Saturday, April 27, 2013

I do not understand: Who Qualifies for Civil Rights?

The Austin, Texas headline reads Civil Rights Lawyer Questioning APD Mental Health Training.

It goes like this:

Austin Police respond to call about a disturbance involving a man, Herbert Babelay, who has a mental illness. According to the police chief when the 911 call came in, the caller, Babelay's roommate, said Herbert Babelay "has firearms and threatened to kill himself and others."

When Babelay pulled his long rifle gun onto the responding police officers, he was shot and killed by an officer.

Babelay had threaten to kill others.

Babelay pulled a gun on an officer.

Babelay was shot by an on-duty, full uniformed, police officer.

Babelay was mentally ill.

An independent investigation will be conducted to look at how police handle mental health calls with the argument that the police officers should have waited for a mental health officer to arrive.

Police chief Acevado sees no problem with an independent investigation into the incident.

This all happened in matter of days.


______________


The MyFox DC headline reads Man with Down syndrome who died in custody had heart problem

Three months ago in Frederick, Maryland.

A young 26 year-old man, Ethan Saylor refuses to leave movie theater after watching Zero Dark Thirty.  Saylor was not armed.  Saylor was not threatening to harm others.  Saylor had no weapon.

A theater worker calls security from a nearby store.  Security members are actually un-uniformed, off-duty police officers moonlighting.

Saylor is suffocated to death during the arrest by off-duty officers.  Suffocated while being hog-tied with his face mushed into the floor for "1-2 minutes".

Saylor had Down syndrome.

There is no independent investigation conducted by an outside consultant.

We have been fighting for an independent investigation.

It has been 3 months.



What is wrong with this picture?  I do not understand.  Where is the #justiceforethan?  Why has there been no independent investigation?  Shouldn't we all have civil rights?

Sign the petition and spread the word.

Change.org Petition

The White House Petition


Want to do more?  Ways to Help *note: we have been doing Twitter Rallies every Thursday at 8pm CST*




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8 comments:

  1. This makes no sense to me! That fact that an independent investigation has still not happened is unacceptable!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great comparison that highlights the injustice in the Saylor case. Just one request, though. Could you please start citing the new change.org petition at http://www.change.org/petitions/attorney-general-of-maryland-doug-gansler-launch-an-independent-inquiry-into-the-death-of-robert-ethan-saylor . We no longer need to petition Sheriff Jenkins and the DA (the old change.org petition you referenced). We need the MD Attorney General to get involved. Thanks! See you on Twitter! #justiceforethan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Got it! I have updated the link to reflect the appropriate Change.org petition. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

      Delete
  3. Every person is entitled for a civil rights, if a person wants to have an independent investigation he/she can have it as long as the party is satisfied with the result that is given by the authorities.
    police interview

    ReplyDelete

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