Health Professionals Say Police Are Targeting Them at Protests
In cities across the U.S. — from Seattle to Austin, Asheville, and Denver — medics say they are dealing with police altercations while trying to render aid
On Saturday, May 30, in Seattle, Washington, Alex* stood next to the police as civilians protested against the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Black people at the hands of law enforcement. It was late in the afternoon and the rain was starting to come. Tensions in the crowd were high. It had largely been peaceful, but then some protestors started throwing empty water bottles at the officers.
With a brief warning, but not enough time for people to respond, police officers started tossing canisters of tear gas. Tear gas eventually settles; if someone stays on the ground too long, they could die. “People started dropping,” says Alex, who was working as a medic. She was standing near the front of the line and ran to tend to civilians who were on the ground. As a medic, she identified herself using crosses of red tape on her right shoulder and back. At one point when she was assisting someone, she noticed that a couple of police officers kept their eyes on her. She pointed at her medic marking on her shoulder, but the officers aimed three…
