Should I contact the ACLU or get a laywer or just forget it?

Post Reply New Topic

So a few post back that some of you may have seen over in random I was kind of sharing a story about some of the injustice that has happened in my life. I was wondering today if maybe I should try and seek some kind of justice for it or just live and ignore the past. Problem is statute of limitations is long loooong gone but its still an interesting possibility and I'll explain how in a minute but lets look at the unfiltered facts, the mistakes of others and myself, of what has happened and then I'll ask my questions at the end. I would like to say I do not have a criminal record as of right now, I have had a total of six arrest that have all been removed in some way shape of form.

So anyway back in 2010 I was arrested for assault after my brother attacked me physically, the fight lasted about 3-4 minutes and both parties were injured. I never hit him with the intent to do harm but I was violently trying to get away. When I did, I ran and called 911 as did my dad who was in the other room when the fight broke out but saw most if not all close to all of what happened. When the police arrived they talked to everyone took pictures of my brothers wounds but did not mine. They allegedly threatened my brother with arrest if he didn't file charges against me, I don't know if I believe anything he says but okay. Anyway they came back and did not read me my miranda rights and arrested me with my parents as a witnesses saying I didn't do anything. Anyway, they had me in jail for a little while before releasing me to a hospital, why I have no idea. My doctor apparently called them up and told them I was autistic. Why that is grounds to move someone from jail to a hospital I don't know, that alone seems like a bad decision to me but moving on.

When I was in the hospital, I was told the best course of action was to threaten suicide so I did and probably even did some over kill as they moved me to a psych ward pretty quick. I was released to a group home for transitional youth, basically an orphanage for immature adults. Problem was they were full and I had to be homeless for a little while. I went back home briefly but was soon ordered from the courts to stay so far away from my brother so I was forced into homeless. In homelessness some really really really REALLY bad stuff that I can't post or even put into words happened and I got into drugs and my mental stability dropped. I got into the group home but I was not sane for pretty good reason when you consider everything and they throw me out for said mental instability. Their exact words were, we will not house someone that is going in and out of the hospital or who is not making an attempt to better themselves. I became homeless again and I couldn't live with my parents at this point as I had plead guilty to assault in exchange for probation and no criminal record. Part of the probation was to remain so many feet away from my parents house.

When I became homeless again, my mental stability was gone. I was doing hard drugs and going in and out of rehab and lived my life like a total train wreck. During this period I was diagnosed with every possible mental problem you can have. I filed for disability but it took years which my lawyer said was in part due to having so many diagnoses. He said the courts would never agree with everything written about me and said the question was more why I should have disability and not if. So in the meantime I had gotten into an apartment. I continued to go in and out of rehab and continued to struggle with hard drugs. My mental stability never really returned and more or less is still somewhat absent but doing better then before. Anyway I have been hospitalized hundreds of time since and I have never been hospitalized before the arrest. I have gained some mental stability but not much and have been off alcohol and most drugs since about year ago.

My question is this, is there any way that I could ever have some kind of legal closure for this? I realize my mistakes such as pleading guilty and also getting heavy into drugs. However, the way I see it, all of the above is pretty much pain and suffering from my arrest. I was stable in college at the time of the arrest and now I have mountain of documented pain and suffering, 10,000+ pages to be exact. Outside of the last year, I did not go three months without being in some kind of institution. Since the statute of limitations is over, would it be possible to argue an extension due to disability which apparently is a thing. Also is there anyway to fix the pleading guilty? Would the testimony from my parents be enough to prove that I should have never been arrested in the first place? Clearly there is pain and suffering from the arrest but I do realize some of that was my own poor choices, would any of the above prove pain and suffering. I can honestly say that my life would have at the least been different had the arrest not taken place.

Before arrest - Happy autistic college student who never was suicidal
After arrest - 15+ psychiatric conditions, drug addition, homelessness, institutionalized, suicidal, etc

Thoughts?

I doubt that you will get anywhere with this. For various reasons, including the Statute of Limitations.

If this was happening to multiple people, and you all intended on pursuing a class-action suit together, then you'd have more of a shot.

But it doesn't hurt to at least try. Consult with a lawyer. Make sure it's a FREE consultation.

Who knows? Maybe I'm wrong!

Thats kinda of what I figured,

Seems kinda of F-ed but the statute of limitations and pleading guilty would probably ruin me. I see no legal out for the pleading guilty but the statute of limitations can be extended indefinitely so long as the plaintiff was not of sound mind. I was aware of the harm they did but honestly I can't say I have been sane at all since 2010 and I can prove that pretty easily really. This last year is probably the closest thing I have had in terms of sanity since 2010. I don't talk to anyone and just exist basically, I deal with whats happened every moment of everyday. I was in tears when I was trying to find the words for this post.

Still your probably right and yeah I know how to do a consultation. I'll ask but I don't suspect anything will come of it but it would be nice to have some kind of closure. I have paid a very high price for every mistake I have made and I have seen no one held accountable for any of the harm they have done to me. I don't want money, I don't know what I want but it would be nice to have someone say that my life has sucked and that maybe I am doing the best I can.

Oh and just an fyi I disagree with most diagnoses I have but I actually am not legally disabled because of autism, I legally draw disability for bipolar and borderline personality disorder which is some bull s**t. Point I am making here though is it might be very difficult to prove I have autism. I was diagnosed with autism three time as Aspergers, PDD-NOS and Autism Spectrum Disorder and Autism was my original diagnosis but they have officially F-ed my medical records to hell since 2010. If you were to read my medical records, I am delusional and hear voices. They even have me as being schizophrenic, I am not going to try and change anyones mind about rather or not I am crazy but at the very least and even doctors have told me this, I can't have everything they diagnosed me with. They said its damn near impossible cause some of the symptoms just don't go together for one. My most current doctor is adamant about me not have autism. The last legal documented diagnoses I had of Autism, it was a secondary diagnosis .

I'm so sorry to hear this chain of awful events that happened to you, dcj. I can easily see how they could happen, one error pilling on top of another - and I'm not referring to your errors, but the system's.

You asked whether you should pursue justice or just forget it and move on with your life. I have to recommend just moving on with your life. The likelihood of getting anyone to absolve you of your confessions, convictions, and diagnoses is slim, in part because so many agents each played a part in the outcome. It's very hard to convict police of anything, just for starters.

I suspect that's not what you wanted to hear, but it's my sincere opinion.

As always, good luck to you.

Well its not what I want to hear but it was some what expected, I didn't have high expectations when I made this thread. Does anyone know how I might be able to find closure another way, this story's pain has no end I cry daily if not hourly because of it.

My friend, it is often said and I often say it myself: Living well is the best revenge.

Work to cultivate appreciation and permit yourself to enjoy activities again, little by little, until you find yourself growing in health and sense of purpose.

I hope that works for you - it worked for me.

I saw your reference to this thread over on WP Addicts, DCJ. I get that you're still suffering and feeling these indignities that the police and hospital system have put you through. Unfortunately, I think you were right that pleading guilty led to some of it, because they saw you as an offender rather than a victim who responded with rage. Nothing justifies what you've been through though. It's not OK. It was wrong.

Have you spoken with disability advocates? If nothing else, they might make you feel more validated and might even give you a platform for sharing your story beyond WP, if that's what you want to do. Your story is part of a much larger story of misunderstanding and injustice in the disability community overall. You're not alone in what you've been through.

As for closure, I believe that the more positivity you can create in your life, the less these thoughts will haunt you. Also, you can remind yourself that all of these things happened in the past. They are not your present or your future. You make choices every day about how you live your life, but your choices aren't really your own while you're stuck in the past. I wish I could give you even the slightest bit of hope that your present and future will change as you slowly make changes in your own life. Also, remember those cops who've treated you well. They're not all irresponsible.

Look at my post here. Although I've tried and failed to help you in the past, I dom't necessarily let that failure dictate my current actions. Some things are just too important not to try, so I'm trying again to reach out to you, to connect with you. I'm trying again, despite my failure. Because if I don't, I'll always regret not trying, not responding to a cry for understanding that's right in front of me. Do you see what I'm getting at?