34-year-old Kayvan Sabeghi will be getting $645,000 from the City of Oakland by way of apology for his being beaten by riot cops during a November 2, 2011 Occupy Oakland demonstration. As you may recall, Sabeghi was one of a couple of Iraq War vets injured in the several melees that stemmed from Occupy protests, along with former Marine Scott Olsen who was struck in the head with a projectile thought to be a flash-bang grenade.
Oakland's City Council met in a closed-door session and unanimously approved the settlement for Sabeghi. Earlier this year they agreed separately to pay out $1.17 million in smaller settlements to other injured claimants, including two women who suffered permanent injuries by flash-bang grenades, and Oakland videographer Scott Campbell, who was struck in the leg by a lead beanbag.
A settlement for Scott Olsen is still yet to be decided on.
Just after midnight on the morning of November 3, Sabeghi was allegedly returning home from the peaceful General Strike demonstration that was happening that day at the Port of Oakland when he happened upon some chaos, and riot cops, near downtown. A video that later circulated online (see below) shows Sabeghi purposely but peacefully confronting a line of officers in riot gear. He stands in front of them, hands in pockets, backpedaling as they advance and chant "Move! Move!" He can be heard telling them, "I want you to know I killed for this country."
One officer then becomes frustrated with Sabeghi, telling him to "get the fuck out of the way" and then proceeding to beat him with a baton. Sabeghi was taken to jail, reportedly vomiting and with lacerations to his spleen, and was later taken to Highland Hospital.
