Do you think it doesn’t?
Also, emotional appeals do not build strong arguments.
I did misread you, I’m sorry. I didn’t even really occur to me that mentally ill might mean dangerous or murdery, because I think of it as a vulnerability.
Indeed, you are correct.
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My response was not bullshit. You asked why his mental health issues were mentioned in the headline…I answered because it was critical part of the story. I know going without meds is not the same as going without food and water, but it left him vulnerable to all the assholes that did kill him.
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This is true.
It’s also one of the many reasons that all responsibility for his death lies with the police/sheriff types.
Had they done their duty and seen to his medical needs, which they were made aware of on multiple occasions by multiple parties, the human being in their charge would have been better able to cope with the situation he found himself in.
So the cops failed to provide the necessities of life at every turn, beginning with failing to see to his medical needs, something they were required to do. The victim was in no way responsible for what occurred whether it was the cops turning his water off and leaving him to die or refusing him medication. But had the cops done their duty from the start his chance of survival would have definitely been better.
If the man’s condition had anything to do with the occurrence such that it warrants inclusion in the headline, it is because it highlights that while police are known to be capable of negligently or deliberately murdering persons in their charge who don’t have medical requirements, those who do are at greater risk.
Just as, for instance, an autistic individual who lacks the ability to act on or respond to social or verbal cues may be at greater risk of being unjustly murdered by police for not strictly obeying even the most trivial or common request at gunpoint.
Police need training to understand that a mentally ill person should not be murdered. And that statement sums up just how bad police are compared to you or me.
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If his mental health were an intrinsic feature of his death, then one might conclude that this was a failure of training. That his jailers didn’t have the manpowrr, time, attention, information available to avoid this tragedy, and the only solution is to throw more money at the problem. If that’s your takeaway, I ain’t gonna change your mind. To my eyes, this was a failure of empathy, and the only way to avoid this happening in the future, is to ensure that the jailers have the bare minimum of empathy in their character, to take responsibility for keeping their prisoners alive. Hydration is not like a preexisting heart condition, or epilepsy, or drug overdose, it really should not be a cause of death while in custody.
Okay, never mind the certainty of the insane, let’s just call it an educated hunch: “coming out” as having a MH diagnosis is not unlike coming out as gay, 30 years ago. It’s a fair bet that one will be met with disgust and bigotry. People like to make assumptions about ones intrinsic humanity. Headlines that go out of the way to associate mental health issues with violent death… they don’t help.
I totally agree!
Sigh. That wasn’t -my- implication. It was one in the conversation though.
See… thing is… is it? a fair bet.
That sounds… well. Victimy.
You might well be met with WTH DO I DO TO HELP??? or WTF I DON’T CARE ENOUGH OR HAVE TIME FOR IT!!
But assuming hatred and bigotry… this week? Tough sell dude.
Sigh
Ever been in a situation where you are locked up due to mental problems?
I have mild, Mild anxiety and depression. But I thought perhaps an inpatient program might be like a mini vacation–do some reading, get some quality time with some professionals, and improve my psyche.
Biy howdy was I mistaken.
I laid five grand to prove I needed anti arthritis medication, they had a single magazine, and I talked to the psychiatrist twice. The second time she flat out told me I was a failure.
I can’t imagine what this individual went through. I was able to check myself out, but I kid you not, they threatened if I didn’t get a note from the psychiatrist they would refuse to bill insurance.
The positive part was I saw and talked to the people who were there involuntarily. That was the most effective anti depressant I have ever encountered. LEO, and the mental health industry are sometimes sicker than their patients.
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