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LONG BEACH, CA - MAY 31: An officer aims a rubber bullet gun at
demonstrators after a Black Lives ... [+]MEDIANEWS GROUP VIA GETTY IMAGES
"Did you see me f**k up those mother**kers?"

It sounds like a line in a Tarantino movie. But it was said by a police
officer in Florida, right after firing a rubber bullet into a protester.

Another officer's bodycam captures the incident that took place at Fort
Lauderdale during a Black Lives Matter protest on May 31.

In the footage, the cop boasts to his colleague about hitting the
protester, barely able to contain his glee.

He was unaware his bodycam was recording at the time.

ABC News
@ABC
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Police in Fort Lauderdale are under investigation for their actions during
a May 31 protest after body camera footage surfaced that appears to show
them laughing and celebrating after shooting rubber bullets at
demonstrators. https://abcn.ws/2BY7lNe

Rubber bullets are known as "less-lethal" weapons, often used by law
enforcement to help quash riots.

Less-lethal ammunition first appeared in the 1880s, when Singapore police
fired sawn-off broom handles to disperse unruly crowds.

This was later adapted by the British, who replaced the wood for rubber
bullets. During the Northern Ireland conflict known as "The Troubles,"
it's estimated that British soldiers fired in excess of 55,000 rounds in
just five years.

In 2013, declassified documents revealed the UK Ministry of Defence knew
rubber bullets were more dangerous than they had led the public to
believe.

For starters, the term rubber bullet can be misleading. As well as solid
rubber rounds, other variations exist. These might contain a wooden, metal
or plastic core, housed within a rubber shell.

They also come in a variety of shapes and sizes: shotgun-style pellets,
cylindrical rounds and those sculpted more like traditional bullets.

Less-lethal ammunition also covers beanbag rounds, lead pellets held in a
small cloth bag, as well as sponge grenades, bullet-shaped plastic rounds
with a dense foam nose.

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Two different types of non lethal Baton rounds/rubber bullets. Picture
taken in Swindon, Wiltshire, ... [+]GETTY
And despite their toy-like names, all these weapons can often permanently
maim, and in some cases, kill.

Since the George Floyd protests, media outlets have been awash with
graphic images of injuries from rubber bullets and less-lethal rounds.

"The main injuries are bruising or contusion-based," says Dr. Jeffrey M.
Goodloe, who serves as a Member of the Board of Directors for the American
College of Emergency Physicians.

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Demonstrator Colleen Jane, originally from Tallahassee, Fla., draws
attention to a hematoma she says ... [+]ASSOCIATED PRESS
"Some [of the bullets] can have sharper points or edges to them. In those
cases we might see lacerations, abrasions or deeper penetrating injuries.
And in situations where these weapons are not being fired as originally
designed, we get more serious injuries."

Studies show the blunt force trauma inflicted by these weapons can lead to
fractures, nerve damage and internal injuries that can be fatal.

A 2017 review published by the British Medical Journal looked at injury
data from 1,984 people shot with kinetic impact projectiles (KIPs),
including rubber and plastic bullets.

Of these people, approximately 3% died as a result of their injuries and
15% suffered a permanent disability.

"We find that these projectiles have caused significant morbidity and
mortality... much of it from penetrative injuries and head, neck and torso
trauma," report the study authors. "Given their inherent inaccuracy,
potential for misuse and associated health consequences of severe injury,
disability and death, KIPs do not appear to be appropriate weapons for use
in crowd-control settings."

During these recent protests, the seriously injured include:

Art student Megan Matthews, who suffered a broken nose, fractured facial
bones and deep lacerations to her face when a rubber bullet struck her in
Denver.

Activist Derrick Sanderlin, who provides bias training for his local
police force, was reportedly shot in groin in San Jose. He needed surgery
for a ruptured testicle, and was later told by doctors he might not be
able to have children.

A homeless man in a wheelchair, who was struck in the head in Los Angeles
as a street protest passed him.

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Los Angeles, CA, Tuesday, June 2, 2020 - A man suffers a severe wound to
his face after police fired ... [+]LOS ANGELES TIMES VIA GETTY IMAGES
Also caught in police crosshairs was photojournalist Linda Tirado. She was
covering the protests in Minneapolis when she was shot in the face.

"I was taking pictures of the police when a round caught me in the eye,"
she says. "I remember a thud on my head, my goggles falling off and my
face feeling wet with blood. I knew I'd been hit."

Tirado was led away and driven to the hospital by protesters. "There was
so much adrenaline, I don't remember the pain. But I can remember the
pressure in my swollen face."

She underwent surgery within an hour of arriving at the hospital, but the
incident left her permanently blind in her left eye.

These are just a few of a catalog of reported injuries over the last few
months of protests against police brutality.

In a list compiled by Los Angeles researcher Scott Reynhout, at least 60
people have suffered serious head injuries, brain damage, lacerations,
bruises, broken jaws and severe eye trauma.

"It's very rare to have internal bleeding," says Dr. Goodloe. "But it's
possible if there is a direct impact in the upper abdomen, over the liver
or spleen."

There's currently little field data on US police use of less-lethal
weapons. Officers are not required to log their use, while national
standards do not exist.

This means police departments must set their own rules. Denver PD
guidelines state that less-lethal projectiles should not be deployed "to
the head, eyes, throat, neck, breasts of a female, genitalia, or spinal
column."

The United Nations has also issued guidance on the use of less-lethal
weapons, stating, "they should be used only in direct fire with the aim of
striking the lower abdomen or legs of a violent individual."

The original idea was to aim these weapons at the ground so they bounce up
and impact in the leg or thigh. "When used as designed, they should not
cause deep or permanent injury," says Dr Goodloe. However, we're seeing
them ricochet in unpredictable ways, especially if the surface ground is
uneven."

And from the reported injuries sustained by so many, it is clear that more
work needs to be done. These rubber bullets are reportedly being fired in
close-quarters, aimed in such a way where they strike the head, neck or
chest.

Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
�
May 31, 2020
@AGuzmanLopez
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I�m reporting on the Long Beach protests. Police in riot gear just moved
their line half a block up to 3rd and Pine Ave. Protestors largely
dispersed. I�ll be posting in this thread
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
@AGuzmanLopez
�
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I just got hit by a rubber bullet near the bottom of my throat. I had just
interviewed a man with my phone at 3rd and Pine and a police officer aimed
and shot me in the throat, I saw the bullet bounce onto the street @LAist
@kpcc OK, that�s one way to stop me, for a while

https://twitter.com/AGuzmanLopez/status/1267269781805137920

"America is having a realization similar to that of The Troubles," says
Linda Tirado. "We're seeing how dangerous these weapons can be."

In recent weeks, physicians and medical organizations, including the
American Academy of Ophthalmology, have called for an end of the use of
rubber bullets.

For now however, the advice to stay safe is to put distance between you
and a potential less-lethal weapon. "The further you're away from the
bullet, the safer you are in many cases," says Dr. Goodloe.

"If you're not able to do that, then avoid looking directly at where these
projectiles are coming from, and crouch down, turning to the side. Protect
your face, neck and upper abdomen."

Don't mess with police officers. Do what they tell you. Do that and you
won't get shot.

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