PART I - Scott Olsen“I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW BAD IT WAS.”
Shot in the head by police firing bean-bag rounds at demonstrators, this veteran awoke from a coma, returned to protesting, and became a symbol to the Occupy movement. Ten years later, he represents a life shattered by the misuse of less-lethal munitions.
READ PART IPART II - Andre MillerWhat is a rubber bullet?
Less-lethal munitions come in all shapes and sizes and can leave behind devastating wounds. Victims of KIPs often don’t know what hit them, unless — like this Black Lives Matter protester — there’s shrapnel left behind.
READ PART IIPART III - Richard MooreThe original rubber bullet
This 10-year-old from Derry, Northern Ireland was shot in the face with a rubber bullet while running home from school, an attack that blinded him for life. In the decades since, the U.K. has turned away from less-lethal munitions while U.S. law enforcement has increasingly embraced them. Why?
READ PART IIIPART IV - Victoria SnelgroveWhen Things Go Wrong
Everyone knew if the Red Sox ever beat the Yankees, Boston would burst. But what actually happened when they finally won exceeded people's worst fears. How a euphoric riot, a lack of police training, and an untested less-lethal weapon left a woman dead and city leaders seeking answers.
READ PART IVPART V - Linda TiradoThe Injustice of Suing the Police
Shot with a less-lethal round while photographing police officers during 2020’s protests in Minneapolis, this journalist was blinded for life. Then came the long, isolating pursuit of justice and accountability that made her pain even worse.
READ PART VPART VI - AUSTIN'S 8TH ST. VICTIMSLess Lethal, Still Deadly
After two days of protests, hundreds of bean-bag rounds fired, and dozens of grievously injured victims, a showdown is looming in Texas between law enforcement and the law.
READ PART VILinda TiradoThe Injustice of Suing the Police
BYLinda Rodriguez McRobbie
Jared Soares for Long Lead
What is a left eye worth?
Very few criminal charges against law enforcement resulted from 2020’s protests, despite the large number of accusations of police misconduct and excessive force.
How litigation fails
A settlement is in no way an admission of guilt or wrongdoing. Rather, it reflects the simple calculus that a settlement would be less costly than a trial.
“Every person who paid city taxes in Minneapolis paid me a dollar and 48 cents. And they shouldn’t have had to do that because the average citizen of Minneapolis didn’t have shit to do with me losing my eye.” — Linda Tirado
Why police shooting victims settle
Being shot in the eye cost him his health, both mental and physical, his relationships, his job security and future. But, Stevenson says, “The legal process was the most traumatic part of this entire thing.”
The push and pull of police reform
“As soon as you tell a cop that the weapon is less lethal, then they want to turn to that weapon. They’re kind of irresistible — if they have access to them they’re going to use them.” — Rachel Lederman
“There will be a next time”
PART I - Scott Olsen“I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW BAD IT WAS.”
Shot in the head by police firing bean-bag rounds at demonstrators, this veteran awoke from a coma, returned to protesting, and became a symbol to the Occupy movement. Ten years later, he represents a life shattered by the misuse of less-lethal munitions.
READ PART IPART II - Andre MillerWhat is a rubber bullet?
Less-lethal munitions come in all shapes and sizes and can leave behind devastating wounds. Victims of KIPs often don’t know what hit them, unless — like this Black Lives Matter protester — there’s shrapnel left behind.
READ PART IIPART III - Richard MooreThe original rubber bullet
This 10-year-old from Derry, Northern Ireland was shot in the face with a rubber bullet while running home from school, an attack that blinded him for life. In the decades since, the U.K. has turned away from less-lethal munitions while U.S. law enforcement has increasingly embraced them. Why?
READ PART IIIPART IV - Victoria SnelgroveWhen Things Go Wrong
Everyone knew if the Red Sox ever beat the Yankees, Boston would burst. But what actually happened when they finally won exceeded people's worst fears. How a euphoric riot, a lack of police training, and an untested less-lethal weapon left a woman dead and city leaders seeking answers.
READ PART IVPART V - Linda TiradoThe Injustice of Suing the Police
Shot with a less-lethal round while photographing police officers during 2020’s protests in Minneapolis, this journalist was blinded for life. Then came the long, isolating pursuit of justice and accountability that made her pain even worse.
READ PART VPART VI - AUSTIN'S 8TH ST. VICTIMSLess Lethal, Still Deadly
After two days of protests, hundreds of bean-bag rounds fired, and dozens of grievously injured victims, a showdown is looming in Texas between law enforcement and the law.
READ PART VI