behavioral therapist shot in the leg by police (North Miami)

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AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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06 Aug 2016, 2:08 pm

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http://www.democracynow.org/2016/8/2/al ... s_is_a_toy

' . . . was helping to calm Arnaldo Rios Soto, a 26-year-old autistic man, who had wandered away from a group home. Police responded after receiving a 911 call about a man who was possibly holding a gun. Police soon surrounded Rios Soto and the therapist, Charles Kinsey. Video shows Kinsey lying on the ground with his hands in the air. He told police no one was armed. In a cellphone video of the shooting, Kinsey can be heard telling police, "All he has is a toy truck. A toy truck. I am a behavioral therapist at a group home." Rios Soto’s family says he has been traumatized by the incident and still wears the blood-soaked jacket he had on the day his friend, caregiver and therapist was shot by police. Meanwhile, Kinsey now walks with a cane and cannot stand on his leg for long. . . '

Yes, it sounds like the police really messed up. But the man shot is still alive, and if he can focus on helping his client and thus moving forward in a positive way, maybe we can as well.

This is a daily news show which bats politically from the left side of the plate. Well, so do I. To me, the political left speaks for persons who are too often excluded. You may or may not agree. All the more reason to consciously try and go a little slow on the details.



AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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08 Aug 2016, 6:41 pm

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http://www.cbsnews.com/news/charles-kin ... lice-sues/

The 47-year-old Kinsey is seeking unspecified damages. Aledda shot Kinsey in the leg July 18 as he lay in the street next to his 27-year-old client. Arnaldo Rios had walked away from the group home where he lives. Kinsey was trying to coax him back when a woman called 911 saying a suicidal man was walking down the street with a gun. Rios was actually carrying his toy truck.

The head of the Miami police union has said Aledda couldn't hear Kinsey yelling that he was a therapist and that Rios was autistic. Aledda thought Rios was theatening Kinsey and the shot he fired was intended to hit Rios, but missed, according to the union.

A cellphone video captured events leading up to the shooting, showing Kinsey lying on the ground with his hands in the air.

Aledda has been placed on leave along with another officer at the scene who police initially said made conflicting statements.

The man has every right to sue the police. In fact, in our current system, this is one way change comes about.

And it's not the case that the police department didn't do anything. They did place the two officers on leave. It's not enough. But it's a start. And we as citizens can speak and work for more.



AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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08 Aug 2016, 7:31 pm

So, what the hell is going on with the police?

I think it's similar to a quote "system accident" where a number of lines cross:

1) the war on drugs and a tendency to view the people in the community as the enemy, especially if they're poor, young, African-American, Hispanic, etc.

2) thin staffing of police due to budgetary restraints, less opportunity for officers to get out there and actually meet community members who serve to buffer the stereotypes,

3) THE TRAINING IS THE PROBLEM.

4) a harping on the most extreme situations, and then police officers overperceive them. It would be similar in training young doctors if you harp, harp, harp on some rare form of pneumonia. Of course the young doctors are going to overperceive it.

5) viewing the mere presence of a gun as a super threat calling for a huge response,

6) combined with a political culture promoting concealed carry and now open carry,

7) _________________________________________________________

8.) ________________________________________________

9) ____________________________________________________

I'm sure you might be able to think of a few more. And we as citizens need to start talking about how to improve things.



AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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15 Aug 2016, 7:45 pm

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http://www.democracynow.org/2016/8/2/al ... s_is_a_toy

When the police initially arrived, they got out of their vehicles with assault rifles and pointed them at my client. And they approached in a military format. They yelled at my client, "Get on the ground! Get on the ground!"


The police officers get in this tunnel vision kind of thing.



AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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15 Aug 2016, 7:56 pm

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http://www.democracynow.org/2016/8/2/al ... s_is_a_toy

"All he has is a toy truck. A toy truck. I am a behavioral therapist at a group home."

. . . Charles Kinsey can also be heard on the video trying to calm down the autistic man, . . .

. . . he repeatedly told the officers that he’s holding a toy truck, that it’s not necessary to have your guns drawn, . . .


Charles is talking too much. He's telling the police how to do their job.

Now, do I believe that? No, I don't. But that's how it's going to be perceived.

That's not why he was shot. As we'll see below, it was for a very human reason and almost an accident.



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15 Aug 2016, 8:01 pm

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http://www.democracynow.org/2016/8/2/al ... s_is_a_toy

. . . And I’m telling him again, "Sir, there’s no need for a firearm. I’m unarmed. He’s an autistic guy. He had a toy truck in his hand." I’m like this right here. And when he shot—when he shot me, it was so surprising. It was like a mosquito bite. And when he hit me, I’m like—I still got my hands in the air. I said, "You know, I just got shot." And I’m standing there. I’m like, "Sir, why did you shoot me?" And his words to me, he said, "I don’t know." . . .


The police officer is so pumped up. Maybe since there's not a gun in evidence, he should keep his finger outside the trigger guard.



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15 Aug 2016, 8:10 pm

he should have kept it very simple

'He has autism'

[pause . . . and let it be a long pause]

[slowly] 'He has autism'