Federal Agents Blinded Two Protesters with 'Less-Lethal' Munitions in California
Two anti-ICE protesters were left blind after being shot by federal agents wielding what they claimed were "less-lethal" munitions. Kaden Rummler, 21, was struck in the face at a distance of just a few feet and suffered severe injuries to his eye, including glass shards and plastic fragments lodged in his skull.
The shooting occurred during an anti-ICE protest in Santa Ana, California, where around 150 people gathered to honor Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. Video footage shows Rummler approaching the agents with a bullhorn after they had grabbed another protester and dragged them up the stairs to detain them.
Rummler, who weighs just 102lbs, described the experience as "like my eye exploded in my head" and said he was left unable to sneeze or cough due to the danger. A second protester, Britain Rodriguez, 31, also reported being shot with a less-lethal round at close range.
The use-of-force policies employed by homeland security agents are under scrutiny after Good's fatal shooting sparked nationwide protests. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has described protesters as a "mob" who threw rocks and other objects at federal officers, but local reports suggest this was not the case.
Experts say that deploying less-lethal munitions in such close proximity to protesters is inconsistent with basic principles of crowd management and de-escalation. Arizona State University criminologist Edward Maguire noted that decades of research show that responding to crowds in this way tends to escalate tension and conflict, increasing the risk of harm to both officers and civilians.
The incident raises questions about the use of force policies employed by federal agencies and whether they are adequate to protect public safety. Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento described the protest as "very peaceful" and expressed outrage that some federal delegation members are considering funding agencies that have become rogue and put people in critical harm.
Two anti-ICE protesters were left blind after being shot by federal agents wielding what they claimed were "less-lethal" munitions. Kaden Rummler, 21, was struck in the face at a distance of just a few feet and suffered severe injuries to his eye, including glass shards and plastic fragments lodged in his skull.
The shooting occurred during an anti-ICE protest in Santa Ana, California, where around 150 people gathered to honor Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. Video footage shows Rummler approaching the agents with a bullhorn after they had grabbed another protester and dragged them up the stairs to detain them.
Rummler, who weighs just 102lbs, described the experience as "like my eye exploded in my head" and said he was left unable to sneeze or cough due to the danger. A second protester, Britain Rodriguez, 31, also reported being shot with a less-lethal round at close range.
The use-of-force policies employed by homeland security agents are under scrutiny after Good's fatal shooting sparked nationwide protests. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has described protesters as a "mob" who threw rocks and other objects at federal officers, but local reports suggest this was not the case.
Experts say that deploying less-lethal munitions in such close proximity to protesters is inconsistent with basic principles of crowd management and de-escalation. Arizona State University criminologist Edward Maguire noted that decades of research show that responding to crowds in this way tends to escalate tension and conflict, increasing the risk of harm to both officers and civilians.
The incident raises questions about the use of force policies employed by federal agencies and whether they are adequate to protect public safety. Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento described the protest as "very peaceful" and expressed outrage that some federal delegation members are considering funding agencies that have become rogue and put people in critical harm.
this is so messed up 
i mean, who does that?!?! 2 ppl blinded by so-called "less-lethal" munitions just because they were protesting 
it's like, what even is the point of these agencies if they're just gonna use violence to shut ppl down? 
and btw did u see the vid footage? 
it looks like the agents were in way over their heads, trying to detain protesters but ending up getting outgunned (literally) 
according to a 2020 report by the Policing Project at NYU, 71% of respondents felt that police use of force was too aggressive in crowds, and 63% believed it contributed to increased tensions between law enforcement and communities. 
meanwhile, there's been a steady decline in arrests for civil disorder from 2017-2020 (source: FBI). 
seems like the trend is towards more peaceful protests, but agencies are still trying to figure out how to respond 
let's talk about this... 
Just saw this crazy news about two protesters being blinded by 'less-lethal' munitions in California 
. And to think the feds are saying protesters were throwing rocks? Sounds like a total BS excuse to me 
. Experts are saying that using less-lethal munitions in such situations is super inconsistent with crowd management principles 
. We need some real answers on how our federal agencies handle these kinds of situations... it's time for some change 
.
. I don't think our law enforcement agencies need more training or equipment, they need to rethink their whole approach to dealing with protests 
. We should be trying to understand each other, not paint people with broad brushstrokes.
. This incident is just another example of how our system needs some serious tweaking 
. and what's with these "less-lethal" rounds being deployed so close to people? isn't that just asking for trouble? i remember reading about this thing called de-escalation tactics in my sociology class... sounds like agents are doing the opposite of that 
. anyway, gotta wonder what's gonna happen next...
This incident is super disturbing and it's crazy that 2 protesters got blinded with what was supposed to be less-lethal munitions 
. We can't just rely on "less-lethal" rounds and expect everything to be okay - it's time for some real accountability and change 
.
The fact that these agents claimed they were using "less-lethal" munitions just makes it sound even more sketchy. I mean, who decides what's less-lethal and what's not? It's like they're playing a game of "let's see how much damage we can do". 
, this is super disturbing 
... That's like, a whole new level of 'less-lethal' 
. And what's even crazier is that the DHS thinks protesters are just a "mob" 
? Like, no way! This incident just highlights how messed up things can get when law enforcement gets out of hand 
.
But I guess for some folks, no matter what, the answer is always "we need to do somethin'" 
.
. And what's with the whole "mob" label from DHS? Sounds like they're just tryin' to cover their own butts 
at least that way ur protected and the ppl doin the protesting r too. also, what's with all this 'mob' talk from dhs? seems like they're tryna shift the blame to the protesters... gotta keep an eye on these gov agencies tho, dont wanna see no more innocent ppl gettin hurt 
.