This past January, Robert Ethan Saylor, a 26 year old man with down syndrome, was killed by police in a movie theater after refusing to leave. Saylor had gone to see the movie "Zero Dark Thirty", and, after sitting through it once, attempted to stay and watch it a second time. Because he hadn't paid for another ticket, the manager called in three off-duty deputies to remove him from the theater. Reportedly, Saylor cursed at the officers and refused to leave the theater. Even though his caretaker warned and pleaded for them not to be aggressive and to let her handle the situation, the deputies pushed Saylor on the floor, held him down, and handcuffed him. What happened is not completely clear, but Saylor suffered a fracture in his throat cartilage and died from asphyxiation. Though it was ruled a homicide, the officers were not charged, and returned to work.
The author has a son with Down syndrome, and as such, has been following the case closely since the beginning. He mentions that not many people outside of the disability community seemed to care about it until recently. He wants to raise awareness of the injustice Saylor and others with disabilities may encounter. This incident raises questions about our system; why were the officers not convicted? Should law enforcement officers be trained in how to deal with people with disabilities? Was this much force really needed for just a movie ticket?
If the officers had simply waited and talked it out with Saylor, or just let his caretaker handle the situation, his unnecessary death could have been avoided. The situation was handled poorly, and as a result, an irreversible loss was caused for his family and friends.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/29/opinion/perry-down-syndrome-death/index.html?hpt=us_mid
Comment by Tyra Harris, 5th period
ReplyDeleteWow! That was a sad read. Because it was ruled a homicide by the autopsy report and the man did not show force to the officers, the officers should have definitely been convicted. The caretaker should have gotten him to leave before even attempting to re-watch the film, having not paid for it. Was there a formal trial for this case?
this really bothers me, did they not realize that this man had some mental handicaps and try to work around it? I realize people might say "well we can't give them special treatment" but he might've legitimately been unaware. The harsh ruling of his arresting and being "thrown" to the ground is just disgusting. Those officers should feel awful, and guilty for the rest of their lives.
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