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- My name is Richard DeAndrea. I'm a medical doctor. What
I saw up here was martial law. This turned into a police state. Everything
you have seen on television regarding local news broadcasts including national
public radio was a blackout. The police were using concussion grenades.
They were using shooting tear gas canisters directly at protesters, faces.
They were using rubber bullets. Some of the damage I saw from these rubber
bullets took off part of a person's jaw, smashed teeth in their mouth.
I saw the police arrest people who had their hands up in the air screaming
we are peacefully protesting.
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- The amount of looting that took place was so minimal
I don't even know where they got the footage from. I am saying this beyond
a shadow of a doubt. This is a definite sign that American is heading towards
a police state unless people start standing up for their rights as individuals.
I am actually shocked and ashamed. I am ashamed of the police force, I
am ashamed of the mayor I am ashamed of Bill Clinton. I am ashamed of the
whole thing.
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- Jared: These rubber bullets - what are they?
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- Dr. DeAndrea: They are made of polyester type material.
They are like a hard plastic toy. The idea is to hit your body, do damage,
not actually penetrate. But I did see penetration wounds, I did see people
bleeding. I did see teeth loss, I did see broken bones. There were children
present, there were families present, they were firing upon families, mothers,
grandmothers. They were just firing at them. They came out in full police
force. They brought out swat teams, they had the national guard up here,
there was CIA surrounding the delegates' buildings. It was very obvious
that there was an institutional control that had no regard of human rights
whatever.
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- In addition we have video footage of protesters being
taken away as well as human rights being violated. Prisoners were taken
and they were tortured. There is a case, I believe his name is Holm, Keith
Holm. He was tortured because he would not give his name. They handcuffed,
laid him on the floor, they smashed his face against the concrete, they
grabbed his hair, they ripped out a lock of hair. and then placed pencils
between his fingers on them until he would give his name. They were also
banging his head against metal objects. He was actually the first protester
released because the Internal Affairs came in to do an investigation and
they wanted him gone because he would be able to give testimony.
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- We're treating people in a studio loft downtown. I just
treated an ear wound. People have been treated for concussion injuries.
There have been people who have been treated for plastic bullet wounds.
Lots of tear gas injuries, lots of damage to cornea, lots of damage to
the eyes and skins. They were using a pepper spray, a tear gas and they
were also using some sort of nerve gas. We had reports of many demonstrators
winding up with seizures the next day. It causes muscles to clamp up, muscle
contraction, seizures.
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- They have done several illegal things regarding these
people in jail. They have been telling them that they would not be let
out, not have their bail set if they didn't get their names. Its their
legal right not to give their name. They don't have to speak at all. Attorneys
came up and said we are representing these people. The police called their
attorneys liars. At this point they have still refused to let any of them
see their clients. There are close to 600 people who were arrested and
they have been holding them for two days on charges that are mostly misdemeanors
- refusal to disperse. A lot of people in there have not gotten medical
attention, either. I have gotten calls from young ladies in there who have
had all sorts of emotional problems as well as physical problems. They
have called me for medical attention from inside the jail. There are people
still sitting in there who have not even been processed.
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- Today there were fewer attacks by police, but they did
arrest more people. And there was no violence today by the marchers and
all through the day yesterday it was the same. What you are seeing on television
about looting and anarchistic protesters - there's straight-out blackout
they are basically pushing that. There is not much damage to property here.
There are not many windows that have been damaged or stores that have been
looted. Those are extremely rare cases.
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- I used to believe newspapers were telling the truth.
But now I am no longer behind that.
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- This shouldn't happen in America.
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- This is still America, isn't it?
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- I'm beginning to wonder.
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