Lee: Brutality at Occupy Oakland (Politico)

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said Thursday that she was outraged and concerned about ?police brutality? at the Occupy Oakland protests.

?I shared my outrage and grave concern about the police brutality in Oakland directly with the Mayor,? Lee, whose district includes Oakland, told POLITICO in a statement.

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Oakland has been the scene of over one hundred arrests and clashes between protesters and police that has left a former Marine in critical condition .

Lee said that she continued to support those who are protesting in downtown Oakland.

?I strongly support the occupy movement and continue to stand with the peaceful protesters in this struggle for economic justice and equality,? she said.

Occupy Oakland organizers held a vigil Wednesday afternoon for Scott Olsen, a soldier who was hit in the head by what might have been a tear gas canister, reports the L.A. Times.

Olsen, a former Marine who had served two tours in Iraq and who is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, remains in critical but stable condition at Oakland?s Highland Hospital.

Lee told POLITICO Thursday that she was thinking about those injured in the protests, saying, ?My thoughts go out to the injured, and especially Scott Olsen.?

The Occupy Oakland demonstrations reached a turning point late Tuesday evening when riot police cleared the Occupy Oakland site of protesters. Later that evening, protesters marched back to the site to reclaim their encampment. Violence between police and protesters apparently escalated after demonstrators allegedly threw bottles, rock and paint at police officers, CNN reports the authorities as saying.

Police then fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, and eventually arrested 102 people for unlawful assembly and lodging.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories1011_67011_html/43410362/SIG=11mj3ldcr/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/67011.html

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