Volunteer medic offers relief to activists
By Ryan Sabalow, Rocky Mountain News
Published August 26, 2008 at 9:16 p.m.
Updated August 26, 2008 at 9:16 p.m.
Photo by RYAN SABALOW/THE ROCKY
Brandon Letsinger
CIVIC CENTER PARK -- Whether it's sunscreen for an anarchist baking in the afternoon sun, or a splash of water to flush out of the eyes of an unlucky photographer with face full of police pepper spray, volunteer medic Brandon Letsinger has been there.
During the first two days of the Democratic National Convention, the 22-year-old student from Seattle says he's been keeping busy offering what medical aid he can to a group of activists who have congregated in Civic Center Park.
"It's important to provide basic first aid to people who are putting themselves on the front lines," Letsinger said tonight at the park.
A night earlier, the husky long-haired medic offered what help he could to a group of anarchists and others who clashed with riot police near 15th Street and Court Place.
His persistent yells of "Don't run!" instantly calmed a group of frantic protesters who began to flee a formidable wall of officers in riot gear, keeping those the herd of activists from trampling each other.
He also was quick with the water, offering it to both press and protesters who had been pepper sprayed in the skirmish, their faces leaking mucus and tears.
Many of them, he said, asked him to photograph the face flushing for posterity.
Letsinger said his training as a wilderness first responder comes in handy as one of the volunteer protest medics at the DNC, but it's just a side gig.
He's majoring in American history and anthropology at University of Washington at Seattle.
With makeshift red crosses emblazoned on their clothing and gear, street medics like Letsinger have been a common sight around activists groups at the DNC.
The medics trace their origins back to the 1960s civil rights movement. They're trained to offer basic first aid, negotiate with police, and work with on-site civil rights attorneys.
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