Title: Mom Horrified After Cops Mistake Her Son’s Autism for Drug Use, Attack and Taser Him Source:
Blacklisted News/FTP URL Source:https://www.blacklistednews.com/art ... drug-use-attack-and-taser.html Published:Jul 6, 2018 Author:Matt Agorist Post Date:2018-07-06 22:37:01 by Deckard Keywords:None Views:1031 Comments:10
Untrained police officers mistook an innocent teens autism as drug use and subsequently attacked and tasered him for it.
Graham, TX Officers with the Graham police department are currently under investigation by the Texas Rangers after they handcuffed a teen with autism and then tasered him outside of his home. Cops reportedly mistook his autism for drug use.
According to police, the incident happened on June 26 when officers were responding to a call about a teenager throwing rocks at a fence. Michael Moore, 19, was the teenager and the fence was his own.
When officers arrived, they did not recognize his behavior as a person with autism. Instead they investigated whether he might be under the influence of a controlled substance, Graham police Chief Tony Widner said.
Widner said that the teen resisted being placed in handcuffsas most children with autism would doso they brought out the taser and began shocking the teen. Only after they had attacked, tasered, and handcuffed the teen did the police realize Moore might have a mental impairment, said Widner.
Tracie Moore, the teens mom called the incident outrageous and was heartbroken to find her son being treated in such a horrific manner, especially considering the town has only 9,000 residents and everyone knows her son.
I have been a resident my whole life. And Michael has too. This is where he born and raised, said Tracie.
According to WFAA, the Moore family has met with police several times since the incident, including on Monday afternoon, but Tracie said she is still upset, and no one has apologized for her sons treatment.
I was in tears, she said. And now Im angry. I watched the body cam footage. He told them, My mama is inside. Let me get my mama.
Although the body camera footage shows the entire interaction, police are refusing to release it to the public. This is in spite of a Freedom of Information Act Request made by WFAA.
Although police claimed that Moore was running when they arrived, she said her son actually approached officers in an area that is essentially the familys backyard.
It really doesnt take long conversing with him to figure out he has a disability, said Tracie. Now, he has a busted blood vessel in his eye. He had scratches and abrasions on both sides of his face.
Police, however, were apparently untrained in how to identify someone with autism and the only thing that came to their minds was this guy is high. According to police account, Michael was sweating, breathing heavily, having difficulties focusing and acting paranoid.
Police even went so far as to force the teen to perform a field sobriety testfor his autism.
When another officer arrived, Michael was so frightened and stressed out that he could not perform the sobriety test based on his erratic movements, behavior, and statements, Widner said. One of the officers then tried to put handcuffs on for everyones safety until they could determine what was occurring.
According to the police news release, after they put one of his hands in the cuffs, the teen then pulled away, backing into the second officer, and all three went to the ground.
Police then feared for their lives that Michael may try to use the other end of the handcuffs as a weaponwhich he did notand then they began tasering him.
According to Tracie, who watched the body camera footage, the incident unfolded quite differently.
They ask him to put his hands behind his back, once again he turns and points to the house and says, I live here, can I get my mama? she said. They grab his arm, put a choke hold on him and throw him to the ground. At that point, the body cameras fall off and all you can see is sky but you can still hear the audio. The first time I saw the video, it was at that point the officer told me, This is where they stunned him twice. Up until that point, we had no knowledge of the use of a stun gun.
As WFAA reports, Tracie says as this was all happening, she was in the front of the house unaware that anything had happened. Finally, after Michael was handcuffed and in a police unit, an officer went to the front door and knocked.
It couldve all been avoided, she said. Were just all in complete and sheer utter disbelief this could happen to him.
The Graham Police Department feels that it is important that this be investigated and the truth of what occurred revealed, Widner said in the news release. At that point, whatever measures deemed necessary will be taken.
As for why the body camera hasnt been released, Michaels grandfather, Gene Williamswho has seen itsays its too damning to the cops.
The video really is that inflammatory even if you dont know Michael. They cant let a jury see it. Legally they could post in on this website right now, Williams said. But YOU will never see it. There would be citizens storming City Hall.
If youd like to peacefully express your concern over the officers treatment of an autistic teenager, you can do so on their Facebook Page, here.
Sadly, police officers mistaking autism for drug use is not an isolated incident. Just last month, TFTP reported on the national outcry surrounding the violent takedown of an autistic boy by Officer David Grossman, and just like the Graham police department is doing, the Buckeye Police Department began conducting damage control. As the world lashed out at the department for mistreating Connor Leibel, an innocent autistic boy, in such a violent and callous manner, the parents simply asked for an apologyone that would never come. And now, because the police refused to apologize, the taxpayers are going to be held liable.
Widner said that the teen resisted being placed in handcuffsas most children with autism would doso they brought out the taser and began shocking the teen. Only after they had attacked, tasered, and handcuffed the teen did the police realize Moore might have a mental impairment, said Widner.
Speaking as someone who is mildly Autistic,I can see how inexperienced cops MIGHT mistake an Autism "episode" with someone on drugs or drunk.
I also take issue with a couple of other things,the first being the claim that someone who is Autistic has a "mental impairment". I would be more than happy to compare my IQ score to the IQ scores of any of those cops or the reporter.
Autistic people are NOT "mentally impaired". We do tend to be "SOCIALLY impaired",though. We tend to say what we are thinking,and that is impolite in most social circles. MOST people there are probably THINKING the same things we think ,but have enough common/social sense to not say it out loud.
The second thing I take issue with is that the boy is even Autistic. I SUSPECT,but don't know that some kind-hearted medical professional told the parents when the boy was young that he was Autistic to explain why he might act different than most boys without having to tell them he is retarded. And they believed it. What parent wouldn't,given that choice?
Not that ANY of this lets those cops off the hook. The "boy" was old enough to shave,and throwing rocks at a fence and asking for his mom? Those two alone should have been enough reason to suspect things weren't as they seemed.
In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
Not at all - it's another story about badged thugs too effing stupid to know the difference between a drug user and an autistic kid.
And speaking ob de debbil,guess who showed up!
In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
Of course you would... the first one doesnt get your drugs legal.
Ok,Deputy Bubba,how about telling us all about the drugs Autistic people take that need to be legalized.
In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
Sure you could -- IF the jury, like the cops, didn't know beforehand that the 19-year-old was retarded.
But, if the jury were told ahead of time by professional medical experts that the "child" was "autistic", they might view it differently. Then again, if the cops were told ahead of time by professional medical experts that the "child" was "autistic", I'm sure they would have handled the situation differently.
So Mama didn't see nothin' and didn't hear nothin' ever after the 19-year- old yelled for her. Way to supervise your retarded son, mom. Maybe the government should stop paying you his monthly disability check if you're not going to take care of him.
how about telling us all about the drugs Autistic people take that need to be legalized.
I personally dont care about what drugs autistic retards need. My only concern is that if you are the parent of an autistic retard, keep it in the closet, sheltered away from the normal folk that dont wanna be victimized by its retardation.
I'm the infidel... Allah warned you about. كافر المسلح
I personally dont care about what drugs autistic retards need. My only concern is that if you are the parent of an autistic retard, keep it in the closet, sheltered away from the normal folk that dont wanna be victimized by its retardation.
You calling someone else a retard is like Mad Maxine calling someone else insane.
In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.