VIDEOS: Oakland police lob flash-grenades at protesters helping a downed woman

Update: The comments are filled with good links and information, such as this one on tinnitus (permanent ringing in the ears). Do check them out. Also, title corrected earlier for accuracy.
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Words fail me. (But I have my thoughts.)

The first video is short (two minutes). It starts with cops firing tear gas canisters into the crowd. (Don't forget — they don't shoot tear gas; they shoot heavy canisters at people.)

At the 0:25 point, the crowd clears and you see a woman downed, possibly by a tear gas canister. (Look center right; a man with a white Occupy flag just beyond her.)

A crowd gathers to help her. At 0:40 the cops lob a flash grenade into the middle of the crowd (and likely right at the downed woman as well).

The rest of the film is devoted to replays. Watch at 1:40; you can clearly see the flash-grenade being lobbed by the merry band of cops. (Thanks to an alert emailer for both videos.)



The second video appears to show the same action as the first, from a different angle. At 1:04 you can see the crowd with the injured woman. As they carry her away, the camera gets close enough to see her — dazed, unresponsive, injured, possibly contused. I'd say chances are good she took a canister to the head.



A woman at the end of this one starts the cry — "We're still here. We're still here."

I have my thoughts.

GP