An almost random excerpt of a long and grotesque story of official indifference and inhumanity following the "clearance" of the Occupy Los Angeles encampment. "I saw terrible things happen."
We waited on Main just north of 1st on the bus for about an hour, during that time, someone farther to the front of the bus urinated, and the urine ran down the floor boards to the back. The bus moved to City Hall east. Some of the crowd was in pain, but many were in high spirits shouting “we are the 99%” and “occupy the jail.” At one point, the man who I thought was asleep, was asked if he was alright and did not respond. We had a group shout that there was a medical emergency- “a man needs help” “help please officer” etc. These shouts were interrupted by the radio in the front of the bus being turned up to an unreasonably loud volume (the thought in my head at the time was “full volume” but that’s something that I can’t verify). Even typing this right now, my rational brain thinks “this could not have happened”, but it did, and I assumed that I wasn’t more shocked by it at the time because I had my hands tied behind my back, urine on my shoes, people screaming in pain, my wrists throbbing and my knees tilted and was unable to even sit up properly. He was breathing, but we all were incapacitated, and there was nothing that we could do, but shout for help which was responded to by “God Bless America” on the speakers (I wish I wish I was lying about this) at volume 10. Ie, this was not an effort to ignore cries for help, it was the opposite. We cried for help for a person in dire need of medical attention and the officer(s) responded by turning up the radio so loud that it was painful to hear. please re-read that until it sinks in.
Contrast this with the ridiculous preening of the Mayor of LA and his insouciant police chief at the press conference in the post below.
They're in a completely different universe.
And if you think about it, it's easy to see why there is a necessary revolt. People don't ordinarily rise up unless they must. And when the spokespeople for Authority are so utterly indifferent to the conditions of those in their charge as was witnessed and experienced by Tyler Lyle and hundreds of others for themselves on the night of November 29/30, 2011, then revolt is the only option you have left -- if you are concerned at all for your dignity, for justice, for community, and for eventual peace.
Tyler Lyle is a singer from Georgia. He lives in Santa Monica, CA.
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