Preface: This is a guest post by Gen Eric. Both he and I are pretty yucked out by the infantilizing language that Melissa's mother used to describe her in the article, most notably the assumption that she has but a basic understanding of right and wrong and that's why this is upsetting--not that the whole situation is completely bassackwards and upsetting no matter who you are. It's gross. Don't talk about your kid that way.
This is an important issue, however. This should not have happened. This should not still be happening, and the way it is being handled is very poor indeed.
TW for police, wrongful confinement, infantilizing parents, and ableism
-K
An Autistic teenage girl
in England was
[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2269228/Autistic-girl-spent-hours-cell--police-wrongly-thought-drunk.html
jailed for ten hours on a false charge (Trigger Warning for
confinement, violence, mistreatment of a minor, discussion of
suicide, and some ableism)]. The police knew the charge was false,
and they kept her anyway. Crown Prosecution Service knew the charge
was false, but they took eight months before deciding not to put her
on trial. She had been the victim of an actual crime, but the
government declined to prosecute her probable assailant. “Lack of
evidence” they call it, which sure as hell didn't stop them when
the target was a disabled teenager.
Melissa Jones and her
non-disabled friend were severely beaten by an angry drunk. They were
beaten when they tried to stop the drunk woman from attacking a store
clerk. When found, she was “crying and hysterical,” which makes
her similar to any other teenager who had been minding their own
business and suddenly was “stamped on and suffered severe
bruising.” Hell, I'm thirty and I'd be pretty hysterical if that
happened to me. The police decided she was drunk and, despite her
mother's objection, arrested her. A police doctor confirmed that she
hadn't had a drop of alcohol, but they decided to hold her anyway.
After all, if we let people go just because the evidence shows
they're innocent, we'd have anarchy.
There is no excuse, zero,
nada, zilch, jack fucking shit (and Jack just left town). A police
doctor confirmed Melissa Jones was not drunk, and even if one hadn't,
breathalyzers are sort of a thing. A competent police officer who
cares one bit about justice would have let her go and apologize.
Either the cops who arrested her, every last one, are deeply
incompetent, or not a single one of them cares a bit about justice. A
competent prosecutor, who cares one bit about justice, would drop all
charges in as much time as it takes to read the report. The
prosecutor or prosecutors involved either are incompetent or don't
care one bit about justice. They're all bullies, every last one.
Many of us know full well
what this is like, maybe not to the level that she's experienced, but
we've been to the neighborhood. We're convenient targets for anyone
who wants to vent their rage or stroke their ego. Those who were put
in positions of authority find it inconvenient to actually do
anything about this, so they default to blaming us. Somehow, we're
always at fault for anything done to us (Just World fallacy). I spent
much of seventh grade on suspension for my attempts to defend myself
from assaults that I decline to describe here.
“[Melissa] has tried to
commit suicide and is having weekly counseling,” says her mother,
“she hardly ever goes out anymore.” This is flat-out
un-fucking-acceptable. A bunch of overgrown bullies with fancy titles
destroy an innocent girl's life, and you know none of them will
suffer any consequences. They never, ever do.
Melissa, if you're
reading this, I want you to remember one thing: you have absolutely
nothing to be ashamed of. If anything, you're a hero. You confronted
a woman who was about to assault someone else, and then you showed a
level of integrity few adults are capable of when you refused to
accept the ₤60
fine they offered you. You have every reason to be proud of yourself,
and your Autistic community is proud of you, and furious on your
behalf. I don't know much about British law, but I hope to the Lords
of frakking Kobol that there's a way for you to fight back against
what's been done to you. If a collection is ever taken for the cost
of suing all involved, I'd be proud to contribute.
The entire article is ableist crap.
ReplyDeleteThe description of autism towards the bottom of the article with the large bold header DISCONNECTED FROM THE WORLD is disgusting.
"They may display symptoms which could be mistaken for drunkenness such as shouting or swearing, or unusual movements such as hand flapping or rocking when stressed or anxious."... WHAT?!?
That comparison is incredibly biased and it gives the police an excuse for their abuse of authority.
End of the fifth paragraph throws in the fact that Melissa's mom is divorced. What does that have to do with police and prosecutorial misconduct? That only adds to the rhetoric of tragedy?
Melissa is described in the following ways: "Suicidal", "basic", "hysterical", "vunerable", "disconnected". Not "brave", "heroic", "good samaritan" or "concerned citizen". Article refers to her being autistic several times then defines autism as "disconnected",(the fact that they felt it necessary to provide their own definition of autism with the article says tons about how much they respect the intelligence of their readers) when in fact her actions were as far from disconnected as one can be.
This should be a story about a brave autistic girl placing herself in danger to help another, then recieving horrible misjustice from legal authorities.
Symptoms of drunkenness? WTH! I suppose that means that people with ASD have to wear bracelets so cops won't arrest them? I think whoever wrote this article knocked back a few while writing it.
ReplyDeleteI know I (K, not Gen Eric) DO wear a flagrantly medical bracelet because of epilepsy & adrenal insufficiency in addition to ASD.
ReplyDeleteThe cops have yet to figure out that they need to read it. But this is not the time for that story. This is the time for righteous outrage for Melissa.