#robert saylor

[popsixsquishcicerolipschitz]

Ali Reza, AK Huss, Robert Saylor and Brad Cole

[clotpolesonly]

I've seen a lot of the stuff on the news go up in posts on your blog, but did you see the news about Robert Saylor? He was a young man with Down's syndrome. The cops forcefully tried to remove him from a movie he hadn't paid for & he was asphyxiated. No indictment. TBH, I'm upset that this wasn't a bigger deal in the news. He has special needs & didn't know any better than what he did. My baby brother has Down's. I hate to think this could happen to anyone, but a /disabled/ child?

I had no heard a single thing about this case before now, which surprises me considering how long ago it took place.

Here are links to some articles about what happened (here here and here).

These are just from a cursory google search, nothing in depth, but it's enough to see that there was at least something mishandled in the confrontation here. Saylor's caretaker explained that he was special needs and that the officers shouldn't touch him, she warned them of what would happen if he was directly addressed by them, and she asked them to let her handle the situation and get him out of the theater herself, but they didn't. If nothing else, it shows a distinct lack of appreciation for the way non-neurotypical people struggle to interact in the way one way expect, and a lack of empathy for someone who, as you said, may not have fully realized the situation. For the death to have been ruled a homicide and then for no indictment to be made is a shame and an outrage, and an example of ableism and discrimination at its worst.

I do hope this case gets more coverage, especially outside the network of those who know people with Down's personally. You don't have to have a personal stake in the cause to care about people like this who don't have mainstream support or acceptance.

[lilithfilm]

Hot Topic: On Police Brutality, Torture and Creating Change

Came back from NYC and was there when the Eric Garner decision was announced. Spent some time in Times Square with protestors and asked questions. What is our endgame? How do we find a path to justice, as opposed to simply being mad?

There are tons of good cops and lots of shitty cops, just as there are good citizens and shitty citizens. Cops are people, but they've been anointed with authority, and right now they're fearful. Fearful of getting shot themselves. When fear rules the roost, preemptive action starts to take afoot. Shoot before you get shot. Stop a situation before it escalates.

This is symptomatic of an America post 9/11. The CIA torture reports are no different than the cops. People in positions of power and authority trying to stop things before they happen by any means necessary. Sounds fine on paper, but what's not on paper is that preemptive action involves a fuck-ton of racial profiling and violations of human rights. Oh and murder.

Eric Garner was killed because stereotypes say he's a possible threat. Trayvon the same. Muslims were tortured at Guantanamo because it was believed that they held information to thwart future attacks. This might be true. But for every one detained Muslim that holds information, there are a hundred that don't. Do you waterboard them all? You can see how this is a slippery slope.

Perhaps the greatest tragedy in all of this is that the perpetrators of these crimes are GETTING AWAY WITH IT. The judicial system is failing miserably. When a country's judicial system fails, the country cannot prosper. The moral compass dissolves. It becomes okay to squash, suppress, maim, rape and murder.

Who is the threat? Why is America so afraid? We're supposedly the most powerful, the most free, the most wealthy nation on the planet. If that's the case then what are we so afraid of? This is what happens when you have income inequality. The top gets nervous and preemptive actions become rule of the day. Gotta protect the stash. They're coming after my precious. Ridiculous shit like that.

The solution to all of this is to reduce the income gap. Not eliminate (impossible to do) but reduce it. When everyone's able to access a piece of the pie, the fear goes down. The crime goes down. The paranoia goes down. Black folk and Muslims stop being the threat to white Christian America. Police officers no longer become the servants of the 1%, they can be the people's protectors once again.

We reduce the income gap by empowering movement. Support education funding, vote for campaign finance reform, hold banks and hedge funds responsible for the ruination of our economy, let there be real stakes for their crimes. The rest of the world got rid of the grand jury system, and so should we. You enact these changes first and foremost by voting, by being part of the political process. Take it a step further and propose a new law. Anyone can do it, it's our constitutional right. We are the lawmakers, not the suits in DC, who work for US. They are there to make our ideas happen. And if they don't make it happen, then don't give them your vote. Simple as that.

I've been a part of a lot of student activism and I can honestly say that while protesting in the streets is a place to vent anger and let the world know of injustice, protesting itself does not create change. Votes create change. Laws create change. WORK creates change.

We saw this in Tahrir Square in Egypt, where the protests elicited a violent reaction from the incumbent government, and exposed the brutality and callousness of the state. It spurred an election, and the election simply replaced one evil with another. The protestors did not have a plan of action, they were better protestors than lawmakers. We need more lawmakers, more thinkers, more doers. It's simply not enough to protest. Gandhi said it best: be the change you wish to see in the world.

Until the laws change, the cops that killed Eric Garner, the cops that killed Robert Saylor, the cops that killed countless unarmed citizens will continue to get away. We can even fucking video them killing someone and they will get away, because they way the justice system is structured. It is that structure which needs to be changed, and that should be the focus of our energies. Our lives and our future children's lives depend on it.

Robert Saylor's killers - three cops - were acquitted by a grand jury in Maryland. This despite the coroner report conclusively showing evidence of homicide by asphyxia.

Have a safe weekend.

[quq-nobby]

Why is hardly anyone talking about Robert Saylor. I never even heard about this. It's time to speak up for this man and for all the other disabled victims who have always been silent and will have their deaths kept silent as well. Speak up for him. Speak out against this injustice. Him and many others aren't given a second glance. Make them a part of your protests. Speak for those who are silent.

[xxsagesisterxx]

Details of Down syndrome death still being withheld by Frederick authorities

Allow me to clear this shit up real quick..

Facts:

1. One’s health CANNOT be “compromised by Down Syndrome.” It’s just like having an extra finger. But it’s a chromosome. 2. My brother did not have heart disease. Or anything else for that matter. 3. His larynx (windpipe) was crushed, causing his lungs to fill with blood.  He didn’t die from Down Syndrome. He was killed just as you or I would have been if our throats were crushed. Educate yourselves, don’t just believe what you hear. And for God’s sake, speak up if you know something is wrong..

[darlingwrecks]

[ifiwereabotcouldidothis]

PSA: a response to the killing of Robert Saylor

If you aren't familiar with the story, check it out here.

Let's go over the situation. Robert Saylor was a man with Down's Syndrome who sitting in a movie theater and refused to leave.

If you are in a position where someone with special needs is refusing to cooperate or follow the rules, if you are the movie attendant in Robert Saylor's case, here is an easy list of what to do.

Recognize that the man has special needs.

Look for someone who knows him. Most likely a friend or family member knows how to talk to him and get him to follow the rules.

Mirror his position. Sit down and get his attention. Not everybody is comfortable with eye contact, so if you're close enough that he can hear you, he probably can. Sometimes people with special needs are easily distracted, so keeping his attention could be difficult if there is still music playing or commercials going.

Explain to him nicely and clearly what he has to do and why. ex. "It's time for you to go now because the movie is over."

If he still resists, ask him why. He will probably explain his logic and help you understand. Keep in mind that he is relating what is in his head, not what you need to hear to understand. Sometimes it takes a little translating and maybe a couple of questions to clarify. If you still don't get it, stop asking questions before he gets frustrated.

Tell him calmly "I know you want to ___ because ____, but the rules say/it would probably be better if you ____ now. Would you like me to come with you/help you/stay with you until ___?" He needs to know that you understand what he's feeling and that you want to help.

This will probably work but if it doesn't, now is the time to get help. Ask if someone is coming to get him, or if his friends/family are around. Then go look for that person.

If this doesn't work, try a new tactic. Get somebody else who seems nicer or who knows what they're doing. Find a distraction. The idea is to keep him from getting upset because he probably can't control his emotions very well.

It is easier to work with him than against him. If someone had tried to talk with Robert Saylor instead of having him arrested, he could be alive right now.

[thepeoplesrecord]

Grand jury rejects criminal charges in police murder of Robert Saylor, man with Down syndrome killed at movie theater in January March 26, 2013

Less than five miles from the theater where a man with Down syndrome died at the hands of the law enforcement officials he idolized, a grand jury on Friday heard the details of the case and decided that no crime had been committed.

“They felt no further investigation was necessary,” Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith said at a news conference outside the county’s courthouse.

Grand jury proceedings are secretive in Maryland, but Smith said that his office presented the jury with 17 witness statements and that three deputies involved in the death — Lt. Scott Jewell, Sgt. Rich Rochford and Deputy First Class James Harris — all testified.

An attorney for the parents of Robert Ethan Saylor, who died at the age of 26, described their reaction as “extremely disappointed and saddened and concerned.”

“This is a really hard day for them,” attorney Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum said. “They’re going to have to digest this unsettling news and determine their next step.”

Nationally, the case has drawn wide attention from parents of children with Down syndrome and advocacy groups. More than 1,000 angry messages also fill the Facebook page of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office.

Saylor was known for his hugs and was so fascinated with the police that he would sometimes call 911 just to ask a question.

In January, he and an aide watched “Zero Dark Thirty” at a Frederick movie theater. As soon as it ended, Saylor wanted to watch it again and would not leave the theater.

Officials say this is what happened next: The aide, an 18-year-old woman, was getting the car when a theater employee called the three off-duty officers, who were working security at the Westview Promenade shopping center, and told them that Saylor needed to buy another ticket or leave.

Smith, who would not go into great detail about the investigation, said that when the deputies confronted Saylor, he verbally and physically resisted their attempts to remove him. He said they restrained him using three sets of handcuffs because of his large size. Smith said that when the deputies placed Smith on his stomach, it was for “one to two minutes” and that once Saylor began showing signs of distress, the deputies removed the handcuffs, called for help and administered CPR.

Krevor-Weisbaum said that a witness heard Saylor cry out for his mother, who even though he didn’t know it, wasn’t far away. Alerted by someone to what was happening, Patti Saylor was on her way to the theater and was almost there, Krevor-Weisbaum said.

In February, the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore ruled Saylor’s death a homicide as a result of asphyxia. On Friday, Smith said that the report indicated that Down syndrome and obesity made Saylor more susceptible to breathing problems.

Krevor-Weisbaum said that Saylor had no ongoing health problems. She added that his parents had not seen the autopsy report, although they have requested it, along with all the files from the investigation. She said the family has been concerned that the investigation was handled by the same sheriff’s office that employs the deputies.

Since February, the deputies have been on paid administrative leave. An attorney for them said Friday that they welcomed the chance to testify and did so voluntarily.

“They’ve stood by patiently waiting for this day to come,” attorney Patrick J. McAndrew said. “This was an unfortunate set of circumstances. Each of these professionals, devoted law enforcement officers, did what was necessary under the circumstances, and they did what their training dictated that they do.”

Source Photo courtesy of Emma Saylor

In other news about cops getting away with murder, no charges were brought against Officer Nick Bennallack who killed Manuel Diaz in Anaheim last summer because shooting an unarmed man was found to have been "reasonable & justified".