I’m starting a new series and this time I’m paying tribute to outstanding heroes of the Occupy Wall Street movement. I will post one OWS hero a day for ten days. To be clear this is not a “top ten list” this is simply ten exceptional people in no particular order who I think deserve recognition for their contribution to the movement. I want to pay tribute to these heroes of Occupy Wall Street and remind everyone that their efforts are not forgotten and were not in vain.
To start the most obvious choice is 24 year old Iraq war veteran and Occupy Oakland protester, Scott Olsen. Olsen was reportedly working during the day and attending the Occupy Oakland protests at night. On October 25th Olsen was hospitalized with a skull fracture after being hit in the head with a tear gas canister by Oakland police. In this video that surfaced on youtube you can see Olsen moments before being hit by the tear gas canister. Another video featured here on the morning show Up with Chris Hayes, clearly shows an Oakland police officer throwing another projectile into the crowd that rushed to Olsen’s aid after he was injured. More recently Olsen talked with political commentator, Ed Schultz about his ordeal. During the interview with Schultz it became clear that Olsen’s speech has been compromised as a result of his injuries. Because of his veteran status and his injuries Olsen has become a symbol of solidarity for occupiers everywhere and these kinds of clashes with police have only served to propel the movement further.
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