The actors that are referred to are FDNY EMTs- those who treated the patient and stopped the cops from harming them and emergency service unit officers (ESU)- those who harmed the patient further.
The main point of the article is despite the positive impact doctors/nurses and those who advocate against Ebola, many of the citizens in remote areas do not trust those who have the resources to 'cure' or to eradicate the illness, instead they believe that these workers bring diease. Some resort to violence to reaffirm this point through stoning healthcare workers and even killing them. This article exposes the issues on treating an epidemic, the 'growing pains' of helping thrid world countries and the dark side of helping others. The article is supported through direct quotes from healthcare workers as evidence (stats) and quotes from people that live in West Africa.
This call took place in my home agency, it is very graphic and I was not on the call but it made me reflect on the purpose of EMS. I remember this story to the best of my ability:
A few months ago I was dispatched to a call that went out as a 'general not feeling well' call.