Earlier this month, a police officer in Santiago, Chile was captured on video pushing a 16-year-old male demonstrator off of a bridge. The boy fell into the canal below, fracturing his wrist and suffering head trauma. He was transported to the hospital and is in stable condition.

The violent video sparked an additional wave of protests against the Carabineros–Chile’s militarized national police force that the officer was a part of.

A 16-year-old boy was thrown by the Carabineros, the #Chile national police force, into the river Mapocho during protests at Plaza De La Dignidad
pic.twitter.com/LhZof5UPWD

— Pravin Ranijth (@tweetlion) October 4, 2020

Before the video surfaced, witnesses who were protesting voiced their anger at the police officer’s actions and demanded that he be brought to justice. Initially, a spokesperson for the Carabineros, General Enrique Monrás, denied any wrongdoing on the part of the officer, claiming that the boy “lost balance and fell”.

Monrás claimed the police force even had footage that refuted the purported events. But when the footage of the boy being pushed over the bridge went public, there was no question as to what happened.

The footage of the incident went viral in Chile, prompting a surge of demonstrations and protests in Santiago–a city already racked with civil unrest.

Days later, Chile opened up an investigation against the police officer, saying the officer “gave false information to the Prosecutor’s Office” and had “abandoned the victim” after throwing him off the bridge. The officer’s lawyer says he was following procedure. Nevertheless, by then the damage had been done.

Following the incident, protestors threw red die into the canal, making it look like it was running red with the metaphorical blood of protestors. The protests are part of an ongoing civil unrest that was sparked by economic inequality in Chile as well as President Sebastián Piñera’s failure to address the people’s concerns.

To make matters worse, the Piñera government has responded to the protests with excessive violence.

In the last year, Chile has been making headlines for permanently blinding protestors with rubber bullets. Protestors claim that Caballeros are deliberately shooting people in the eyes, aiming to blind them for life.

This most recent incident has simply served to bolster the protestors’ claims that they are being treated brutally by the Chilean government. “The police are violent. We can’t bear it anymore,” said a protestor named Carmen Soria to Al Jazeera News. “They’ve raped, tortured, run people over, blinded others, and now, they’re throwing people in the Mapocho river. The government doesn’t want us to protest, doesn’t want us to gather together, but they don’t care that we gather in the busses and in subways like sardines to go to work.”

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If there is one thing that everyone knows about Southern California is that you should expect earthquakes. They are as unique and predictable to Southern California as hurricanes in Florida. Yet, three earthquakes this morning shook Southern California to some surprise.

2020 has been one crazy year and for Angelenos, July ended with a bang.

It's really delightful that 2020 decided to add "earthquakes" to the skills section of its resume.

— Mayim Bialik (@missmayim) July 30, 2020

Three earthquakes, one being a 4.2 centered in Pacoima, shook Southern California. The first earthquake occurred at 4:30 a.m. local time. the epicenter is 23 miles north of downtown LA. The quake woke up people in the greater Los Angeles area with a jolt and sustained rocking.

Some people are trying to get all philosophical with it.

earthquakes a good reminder we are just guests on this planet.

— Melissa Villaseñor (@melissavcomedy) July 30, 2020

Sure, we aren’t necessary on the planet. One can even argue that we are the biggest threat to the earth’s integrity. However, the earth shaking beneath your feet is one of the most unnerving sensations. Let people panic in peace.

Some people were ready to physically fight the earthquake.

The earthquake rattled our door really hard last night and Molly’s first instinct was to jump out of bed and grab a bat and mine was to tell her to stay in bed in case of aftershocks so I think it’s clear who the True Crime Wife and the Disaster Prep Wife are

— Noelle Stevenson (@Gingerhazing) July 30, 2020

When dealing with an earthquake, it is important not to run. You want to stay in place and find a way to hunker down. Study tables are a good place to hide under during an earthquake, according to the National Safety Council. If that is not available, a good, sturdy doorframe is the second-best place to hunker down.

Others managed to sleep right through them.

depression so strong I slept right through that earthquake last night 🥰

— Daniel Preda (@MisterPreda) July 30, 2020

There is a special class of people who are never awakened by earthquakes. The sleep is so deep that not even the earth moving wakes them up. Those are the kinds of people you want on your side. Nerves of steel.

This one abuelito thinkgs that your concern over this earthquake is cute.

Probably the best take I’ve gotten today about this morning’s earthquake. Angeleno compares it to the ‘94 Northridge Quake #PacoimaStrong pic.twitter.com/NeHV8MS08G

— Bob DeCastro (@bobbydtv) July 30, 2020

The 1994 Northridge earthquake is something no one will ever forget. The 6.7 magnitude earthquake was devastating and those who lived through it will never forget it. While this earthquake hasn’t caused immediate damage, it is a reminder to always be ready for the big one.

READ: Mexico Was Rattled By A Massive Earthquake And This Is What It Was Like In The Country’s Capital

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