Unarmed Behavior Therapist Shot While Working With Autistic Client

This is one more in my series of be afraid, be very afraid. Imagine your autistic son on a walk with this behaviorist, someone calls 911 because they think the autistic mans toy truck in a gun and when the police arrive despite the therapist calmly explaining the situation (while laying on the ground with his hands up) the police shoot the therapist.  They explain they were actually aiming for his client! What the heck! All I can say is the therapist handled it perfectly, and if you work with behaviorist you might want to see what training they have in the event of police engagement.  Random or not, this shows what is possible and we are better of if we prepare those around us.

Woman with Asperger’s shot dead by police in Arizona

Woman with Asperger’s who touched millions with viral video shot dead by police in Arizona

BY CHRISTOPHER BRENNAN 

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Mesa police investigate officer-involved shooting

A woman with Asperger’s who posted a touching viral video with her service dog last summer has been shot dead by police.

Danielle Jacobs was killed by Mesa, Arizona, officers on Thursday after they arrived at her apartment for a suicide call around 11 a.m., her mother Stacia confirmed to the Daily News.

Police told local media that the 24-year-old came at them with a knife and they fired in self-defense.

Jacobs had garnered international attention last year for posting a courageous video where she sobs as her loving dog Samson provided comfort during a meltdown and used his paws to stop her hitting herself.

“This is what having Asperger's like,” she wrote alongside the clip, and told theHuffington Post, “When I have a meltdown, I often have self-injurious behavior and I often self-harm.”

The video has been made private, though up until three days before her death she posted videos of the canine comforting her during outbreaks of anxiety.

SEE IT: SERVICE DOG CALMS WOMAN WITH ASPERGER'S  

DANIELLE JACOBS/VIA YOUTUBE

“I talked to her last night and the night before and she seemed fine,” her mother, who now is taking care of the Rottweiler, told the News.

Danielle Jacobs, an Arizona woman with Asperger's who was in a touching viral video last year, was shot dead by police in Mesa.

Millions viewed a video that Jacobs 

courageously posted last year, showing her 

dog Samson comforting her during a 

meltdown. She added  that people who knew her were questioning whether police shooting the young woman in the stomach was necessary. “Before the police arrived she wasn’t posing a threat to the community at all,” Stacia said.

“And the police came into her own place. They shot and killed a 24-year-old autistic, mentally ill individual whom they had been familiar with and aware of her special needs.” Detective Esteban Flores told AZ Family that police had responded to a suicide call at the same residence two years ago. Jacobs lived in a “mother-in-law” apartment next to an older couple’s house.The Mesa Police Department said that two people in their 70s were at the home on Thursday.

Flores told the Daily News in a statement Thursday night that "This morning officers from the Mesa Police Department were involved in an officer involved shooting with a 24-year-old woman who was threatening suicide with a knife" and did not elaborate on the circumstances of the incident.  Police who responded to a suicide call on Thursday said that the 24-year-old came at police with a knife.

Jacobs’ openness about the struggles she faced as a person with Asperger’s, and her close relationship to Samson, warmed the hearts of more than 2 million people who viewed her video last summer.

Her mother said that Jacobs was caring young woman who would have given someone she’d just met the shirt off her back.

She added that after the holidays her daughter had — despite a limited income from her job at Target — bought two Christmas trees and ornaments on sale to give to low income families for this upcoming December.

Officers involved in the shooting, none of whom were hurt, have been placed on administrative leave, according to ABC 15.  They were not wearing body cameras.

Execution by Mental Illness; A Shooting Has Me Thinking There Has To Be A Better Way!

Okay, I'm back on my "Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid for our boys . Police shoot to kill". We talk inclusion yet, we live in a country where individuals with mental health issues not only suffer the realities of their illness's - but as a result of our collective ignorance - are vunerable to execution by default. 

This week there was a fatal police shooting in our town on our main street, Ventura Blvd. A busy street with families walking and visiting bookstores, clothing shops and eateries. Its always felt like a safe place for everyone, not a street where you expect to see a police officer kill a man.

I wasn't there, when the shooting occured. I just heard  people talking about how they couldn't drive on Laurel Canyon because the police had it cordoned off. Then I turned on the news to hear a man had a gun, and the police shot him. My first thought was sadness in general for a terrible situation. The next morning I scanned the internet to find out what had happened, and I read this:

“He was just firing into the air while there were children and parents walking around. He was just firing into the air,” Keshishyan said. “Police showed up, and they told him to drop his weapon…He wasn’t listening.”  Witnesses said he fired at least one shot in the air and then police opened fire.

After police tried to negotiate with the man for about five minutes, the man “held up his gun and aimed toward the police, and that’s when they shot him,” Keshishyan said.

Another witness, Wyatt Torosian, said police fired two shots, sending the “bedraggled” man back and killing him in front of the Union Bank building.

“That was it for the man. It was very dramatic,” Torosian said.  Torosian, who was inside a nearby Starbucks, said he was told the man had fired into the air. A third witness described five or six shots being fired by the man.

The armed man hadn’t aimed at any other people on the street, Keshishyan said. He had held up some kind of object that appeared to be in a bag toward police and then put it back down, she said “And they shot him”.

What I hear in this news report - and please know I am biased in support of those who cannot speak for themselves - this individual did pose a threat to our community, and he did not seem to comprehend the officer's directives. This should not have been a death sentence. 1 in every 54 boys in this country has Autism, and lack the social skills to survive a situation with Law Enforcement.  I'm afraid for my son. Lord knows, there has to be a better way.

Operation Introduction: A Conversation with a Cop

My first day of Operation Introduction. I introduced Nick to 2 new neighbors and that was very cool. The day ended with my spotting a police cruiser driving down our street (a rare sight on our dead end street) and my running out the door, waving it down asking if I could introduce them to my son. They stopped and were very polite, but their answers to my questions may surprise you.  

Me:  Hi. Is this the area you usually patrol?

Officer: Yes.

Me:  Great. I would like to introduce you to my special needs son just in case you run into him one day. Do you have a moment? 

Officer:Yes

I went in the house, got Nick and brought him down to the police car

Me:  Nick these are the police. Officer, what is your name? 

Officer: Hi I'm John, what's your name? 

Nick: Nick Jones 

Officer: Nice to meet you.

Nick then just stands there, hugging me, not paying much attention. 

Me:  Thank you for stopping. It's very important to me that you know him, should you ever encounter him in the community. It's not likely that he would be on his own, but he could wander.

Officer: Okay.

Me:  Have you been fortunate enough to get any training as it relates to engaging our teen children in the community?

Officer: Nope, they have trained us in how to deal with mental illness in general. 

Me:  Thinking  to myself, YIKES, I just looked at him uncertain of my next response, while Nick hugged me and twisted the end of his belt between his thumb and forefinger. 

Officer: We do have a protocol. I understand that these kids may not be "listening" to us. 

Me: I just want as many people in this area to be aware of him, so should he ever be out on his own he's safe, because he will never respond the way you need him to. 

My son would not respond to this command! 

Officer: We are trained to do what needs to be done to restrain the individual so they do not harm anyone or themselves. 

Me: As a mom I'm concerned because, it's not that my son or another person may not be listening as much as it is that they don't comprehend the command or why it's critical at that moment. My son does not have any idea what would happen if you yelled "Put your hands up", so he wouldn't do it. He's more likely to do what he's doing now - I looked down to see Nick playing with his belt - and you might think he's reaching for a gun.  That's what happened to a young man with autism who got shot downtown a few years ago.

Officer: Those situations you hear about young men being shot are because they have a gun, a knife, a sword or a toy that looks to be dangerous.

Officer: Hey Nick, nice to meet you. 

Me: Thank you officer for listening and keeping an eye out for our kids. 

This is how I interpreted our conversation:  

The police in my area are not familiar with how people with Autism may respond in a given situation, and they are going to restrain, shoot or do whatever they deem necessary, because that's what they HAVE been trained to do.  

The good news is, who's to say Officer John didn't hear or see something today that increased his awareness that may help someone's child. 

OPERATION INTRODUCTION - Keep Our Kids Safe!

Saving the life of  a person with ASD starts with us, which includes me. Today I'm going to build a safety net for Nick in my community. I'm calling it Operation Introduction.  It's simple, I am going to find someone new to introduce my special someone with ASD to in my community every day!  If I'm out with Nick, someone new is going to meet him and know he's a person, a person worth caring about, worth being aware of!

If you're inspired to join in Post, Video, Blog, Tweet OPERATION INTRODUCTION and let's see what we can do.

I've got nothing to lose...hope to meet you too!!

This is How a 10-Year-Old Boy With Autism is Treated in a Police State

Is it getting worse, or are we just paying closer attention? It was reported that the school did not call the parents before calling the police, and even though his dad did arrive before the police, he was denied access to his son to calm him down. 

If you wonder why I post these awful stories, it's because it's hard to talk about this, it's hard to imagine this could even happen to our kids, but if it happens to one child it could happen to our child. I believe the only defense we have is awareness, if we're going to keep our kids safe in this crazy world. 
Donna 

A photo, taken at Cypress Elementary in the Lakeside Community, in Kissimmee, FL, submitted to the Free Thought Project this week, paints a very disturbing picture.

The photo is of a 10 year old child handcuffed, laid out on the back of a police cruiser. The boy’s name is Ryan and he has autism. According to Ryan’s mom, Elaine Maldonado:

He had difficulty being redirected which resulted in a really bad meltdown. My son made threats to harm himself with scissors which were accessible to him from the teacher’s desk. The principal did not call us, but did call law enforcement to have him Baker acted.

The teacher did call my husband and he arrived at the school within minutes and 10 minutes before law enforcement. Upon his arrival he was told that he could not see Ryan because he would be interfering with an investigation and would risk being arrested.

When three law enforcement officers arrived to the classroom, Ryan was still very upset. They proceeded to drag him down the hall, passed by my husband who was very upset and placed him on the trunk of the police car on one of the hottest days of the week (100 degrees if not higher – police officer states this in his report ) and handcuffed him in front of the school and held him down on the hot car for several minutes before communicating to my husband that they planned to baker act him.

The Florida Mental Health Act of 1971, commonly known as the Baker Act allows the involuntary institutionalization and examination of an individual. It can be initiated by judges, law enforcement officials, physicians, or mental health professionals.

Basically this child was going to be taken from his parents, against their will, by cops, acting on behalf of a school principal, and put into state custody for displaying behavior that parents of autistic children are all too familiar with. According to the police report, the boy was thrown on top of the car because the pavement was too hot. Apparently the car, in 100+ degree Florida weather, was a welcomed cooling zone.

The fact that police were called to a school because teachers could not control a 10 year old speaks to the level of incompetence and lack of training within the school. Also the fact that the principal would not allow Ryan’s dad to see his son, and possibly diffuse the situation prior to his son being cuffed and stuffed, shows just how dependent the system is on the application of state force.

Ryan’s mother posed a very good question, “If he (the principal) was so concerned that he would harm himself why would he wait 10 minutes for the cops to arrive?”

The fact that the principal refused to allow a father to see his son, and waited until police arrived is a disturbing symptom of a much larger systemic problem. This problem has to do with society’s dependence upon state sanctioned force to solve problems. This dependency is so strong that the principal would not even let the boy’s own father try and calm his son. He could not see that as a solution; the only solution (in this principal’s mind) was that of state force.

The Free Thought Project reached out to the family Friday to see if they were able to file a complaint against the Kissimmee Police department, and according Mrs. Maldonado, ” The Chief of Police stands by his team.”

The family is however, planning on taking legal action against the school because they claim the principle violated their parental rights.

We asked the Maldonado’s how Ryan is doing now and if they have him back in their custody. They do have him back and they explained, “He doesn’t want to return to school. And he continues to repeat everything he heard administration and law enforcement talk about – Baker Act etc.”

Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/10-year-old-boy-autism-treated-police-state/#eyzj8ywg1WoOYjGI.99

Police and Autism a Dangerous Mix - Police Assault A Father for Trying to Explain his Son's Diagnosis

Unchecked police are a danger not just to people of color, but to everyone. We have to find a system that protects both the police and the people they "Serve". A system that protects us and the police who are in the right, while holding the bad cops fully accountable. In the area's where all officers are required to wear a video camera around their necks when on duty the abuse statistics have dropped. The camera's are said to cost $100.00 to $400 a piece. Seems to me this is a good place to start, it's affordable and forces some degree of accountability.  

This can't continue to be what we expect in America! We are all human beings, and lord knows our children deserve better. 

Post by Florida Cop Watch.