Taking Care of Protestors
Who takes care of the protestors at the G8, G20, WTO, ASEAN, and other international summits? Who helps the protestors on the receiving end of tear gas, rubber bullets, attack dogs, and a phalanx of riot shields and batons? Street medics.
I’ve spent the last week thinking about, writing about, and meeting about protestors. I had even written a blog post — which, due to technical issues from my hosting company, has since disappeared — about how EMS (paramedics) will not come to help you if you are a protestor in a loud, angry mob. Certainly when the tear gas canisters come sailing in, the dogs come charging out, and the police officers close in, EMS will not come to help you.
Even if they wanted to, they are not allowed to. They are not allowed to go anywhere deemed unsecured and, therefore, unsafe. From the EMS point of view, it makes sense. An injured EMS paramedic is worse than useless — he becomes another casualty that other EMS crews will have to tend to.
Yet, necessity is the mother of invention and there is certainly a need for organized protestors to have on-the-spot medical care. That’s where street medics come into the picture. From the sound of it, you’d think these are just regular Joes and Janes running around doing what they can. Sometimes, they are indeed regular Joes and Janes who have received some first aid training. But it may surprise you to hear, as it did me, that many of the street medics are physicians and licensed EMTs (paramedics).
Many street medics are as well-trained as the people on the other side of the police line.
Contrary to what I had originally written, you are not alone if you are part of a loud, angry protest. If you go out with an organized anti-whatever group and protest, you’ve got medics on your side. They will go where regular paramedics (make that on-duty paramedics) will not go.
I have met at work those from the Police and Fire worlds who have a decidedly negative and condescending view of protestors in general, which includes street medics. I have also met during my university years a few people who were decidedly anti-establishment and anti-police. Personally, I think both sides are unreasonable, misguided, and blinded.
I came upon an interesting article that describes the experience on the ground as a street medic. The one sentence that really moved me to write this post was this one:
Police response is always the X-factor for medics, and it runs the gamut from open hostility to active cooperation.
There are assholes on both sides of the line. That, I think, is the root problem. Not all police are out there to rough up protestors. Not all protestors are trying to initiate physical conflict. But we have assholes on the police side of the line who are essentially bullies. We also have assholes on the protestor side of the line who are essentially hooligans. Mix the two together, and we have events that make the news.
But then again, is it really news anymore to see a short video clip of protestors at another G-whatever summit, police in armor with riot shields, and tear gas all over the place? I have to admit that it doesn’t really move me or get my attention anymore, and I’m willing to bet most of you reading this could say the same thing.
Protests have their place in a democratic society. I can’t help but compare what we have here to the reality in places like China. We are able to protest publicly, loudly, and if need be, obnoxiously. That is a good and necessary thing. People have fought and died to protect that right.
Yet, although protestors in North America need not face off against lethal force and threat of life imprisonment, exile, or execution, real injuries happen. Tear gas hurts. Dog bites hurt. Rubber bullets hurt, sometimes inflicting serious injury. Batons hurt.
But the street medics are there. EMS cannot help you. But the street medics can. And will.
Whether I agree or not with their individual political stances, whether I agree or not with how far some protestors and protest groups will go, the street medics have my utmost respect.
They’re out there taking care of protestors.
They’re out there taking care of people.
Tags: EMS, medic, paramedic, protestors, protests
Emergency Management, News & Commentary | Leonard Chu 2009/12/04