]

34. damned swine!

Get it now, or one of a million other designs! http://www.zazzle.com/republicans_2012_keeping_millions_out_of_work_bumper_sticker-128659602907896843?rf=238107662556833486

[Beacool]

38. What is the matter with these cops????

They seem to be particularly vicious.

May Justin recover and be able to regain the use of his arm.

x(

[pitohui]

39. oh god and for what?

i hate hearing these stories, i hope they can find a witness/photos

why steal someone's health and future just because they dared to squeak up?

i live in new orleans (home of len davis and assorted other killer cops) so nothing surprises me but i just hate to see innocent people treated like this

[B2G]

40. Interview with him here

http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2011/11/14/interview-with-hospitalized-protester-justin-james-bridges

[FirstLight]

44. did Portland get hit again today?

geez...what a horrific thing, after the PEACE that we saw the past couple days.
sending healing and love to this poor man, may he regain use of his arm...

[flamingdem]

48. I hope they have his badge!

grrr nt

[go west young man]

50. Brings to mind a quote from Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange".

" A job for two who are of job age. The police force!"

http://www.hark.com/clips/cnknrzdzpy-a-job-for-two-who-are-now-of-job-age-the-police

[caseymoz]

51. Just a little enhanced interrogation.

Or in the words of Han Solo, "They didn't even ask me any questions." Now that's enhancement for you.

This is acceptable stuff in law enforcement at every level now.

Don't mean to make light of this. I hope the cops who did this get prosecuted. This isn't the '60s over again, here. The cops who do this are not going to get away with it in the end.

[Bozita]

53. K&R ... cuz the cops are our friends

I'm watching OWS right now.

Fuck 'em all!