The song seems particularly appropriate this week, as Marine veteran Scott Olsen lies in the hospital with a fractured skull after being shot in the face with a tear-gas canister after the police broke up Occupy Oakland. The unintentional result of a chaotic situation? Hardly. As you can see in the following video, riot police deliberately waited until other occupiers gathered to help Olsen where he lay bleeding on the street, and then tossed a flash-bang grenade into their midst:
Deliberate, callous, criminal violence- which in all likelihood will never result in charges against anyone. In the face of oppression and brutality, what weapon do we have except the truth? In the words of the Angelic Upstarts:
“He was beaten black, he was beaten blue
But don't be alarmed, it was the right thing to do
The police have the power, Police have the right
To kill a man, to take away his life...
Police have the answers
But they haven't got the right,
To kill a man
To take away his life.
Perhaps I'm not too clever, perhaps I'm not too bright
But I think your verdict was just a lie!”
Good luck, Scott Olsen. Stay with us and bear witness.