KEITH OLBERMANN: Over the weekend, the Occupy movement passed 50 consecutive days of protesting and, sadly, it also passed its first point-of-view shooting of one of its own participants.
In our fourth story -- as a busy weekend of police arresting Occupiers spilled into today, more videos showing just how much Oakland Police Department has lost control of its ranks emerged.
In Chicago today, hundreds of senior citizens marched in Federal Plaza to protest cuts to Medicare and Social Security after a sit-in brought traffic to a halt. Forty-seven of the protesters were arrested.
In New York City, protests today joined by local nonprofit groups and labor unions. Then protesters went on an 11-mile march in an attempt to connect all of New York's communities. In terms of police response -- today's march a far cry from Saturday, when at least 20 protesters were arrested as they marched on the New York Supreme Courthouse.
Elsewhere, 13 arrested in Fresno after their permit to remain in their park expired. Eleven more from Occupy Riverside, California. Eleven members arrested in Orlando while participating in a peaceful teach-in, some in costume. In Atlanta, 19 protesters arrested in Woodruff Park over the weekend for remaining in that park past curfew, 5 more arrested early this morning.
But all eyes remain on Oakland, after the police department again squandered good will built during its comparatively low-key response, the night of trouble during the general strike. Occupy Oakland rallied with Occupy San Francisco for a successful Bank Transfer Day. Over the past week, 65,000 customers moved their money to local credit unions for a total of $4.5 billion.
But the scars of last week's violence continuing to show. Kayvan Sabeghi, the second Iraq veteran to be sent to intensive care by Oakland PD continues to recuperate after surgery to repair a ruptured spleen, allegedly caused by police batons. And new video is out today that shows just how much the Oakland PD lost control of their own last Thursday. Quick preface, the video you are about to see is graphic in nature.
(Excerpt from video clip) SCOTT CAMPBELL: It's okay? Is this okay?
(Excerpt from video clip) MAN #2: March all over this, I dare you! March all over this! 99%!
(Excerpt from video clip) CAMPBELL: Ow! Ow! Ow! F--- He shot me!
OLBERMANN: Joining me now, Scott Campbell, a participant in the Occupy Oakland movement and the victim of that unprovoked police attack. Mr. Campbell, thank you for your time tonight.
SCOTT CAMPBELL: Thank you, kindly, for having me on.
OLBERMANN: First off, how are you?
CAMPBELL: I am healing, day by day. I'm feeling a little better, but still in quite a bit of pain with some severe swelling and bruising.
OLBERMANN: Do you mind if we show the picture of what that looked like?
CAMPBELL: If viewers want to see it. It's graphic, but sure, go ahead.
OLBERMANN: It pretty much is. Did you have any idea that that was about to happen? I mean was that -- let me take it back, before I ask you that question. As that tape starts, is that your voice asking, "Is this okay?" Were you asking for, essentially, for police permission to videotape?
CAMPBELL: Yes, that's correct. I was approaching the line. An officer told me to stop. And so, I stepped back five to ten feet and asked the officer if this was okay. And he didn't respond, and I figured I was in public space, it was legal to film the police, I was a decent distance away. And that's when I began filming.
OLBERMANN: What was the rest of the situation that we can't see in this videotape? Were there other protesters behind you? Or was it, essentially, just you, walking in that -- towards your own right, there?
CAMPBELL: There were several protesters behind me, but I was a bit away, a bit separated from the rest of the crowd. There was really, absolutely nothing going on. It was a calm scene. People were milling about, sort of seeing what was going to happen next. And I -- after I was shot, some people ran up and helped me. But there was no provocation or violence of any kind underway.
OLBERMANN: Any warning? Whoever shot you, anything from any of those officers? Any indication they were about to move?
CAMPBELL: No, there was absolutely no warning whatsoever. There was no order to disperse. There was no warning that weapons might be used. And in fact, after I was shot, the police officers remained there. And I was well out of the scene before they even moved further into the plaza.
OLBERMANN: I'm assuming you were not arrested or detained. Anything happen, involving the authorities, after that? Has there been a word from the Oakland PD? Did the mayor send you a note? Anything like that?
CAMPBELL: I have not heard a word from the Oakland police or City Hall. I have been in touch with several journalists who have been trying to get comment from both of those agencies and both have, so far, declined to comment. So, I'd be very interested in hearing what their response was to this unprovoked shooting.
OLBERMANN: So, your response to this, I guess, would have to be -- you were walking, the police told you to back up a little bit. You backed up. You then asked if it was all right where you were and you were filming this. And nobody stopped you. Nobody said a word. Until some guy simply shot you without any warning. Is that about it?
CAMPBELL: That's exactly correct. What you see in the video is exactly what happened.
OLBERMANN: Did you ever theorize, even, going in -- knowing the troubles that there have been between the Oakland PD and the Occupy protesters -- that something like this was imaginable as happening to you or anybody else?
CAMPBELL: I feel that any time you go out to a demonstration, especially in Oakland -- which has a legacy of police violence, not only against the Occupy movement and protesters in general, but against the community, especially people of color -- that there is always a chance that they will use violence when it's completely uncalled for. But a situation like this, it reminds me more of scenes from the West Bank and Israeli assaults on Palestinian non-violent protesters, than happening in the city center of Oakland, California.
OLBERMANN: Well, I mean -- actually, it reminds me more of some of those black-humor comedy sketches where the cop shoots -- or somebody shoots -- and then says, "Stop, or I'll shoot," after shooting. It's -- are you going to go back? Is this enough for you, or will you go back to those protests?
CAMPBELL: Oh, I'll certainly go back. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to so far. My mobility has been extremely limited in the past days. I can, you know, hardly walk, and just being able to get myself around. But as soon as I'm able to get out of the house, I will be going back to Occupy Oakland.
OLBERMANN: Is there anything -- what kind of camera was that? Is there any way that they could have mistaken that for something other than a camera?
CAMPBELL: I don't think so, at all. I was holding it up. It was obvious that I was filming. It's a small, sort of, point-and-shoot digital camera. It's not a video camera. And in my other hand -- which you can't see in the video -- I was holding up a peace sign, to show my intent was non-violent. And they still shot me. And you would think that if they felt under threat, someone would've acted before 30 seconds had passed.
OLBERMANN: Well, it probably took them that long to figure out that your fingernails constituted a threat.
CAMPBELL: Something like that.
OLBERMANN: Scott Campbell, the victim in Occupy Oakland, I think it's tremendous of you to share this with us, and we wish you the best in your recovery -- physically and psychologically.
CAMPBELL: Thank you kindly. And thank you for sharing this with the rest of the world.
OLBERMANN: Of course. Thank you. America, 2011. Welcome, you have just been shot.
