Body, possibly Occupy protester, found in SLC’s Pioneer Park

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: The Salt Lake Tribune

Police were called to Salt Lake City’s Pioneer Park late Friday morning after a man, possibly one of the Occupy Salt Lake protesters, was found dead inside a tent.

Following a 911 call from the park at 10:11 a.m., police arrived and confirmed that a man had indeed died.

Police initially said the death did not appear to be suspicious, but possibly weather-related. Officers pulling contents from the tent about 11:20 a.m. found a propane heater, triggering speculation that carbon monoxide may have been a factor; a tarp was draped over the tent itself, possibly restricting ventilation further.

About two-dozen protesters and homeless people gathered behind police lines to watch as the body of the man was recovered and the scene secured. Some said the victim was a protester, others said he was homeless, still others said he was a homeless man supporting the Occupy protest who had borrowed a tent from another participant. Several said his body had been found during routine morning "tent checks."

Read more: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52896438-78/lake-park-salt-police.html.csp

[MADem]

1. Jesus. How stupid. A dumb-ass way to die.

NEVER operate a propane heater without a quality carbon-monoxide detector nearby and a source of fresh air. It's just not worth it.

If this guy was homeless, he was "inexperienced" at it. Anyone who has been living rough for a few seasons would have that shit down.

[formercia]

2. They would have it down or be dead.

How many times can a squirrel run across a road before it learns not to cross in front of cars?

[MADem]

3. Well, that poor bastard wasn't a squirrel.

You'd think someone who may have advised him about using propane in the first place would have given him the little safety lecture. And then, there's the directions emblazoned permanantly on most heaters that speak to the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning...

Whatever. It's a damn shame.

[formercia]

6. When people ar under stress, they can do some pretty stupid things.

He didn't deserve that fate, for sure.

[Javaman]

4. Sad that the guy died. Sad that he wasn't informed of carbon monoxide poisoning.

however he died protesting. He died trying to change things. He died trying to give voice to the millions of people in this nation without any.

No man is an island

No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as a manor of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

John Donne

[MADem]

10. No, he died because he didn't know how to use a propane heater. He died sleeping in a tent.

He died UNNECESSARILY.

[Javaman]

11. way to find only the negative.

unreal.

[MADem]

12. There's nothing 'positive' to be found in unnecessary death. IMO. nt

[Javaman]

14. Swing and a miss. reread my original comment.

while it's sad that this person lost their life, it still doesn't take away from why they were there.

[MADem]

15. We're just going to have to part ways on this matter.

I remain convinced that his death was due to unfortunate stupidity. He's not a hero for the cause, he's a poor unlucky bastard who killed himself accidentally. He didn't throw himself against the barricades, he snuggled into his sleeping bag for a nice nap and never woke up.

But whatever. You see a "hero," I see a poor sap who surely did not want to die, did not expect to die, and had no fucking idea that he might possibly kill himself accidentally when he lay himself down to sleep.

[Javaman]

16. did I ever say he was a hero?

damn, you really enjoy putting words in peoples mouths.

No, I stated that he was doing something when he died. That's a hell of a lot more that either you or I could say.

you can now go away and play.

[MADem]

17. No, you said he "died protesting." Which he didn't--he suffocated sleeping in an unventilated tent.

That was the "something" he was doing when he accidentally killed himself.

He fucked up, and now he's dead. It's a sad thing, but that's all it is. An unfortunate accident exacerbated by ignorace re: the proper use of a propane heater.

You can now go away and play, yourself.

:eyes:

[Alameda]

19. ...and you know this for sure how? There are a whole lot of reasons

this could have happened. Whatever it was, he was at a protest, thus did die protesting.

[MADem]

20. They found him in his sleeping bag, in his tent, with his heater running

and no ventilation.

It's not rocket science.

If you die in a kitchen, that doesn't mean you had to be cooking.

[Alameda]

21. Technically he died of carbon monoxide poisoning, but

that does not negate the fact that he was at a protest protesting.

[MADem]

22. He was at a protest encampment, sleeping. It was a sad and unnecessary death.

I imagine his family and friends are devastated.

[Dont call me Shirley]

5. This is becoming a pattern, dead people showing up in the Occupy camps.

[formercia]

7. and shootings are becoming a popular method to have as an excuse

to break them up. Is there a pattern emerging here, or is it a side-effect of sleeping rough for Months?

[randome]

23. 'A popular excuse'?

You would rather the police did nothing while people died, huh?

[baldguy]

8. You noticed that too, huh?

[saras]

9. People die. Given the number in the camps, it would be a statistical miracle if no one died.

[RandiFan1290]

13. And the haters love the news

They love to post about the deaths and other problems at the camps even though they show no support for occupy.

Yesterday (Veteran's Day) I heard a local t-bag radio co-host burst out in laughter when he heard the news that a veteran had committed suicide at occupy Burlington. Classy folks...

[PavePusher]

18. Only by law of averages.

Lots of people at an event continuously, statistically there will be deaths.

Note that none have so far been by violence from political opposition.