Melbourne Street Medic Collective

Medics’ Statement on July 18 anti-racist/fascist Demonstration

July 18, 2015 by admin·6 Comments

Today, antifascist protesters converged upon Spring Street in Melbourne near the Parliament of Victoria. They went there to counter racist rallies being held by Reclaim Australia and the fascist United Patriots Front.

As usual Victoria Police was also in attendance, and in the days leading to the protest it had promised a large presence and random weapons checks in response to rumours of fascists bringing weapons and intending violence.

Victoria Police’s goal for the day was to facilitate Reclaim Australia and the United Patriots Front holding their rallies out the front of Parliament House. In order to achieve this mounted officers and members of the Public Order Response Team (PORT) complemented uniformed officers on the streets, and OC (Pepper) spray was deployed against counter-protesters.

Amongst those affected by the OC Spray was a casualty who began to experience respiratory distress, a not uncommon side-effect of OC spray and other such “less-than-lethal” chemical weapons. In the course of attending to this casualty and decontaminating others who had been affected, members of the Melbourne Street Medic Collective (including one pregnant woman) were attacked by police with OC Spray and kettled in a small space at the top of Little Bourke Street.

Footage of the incident will be reviewed as it becomes available but at this point there seem to be only two explanations for the deployment of chemical weapons against the Street Medics: some witness reports have indicated that Victoria Police officers were spraying the crowd indiscriminately and did not check who they were attacking until after the fact. Others have said that police ignored the shouts of the crowd advising them that someone was receiving medical attention and with the decision to spray all medics this action should be seen as a deliberate attack upon medical personnel and their treatment space.

As one of our medics has since remarked:

“Possibly more than 100 people needed to be treated today as police indiscriminately fired pepper spray into the crowd, including onto an injured man who was struggling to breathe, was losing consciousness, and was awaiting an ambulance. They also sprayed the medics treating him. Someone had a seizure, two were taken to hospital and a few were sent home (by us as medics) due to the after-effects of the pepper spray (namely hypothermia-like symptoms of shaking and an inability to normalise body temperature). It was absolute fucking carnage and it was completely unnecessary and provocative. The racists didn’t cop any of the pepper spray at all as far as I know, and they got a three-line police escort away from the area.”

Victoria Police should rightfully be condemned for the deployment of chemical weapons, the targeting of medical personnel, casualties and medical treatment spaces with such weapons and, most of all, doing this in order to facilitate a public rally of racists and overt fascists and neo-nazis. Any assessment of the actions of antifascist protesters will conclude that they were inherently defensive: against threats of violence and the use of weapons by fascists and nazis as part of the United Patriots Front, and against the violence of racism and systematic oppression on the parts of Reclaim Australia, the United Patriots Front and Victoria Police.

The officers in command of PORT and of the event should immediately be suspended from their duties and investigations launched into how and why chemical weapons came to be used, and used against medics, injured persons and in treatment spaces. These investigations should be conducted with the possibility of demotion, termination from employment and/or laying of criminal charges (such as for assault) as outcomes.

Melbourne Street Medic Collective encourages all witnesses and concerned persons to lodge complaints with Victoria Police’s Conduct Unit and the Police Minister.

Police Conduct Unit
GPO Box 913
Melbourne VIC 3001

Telephone:1300 363 101
Email: “PSC-POLICECONDUCTUNITCOMPLAINTSANDCOMPLIMENTS@police.vic.gov.au”

Role Occupant	The Hon Wade Noonan MP
Phone	03 8684 0900
Email Address	wade.noonan@parliament.vic.gov.au
Portfolio	Minister for Corrections Minister for Police

Legal Aid Victoria has additional information on lodging complaints with police well worth a read.

How to get involved in Anti-Deportation Actions

March 15, 2015 by Coggo·1 Comment

It is estimated there are over 30,000 asylum-seekers currently in mandatory detention, or living in the community, who could be deported at any time. The Australian government has no qualms forcefully deporting refugees displaced by wars (in which Australia is partially complicit) back to imprisonment, torture and even death. 2015 has seen a marked rise in deportations and an upswing in Refugee Rights Advocates taking to the streets, the airports and the detention centres in resistance to this cruel policy.

What follows is intended as a LIVING (that is evolving) blog-post to help welcome people new to anti-deportation actions and make us all feel bolder and safer.

So, it you want to get involved and don’t know where to start … you’ve come to the right place!

1: JOIN A PHONE TREE: The Beyond Borders phone tree is particularly responsive. Drop them an email at beyondborderscollective@gmail.com and include your nickname, mobile number, suburb (for carpools) and any additional skills or resources you might be able to bring to the mix.

It also helps to have your name on more than one phone tree, just in case one isn’t functioning at any given time, so also get your name down on the Refugee Action Collective’s list which lives here: http://rac-vic.org/subscribe/

2: PRE-PACK AN ACTION BAG: We never know when the government will trigger a deportation but we can always be prepared. Stuff a small bag with handy items (light weight weather proof clothing, low GI snacks, bottle of water, a torch and any medications you might need) and perch it near your door so you can grab it and be gone in a flash.

3: BUDDY UP: We’re big fans of the Buddy System in the Melbourne Street Medic Collective! We believe there is no safer way to protest … so spare five minute to check out this pro-tip. Also, if you have a whole bunch of friends who want to get involved in helping stop forced deportations maybe you could form an Affinity Group?

4: CAR SHARE: if you drive perhaps consider joining the aforementioned car-pool, or arrange with your friends to pick them up. It’s a good idea to plan the best route to the airport, and Maribyrnong and Broadmeadows detention centres before you leave.

5: SAY “HI”: When you arrive at the protest you are under no obligation to tell us who you are, but it certainly is nice and helps build camaraderie and teamwork if you know the nickname of the person you are standing shoulder to shoulder with on a picket line. We’re a friendly and welcoming bunch and will happily take the time to tell you what is going and to point out who is doing Police Liaison, Media, Legal Observing and Medicking for the action.

6: BRING YOUR SKILLS: You are not just another face in a crowd or simply another set of hands to hold a placard. We all bring something unique and excellent to a protest so have a think about what you could lend to the action. Are you super-hot on Social Media? Are you in a position to bring thermos flasks of comforting warm soup to cheer protesters on the gates at 4am? Are you magic on a mountain bike and happy to help out as scout for the day?

7: DEBRIEF: Always take time after an anti-deportation action to debrief. You are human and it is perfectly acceptable to be moved by the inhumanity of a system that is processing refugees in such a callous, industrial manner. After all, it is your empathy that compelled you to take a stand in the first place. Debriefing helps make sense of challenging experiences, and also helps us learn lessons so we can be even better at what we do at the next protest. You can always debrief with one of our Street Medics if you see us around, if not grab a coffee with a bunch of mates and talk about how you are feeling and how the action was for you. Check out our pro-tip about Debriefing if you’d like to learn more.

8: SLEEP: Sometimes we only get a few hours notice before a deportation takes place. The call could go out in the dark of night or in the cold hours of the morning. Whenever it happens we need to be sharp and be on our best game. Sleep deprivation is accumulative and leads to poor judgement, mood swings and slow reflexes, so when you get the chance to lie-in or go to bed early – give yourself permission to do so! That way you will have some sleep in the bank for when you need it.

Anyway, this post is intended as a welcome to those who wish to take a stand for refugee rights, and we hope it inspires others to join the movement against forced deportations. It is not exhaustive so please, don’t be bashful about leaving a constructive Comment below and contribute to our shared learning and objectives.

Pro-tip 36: Debriefing

December 15, 2014 by admin·Comments Off

It’s late in the afternoon after a full day of actions in a week long campaign. People are starting to feel weary and sluggish under the baking hot sun and the exhaustion of thinking is only made worse by the sniping and grizzling everyone seems to be using against each other. The day’s almost at an end and all you want to do is sit down in the shade, take off your shoes and drink some water. Everyone else in the affinity group seems keen to get out of there as soon as possible and go to the pub, but you also want to raise with the group a concern about the action and you’re not sure that people want to listen.

It’s 1 o’clock in the morning at an overnight encampment, cool air feeling like it’s freezing your damp clothing. The night has been fairly uneventful, save for a small but loud argument a few hours ago, and your body is nagging you to sleep. The next buddy team is due to come on shift and mind the first aid tent until the morning soon and you’re waiting for them to arrive.

Today you have been taking part in a solidarity vigil against the forced deportation of a refugee from a detention centre. The vigil has progressed very smoothly, with no incidents and a good atmosphere amongst those who have attended. Yet, in listening to the speeches you couldn’t help but feel upset and a little disturbed by what you heard and it has started to make you feel quite stressed and anxious. On the outside, you seem okay – you don’t want to feel like you’re letting other people down. After all, you’ve been at these sorts of actions many times before without a problem, why start to worry now?

Each of the situations described above are not unusual situations to find yourself in when participating in protests. Long days and nights with little rest and even less sleep can grind even the most hardy down, while personal and political concerns can suddenly flare and become vitriolic. In order to deal with these issues and, if possible, prevent them from getting out of control we encourage affinity groups and even individuals to debrief after actions.

Debriefing is a process by which people come together after an incident or event to discuss what has happened and to come to a common understanding of what has just occurred. It is a useful opportunity to check in with other people and make others aware of how you are feeling, and to flag concerns or issues that arose during the incident; perhaps its primary use is being the first step in recognising and acting against Critical Incident Stress if there has been a traumatic incident. Through debriefing, questions such as “Did I/we do the right thing?”, “Is it okay to feel like this?”, “Should I/we have done more?” can be directly addressed and resolved, rather than leaving them to fester in the back of our minds.

It is important to keep in mind that trauma is subjective: different people may be affected by one situation in radically different ways depending on earlier traumas, coping techniques and a whole range of other factors. Hence the third example, above: in this case it is not seeing an act of violence, suffering or seeing a physical injury that has caused the trauma. Instead, repeated exposure to stories of severe suffering has taken its toll and the person in the example is experiencing emotional distress. You may also note that the example does not specify that the person is acting as a Street Medic: this process obviously has its benefits for medics (as the nature of our work at protests places us at a higher risk of encountering traumatic situations), but it is something that all protesters and affinity groups should consider and embrace. Trauma is by no means monopolised by Street Medics.

So, the advantages of debriefing amongst affinity groups are two-fold: to maintain and strengthen the affinity of the group, and to look out for the mental welfare of affinity group members.

How to debrief

Melbourne Street Medic Collective’s practice when it comes to debriefing is to debrief after every action, with an open invitation for non-medics to also attend. Sometimes this means debriefs are very short and quickly over and done with. Other times it has proved the opportunity for concerns to be aired, openly and without prejudice, and either quickly resolved or deferred upon agreement to a more convenient and appropriate time and setting.

We have also found it most effective to conduct debriefings as soon after the event/incident as possible and will generally move to a quiet area to debrief once the action has begun to wind up, so long as there are no immediate concerns/incidents to be dealt with.

Once assembled, someone volunteers to facilitate/chair the debrief and we conduct a check-in: taking it in turns to greet the group, describe how we’re feeling (“I’m all good”, “I feel like shit”, “I’m okay but I was pretty stressed for a while when the cops were getting aggro”, etc.) and briefly – i.e., one or two sentences – describe how we feel the action went.

For Street Medic collectives it is often useful to follow check-ins with any report-backs about incidents during the action (mostly because these may have been referenced during the check-in). Otherwise, a call is made for anyone to raise any concerns or points of praise for the action. This can be conducted in a similar manner to the check-in, with input from each person in the group, or input can be received through a general call-out to the group.

If a point is raised, it is important to remember that this process is intended to be constructive and that we need to be respectful of one another, even if the issue is of a personal nature.

Concerns should be raised without attacking a person, and responses called for after the first person has been given time to raise and explain their concern. Responses should be directed at the issue, not the person, and the discussion managed in such a way as to prevent digression or rambling. Here, active listening and non-violent communication skills are invaluable.

If needed, a two-minute time limit on speaking can be used and a speaker’s list employed to ensure the conversation is open to all and not dominated by a few key voices. Here, the role of the facilitator is key and to that end we have included some information about facilitation skills below.

Discussion should be directed towards finding a resolution but, if this is not possible (after all, Rome wasn’t built in a day) within the current debriefing space, the group should aim towards setting another date and time in the near-future to further discuss and hopefully resolve the issue. If for some reason this cannot be arranged, emphasis should be put on trying to organise this as soon as possible in the following days.

To recap:

1. After the action, find a quiet place away from the action.
2. Nominate a facilitator.
3. Conduct check-ins (How are you feeling/How do you think the action went?).
4. Make any report-backs.
5. Ask group members if they have any issues they want to raise or any general comments on the action.
6. If needed, agree on a date and time to follow up from the debrief.

http://melbsmc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/facilitating_group_agreements.pdf

http://melbsmc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/facilitating_difficult_behaviour.pdf

Press Release – WACA – Locking down #LockheedMartin

September 26, 2014 by cait.w·Comments Off

This morning in Melbourne a group of anti-war and pro Palestinian activists shut down two buildings of the global arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

The action is on going at the time of this release with the activists locking down Lockheed Martins access gates and dropping a banner off one of their buildings stating ‘Medicare Not Warfare. Scrap the F35 Deal’. Another banner is attached to their fence and can be seen from the Princess Highway, it reads ‘War Profiteers – Your Tax Dollars Making a Killing’

Kaz Cochrane, co-founder of Whistleblower, Activists & Citizens Alliance (WACA) stated:

“As Australia embarks on yet another violent military campaign in the Middle East we’re asked to accept the justification of moral imperative to rescue ‘desperate people’; the same people our political class dismissed through the cynical euphemism of ‘collateral damage’, when they were killed in the 100’s of thousands by our allied forces over the last 10,” she said, adding “given the Federal cabinet have committed us to this destructive and inept war campaign the Whistleblower, Activists & Citizens Alliance are determined to expose the real motivation to perpetual war – Perpetual Profit.”

So who is buying into Lockheed Martin; the world’s largest weapons manufacturer & beneficiary of war & ‘defense’ expenditure?

By far the largest recent investor in Australia is our Federal Government who have handed over $35 Billion of tax payer revenue to acquire a fleet of F35 aircraft from Lockheed widely reputed to be technological ‘lemons’ while attempting to convince the Australian community to sacrifice their ‘free at the point of service’ medical system which is a foundation stone of our community values and wellbeing.

WACA co-founder Sam Castro stated:

“We are paying a visit to this corporate titan of war to highlight the F35 ‘lemon’ aircraft is a complete waste of Australian tax payers money.”

“Further the Abbott Government’s destructive foreign policy propagates an insidious cycle of political donations; funding of influential political think tanks; resulting in profit making collusion with global financial institutions, which create an agenda of perpetual war sold to the political class in advanced economies, who are entirely dependent on the patronage of heavy weight corporate & banking entities”

Sam Castro added,

“We are also here today to highlight Lockheed Martin’s complicity in the death of the Palestinian people in repetitive military assaults by the Israeli Defense Force as Israel continues to enforce the illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territories. Lockheed Martin demonstrates their capacity to generate and exploit ‘war markets’ by extending their 20 year operation in Israel to assist the IDF in their aggressive military campaigns, with their local CEO Mr Land, stating they want to be part of Israel’s ‘ecosystem’, which we believe can only be characterized as ‘genocidal’ ”

A peep hole view into the incalculable wealth generated for the arms industry and the global financiers who invest in the war market reveals in the build up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq Lockheed Martin’s defense contracts increased from $17 billion to $21.9 billion.

In the first month since Obama’s recent announcement of airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, Lockheed Martin’s share price increased 7% delivering stunning profits to Australian financial institutions invested in the war contractor, including AMP US$33.5M; Westpac US$20M; Commonwealth Bank US$9M; Macquarie Bank US$51M.

Sam Castro stated,

“WACA calls on the Australian Government to scrap the F35 deal and use that money to fund universal healthcare, tertiary education and Indigenous programs. WACA calls for complete economic divestment by our financial institutions from Lockheed Martin and other arms manufacturers. We ask the Australian community to stand up and speak out against the state of perpetual war that serves only to make private corporations like Lockheed Martin wealthy and destroys Australian’s to make clear our intolerance for industries reliant on the perpetuation of human suffering.”

First Aid Pledge Welcome, but a Distraction

September 15, 2014 by admin·Comments Off

In the lead up to the State Election, the Napthine government has pledged some $21 million to teach Year 9 students first aid.

On paper this is impressive: students will be taught “to administer first aid to victims of heart attacks, strokes, burns and other medical emergencies” and Dr Napthine has suggested it will bolster students employability as employers will give preference to new workers with first aid qualifications. Yet the good Doctor’s enthusiasm belies a simple fact: without a properly equipped, staffed and paid ambulance service the efforts of the best first aiders will be thwarted. Without properly funded, equipped and staffed public hospitals our ability to provide full care to casualties is also compromised.

First aiders have a vital role to play in the workplace and the community, providing initial care for the ill or injured until medical help arrives. In the US, several states have now made it a mandatory requirement for high school students to become CPR-certified in order to obtain their high school certificates; various jurisdictions in the EU also require drivers to have basic first aid skills. As the EU Red Cross says, first aid is an act of humanity and so should be encouraged where possible.

However, it is impossible to ignore the emphasis placed upon waiting for ambulance support in the Emergency First Aid and Provide First Aid courses. When teaching first aid we emphasise the necessity of following the Chain of Survival, which urges prompt access to ambulance and advanced life support services (such as those provided by MICA Paramedics). We also make the point that while one can elect to leave out rescue breaths when performing CPR this brings with it a severe risk of brain damage in the casualty, especially in Melbourne where less than three-quarters of top priority calls are able to be met by ambulance crews within 15 minutes. Ambulance Victoria’s refusal to release detailed insights into ambulance response times on the grounds that it would “excite public controversy” is a clear indication that response times are falling behind.

This policy, if enacted, would be of benefit to Victoria and its people – of this there is no doubt. However considering the track-record of the Baillieu and Napthine governments, which have spent much of their time trying to beat back the rights, benefits and conditions of public sector nurses and paramedics, this policy must be seen for what it truly is: a distraction from the ongoing crisis in the public healthcare sector. If this is an achievable policy there should be no reason for the ALP, Greens and whomever else wishes to contest the election to make similar pledges as well. But we must not sell out our health and wellbeing for a gimmicky election promise.

Other articles of relevance:

Vanstone’s Sham Solution: “Let the sick die!”

Mandatory Training and Marginalisation

Tear Gas Decontamination and Aftercare #Ferguson

August 19, 2014 by admin·Comments Off

Scroll down to find downloadable versions of this post.

TEAR GAS DECONTAMINATION

If you’re helping others, wear gloves – the chemicals will quickly contaminate other people and materials!

Decontamination:

Remove contaminated clothing and wipe off any remaining chemicals with gauze/rags.
Spray vegetable or mineral oil on any skin exposed to the gas (NOT THE FACE) and wipe off with new gauze/rags.
Wipe skin down again with new gauze/rags and rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol.

Aftercare:

Shower with cold water and scrub your skin with soap. Hot water opens pores, which may let chemicals penetrate more deeply.
Don’t take a bath – you don’t want to soak in the chemicals!
Position yourself so that contaminated water from your hair does not run all over your skin – especially your face!

For your clothes:

Place contaminated clothes in a sealed plastic bag until you can wash them or dispose of them.
Clothes contaminated with tear gas can be hung out in the wind. It may take several days before the smell is gone.
Wash clothes with a strong detergent-based soap (this is not a time for eco-friendly, detergent-free products).
Coats, furniture, rugs and other items can be exposed to air or steam cleaned; some recommend adding 5-10% baking soda to the steam water.

The effects of tear gas and pepper spray are usually temporary.

Seek medical attention if you experience any of the following:

Severe or ongoing breathing problems
Ongoing eye irritation
Skin rash
Symptoms that persist, worsen, or reappear.

Many people feel fatigued or ill after chemical exposure. This is a good time to take extra good care of yourself. Drink a lot of water, eat nutritious food, and get enough sleep. Many different herbs can help detoxify the body-ask an herbalist for recommendations.

Download A4 version for printing and sharing.

Download A5 version for printing and sharing.

Download Quarter-pane (4 A5 copies to a sheet) version for printing and sharing.

Download Letter version for printing and sharing.

Banner Drop by WACA for #Gaza

August 5, 2014 by cait.w·Comments Off

On Saturday the 2nd of August a group called Whistleblowers, Activists, and Citizens Alliance (WACA) called for members and allies to unite for an action in the city to show our support for Palestine and Gaza in light of the apartheid and unjustifiable extermination of their population by the Israeli State.

Over the last few weeks we have seen the news reports, personal stories, photos and videos come through from Palestine. For the last 3 weeks in Melbourne there have been rallies in the city to condemn the actions of the Israeli State and raise awareness of the issue within the community. At each rally there has been a good turnout, the speeches have been powerful, the energy in the crowd has been palpable. Last Friday’s action still drew a large crowd in spite of Melbourne weather and we remained in #Solidaritywithgaza in not only the rain but also through 2 hailstorms. As many people in the crowd pointed out “Standing in the rain and hail is nothing when those we are in solidarity with are standing in rocket fire and white phosphorous”.

The reports and images coming through from Gaza has been heartbreaking, seeing the total death toll increase, and the death toll of children rise has been devastating. Listening to the Israeli Government called for the extermination of the Palestinian people has been enraging. The group had decided that more needed to be done to raise awareness in the community, to get the average Melbournian to know about what is happening in Gaza. It was decided that creating as many banners as possible and dropping them around Melbourne’s busiest areas would be the best choice for a snap direct action on a Saturday afternoon.

Sam Castro, one of the organizers of the action and member of WACA had this to say about why we need to have direct actions on the issue of Gaza and Palestine “Nothing can stop the tears and pain that must be flowing in GAZA and around the world for those already murdered in what can only be described as attempted genocide by the Israeli Apartheid State. But we can all resist publicly in our own little ways and in doing so remind each other of our humanity and the truth. We can let the Palestinians known, that if nothing else we bare witness to the horror being inflicted on those in Gaza and the West Bank. In a violent world dominated by corporations and brutal Empires, we see you Gaza and we bare witness to the crimes of the Israeli State”.

For our drop we managed to make 5 banners with various slogans explaining our position and designed to get as much attention as possible. We decided to drop our largest banner from the Arts Centre wall, where it faced back to Flinders St Station so that anyone on the Princess St Bridge would be able to see it.

We then placed 3 of the others on the pedestrian bridge between Flinders St Station and Crown Casino, from here anyone along the Princess St Bridge, exiting the back of Flinders St Station or in any of the Restaurants on South Yarra would be able to see the banners.

Our final banner drop was at Federation Square, this banner received the most amount of positive attention as there was an action going on with the Iraqi Christians against ISIS happening at the other end of the square. Several attendees stopped to have photos with the banner in the back ground and some came and spoke to us as we dropped the banner and posed in our photos.

The banner drops achieved their goal of informing the community about this atrocity. It was clear from the response of people on the pedestrian bridge that there is a large portion of the community that doesn’t know about Gaza and the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. However people were happy to engage on the topic and were just genuinely unaware and horrified to hear about the issue.

Keep an eye out for more direct actions to come across the city in relation to this issue, but also encourage your affinity groups to make a stand and do other direct actions on the issue if you feel strongly about Gaza and Palestine. It is clear that more needs to be done to educate people in the community, and also to continue to show the people in Gaza that we are witness to their suffering and the crimes against them and that we will continue to stand with them in solidarity.

For more details on the action please check out:

WACA facebook page

To watch a video filmed by WACA regarding the banner drop please watch:

WACA video of Banner Drop

For high resolution photos please check out:

Free Gaza album

Writen by CJ.

Street Medic Pro-Tip 34: How to document your injuries

July 5, 2014 by Coggo·Comments Off

Melbourne Activist Sam Castro sustained injuries protesting Victoria’s “Anti-Protest Laws”.

MelbSMC believe the best way to avoid injuries is to Be Prepared and to look out for each other. But, protest is struggle and unfortunately people will still get hurt by forces resistant to social justice & change. That is why being able to document injuries is an important skill for all activists, and especially so for groups who traditionally are singled out for acts of repression (such as people of colour, the homeless, transgender activists and even medics).

What follows are some tips on how to document these injuries:

At the protest:

Remember to seek medical advice as soon as possible!

Keep all evidence (bag bloody clothes to put in the freezer when you get home, save projectiles etc)

Talk to a Legal Observer who will record the time of the incident and may be able to talk to some of the witnesses.

Ask a Street Medic for help. We maintain confidentiality at all times & can assess the severity of your injuries.

At the hospital or clinic:

If it is not a life-threatening injury consider visiting a GP or a clinic you trust.

Record the names of all treating doctors/ healthcare professionals who see your wound(s)

If appropriate – tell hospital staff how you were hurt.

Wounds like broken ribs, concussion or torn ligaments don’t show up when photographed so ask the medical staff to write up all your injuries in detail.

Ask for a copy of your notes, x-ray, scans (you might not be allowed them but ask anyway).

At home:

Take photos as soon as possible – severe injuries may heal quickly depending on your physical health and nutritional status.

Get a trusted friend to take a picture of your whole body before zooming in for detailed shots of the injured area

Stand in front of an uncluttered, neutral coloured wall.

Take images from an assortment of angles and think about who might be scrutinizing these photos at a latter date

To get perspective take photos with a ruler or something of standard size (like a coin) next to the injury.

Use the ‘Date & Time’ tagging function on a digital camera to show the injury changing over a period of time.

Darker skin may not show up injuries so take photos in a well lit place, and be careful with a flash as this may bleach out, or reflect off the skin and make the bruising look lighter than it actually is.

Keep a diary of the injury as it heals and how it effects your quality of life.

Remember bruises will darken and grow over time.

Store all your paperwork, images and evidence in a secure place.

Keep all follow-up care or Doctor appointments!

Debrief frequently with your friends, loved ones or affinity group.

Cecily McMillan shows the hand-shaped bruise on her right breast, which she testified was made by NYPD Officer Grantley Bovell when he accosted her from behind.

Statement from our medics

June 29, 2014 by cait.w·Comments Off

The members of MelbSMC have decided to release a statement about our positions on sexual assault in the community and Transphobia.

As a group we actively support all members of the community and therefore we will not be silent on the issue of sexual assault in our community.

We as a collective also want it known that we stand against Transphobia and providing a platform to known transphobics.

http://www.anarchistaffinity.org/2014/06/no-platform-for-transphobia/

Street Medic Pro-Tip 33: Foreign Objects – Embedded objects

June 14, 2014 by cait.w·Comments Off

This pro-tip will show you how to treat a penetrative foreign object.

Foreign Object embedded/penetrating in the body (e.g. arms, legs, head, eye)

These will generally be in the major wound category and Medical attention will always be required, I would strongly recommend as soon as someone approaches you with an embedded object in them to either call an ambulance or get them to hospital.

***DO NOT REMOVE OR MOVE THE OBJECT***

***DO NOT PUT PRESSURE ON THE OBJECT***

We cannot see what damage has been caused internally by the object so we cannot remove it, and pressure should not be placed on it for the same reason. The only time you would consider trying to move the object by shortening it would be if the object is unmanageable in it’s current form (e.g. the person has impaled themselves on a long branch).

Follow the tips below for any embedded/penetrating object

**Creating Padding**

-Take a triangle bandage and stretch it out

– hold onto the long ends and start to twirl it so it looks more like a rope.

– Loosely wrap it around your hand, this will provide you with the donut shape.

Don’t worry about how pretty it looks, it just needs to hold its shape so that we can fit it over the object and bandage it in place with one of the other bandages.

– Place the donut over the protruding object without placing pressure on the object itself

– Using a bandage, start wrapping over the triangle bandage while avoiding direct pressure to the embedded object.

This would be the same treatment anywhere on the body, including the eye. Be sure to seek urgent medical attention, and keep the injured person calm and still so that they don’t cause further damage to the limb. If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t have bandages, items of clothing or material can be substituted for the bandages shown here.