Featured Image Credit: Nathan Howard/Getty Images / KGW
Topics: Black Lives Matter, US News, Gun Crime, Racism
Joe Yates
Topics: Black Lives Matter, US News, Gun Crime, Racism
A woman who was paralyzed while peacefully protesting the deaths of two Black men who were fatally shot by cops, has died after opting to be taken off life-support.
The woman, known only as 'Deg', chose to be taken off her ventilator, which was keeping her alive, after she was shot in the neck while demonstrating at Normandale Park, in Portland, Oregon, on 19 February, 2022.
The bullet paralysed her from her neck down and so the 32-year-old, who was once an avid hiker, relied on the assistance of caregivers to survive.
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Deg passed away on July 1 having asked doctors and close ones to unplug the machine.
Speaking about her daughter's decision to The Oregonian, her mom said: "She had lost so much control.
"This was something that was her decision. I couldn’t argue with her. But we miss her desperately.”
She attended the protest which was formed after 22-year-old Amir Locke, a Black man, was fatally shot on February 2, 2022, by SWAT officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Following his death, it emerged that the police executed a 'no-knock warrant', which meant they entered the home without notice.
The demonstration was also held for 27-year-old Patrick Kimmons, who was also a Black man, was killed by Portland police during a 2018 altercation.
The planned protest was interrupted by gunman Benjamin Smith who unloaded on the demonstration, killing 60-year-old June Knightly with a bullet to the head, and injuring four more - one of which was Deg.
One of the protesters was armed and shot at the 45-year-old hitting Smith near his hip.
The courts heard how he had expressed hostility towards Antifa, a left-wing anti-fascist and anti-racist political movement, as well as Black Lives Matter, and that he was a Nazi sympathizer, as well as Kyle Rittenhouse.
On 25 August, 2020, Rittenhouse travelled 20 miles from his home to attend a protest that had broken out in the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake.
Using an AR-15 style rifle, the then 17-year-old shot dead Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, also injuring Gaige Grosskreutz.
Facing five felony charges, including first-degree reckless homicide and first-degree intentional homicide, Rittenhouse was found not guilty on 19 November, 2021.
Smith plead guilty to second-degree murder and eight other counts, including numerous attempted murder charges, in March 2023 and was sentenced to life in prison.
Smith will be eligible for parole after 55 years.
Speaking about how it affected her life during a victim impact statement, Deg said in April last year: "I really miss the sound of my laugh.
"My days are entirely driven by my immediate medical needs.”