Why NYPD “Training” Won’t Protect Autistic New Yorkers
Last week, New York City’s mayor signed a new bill requiring autism awareness training for police officers. But no amount of training can change the violence, racism, and ableism at the heart of policing.More from Olivia Wood in Left Voice here.
High Number of Fatalities at Allegheny County Jail without proper explanation
Allegheny County Jail just reported their 17th death in the past 18 months. An inmate, Anthony Talotta, suffers from autism and was reported dead after being within the County Jail for two weeks. “He had been there less than 2 weeks and now he is dead,” said Allegheny County Council member-at-large, Bethany Hallam, a member […]
Teenager with Disabilities Assaulted by Police
Adam Wolf says his son, a 17-year old with autism and ADHD, was assaulted by a Californian officer. The officer was responding to a report of a possible assault and believed Wolf’s son was the suspect. “The officer asked the suspect to sit down, which he did. When the police officer took out his handcuffs, […]
Police Handcuffed 10-year old with Autism and Fractured his Arm
(Worcester, MA) JT. is a 10-year old with autism, and was getting upset after he stopped taking his medication. JT’s mom, Beshai Torres, called 911 to ask for medical assistance. While an ambulance was on there way, two police officers arrived first. After Beshai told the officers her son was autistic, the officers approached JT […]
Utah Police Shot 13-year old with Autism
(Salt Lake City, UT) Linden Cameron was 13-years old diagnosed with autism. Linden was having a mental health episode, so his mother called the police. She told police that Linden was “unarmed” and suffering “anxiety”. Two police officers arrived at the scene and within 5 minutes, Linden was shot multiple times. The police said 13-year […]
Virginia Autism Project Supporting Bill for Reduced Penalty for Assaulting Police
(Richmond, VA) You will be charged with a 6-month mandatory minimum sentence in addition to a felony if you assault a police officer. Advocates for people with psychiatrics disabilities argue that assault can be easily misinterpreted. For example, James is a 27-year old with with autism. Due to his autism, he spits subconsciously which can […]
The Terror of Policing for People with Disabilities
People with disabilities make up 22% of deaths caused by police. In the past five years, 1,254 Americans with psychiatric disabilities have died from “police intervention”. Police are simply not equipped to deal with crisis intervention. Golda Barton called the emergency room requesting a crisis intervention team for her 13-year old son with autism. Her […]
Second whistleblower lawsuit against Chicago Police Department alleges job retaliation over refusing to falsify reports to justify the shooting of man with autism
Two police officers have filed lawsuits against the Chicago Police Department, alleging they were retaliated against when they refused to falsify reports to justify the actions of Sgt. Khalil Muhammad when he shot 18-year-old Ricardo “Ricky” Hayes, who has autism. More of the store here.
Story on cover-up of police killings of Palestinians, including a Palestinian man with autism
This story generally covers police cover-ups of Palestinians by the Israeli government. It mentions that “in late May Israeli police killed an autistic Palestinian man, Iyad al-Hallaq, shooting him reportedly at close range, after chasing him through the streets of Jerusalem’s Old City. There were at least 10 cameras in that area, according to local […]