Posted: 3/21/2008 at 10:07 PM
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It's not every day that I sculpt Spiderman out of Play Doh, comfort crying parents, call 911, and look for the Crayola Crayon most suited for blood so my patient can accurately depict herself with freshly cut wrists. She wasn't happy with Torch red so I tracked down the Brick Red from another patient. With the exception of the 911 call, these activities are within the realm of of normal day for me but I'm still feeling conflicted about my decision to report an incident I witnessed while driving into the hospital this afternoon.
[Picture caption: Spiderman figure holds a Crayola crayon labeled "brick red". The words "Power Color" are written in red in the background.]
There I was...windows down, radio blaring, and chomping on my Granola bar as part of my failing effort to eat more regularly. I'm a fairly observant person so I was peering around at a red light and noticed a disheveled man on the sidewalk screaming up at a tree by the side of the road. He looked elderly, unkempt, and possibly homeless. His voice carried over my music and he seemed to be getting more and more aggressive toward whatever he thought was in the tree. In our unit, we'd say he was responding to internal stimuli and displaying psychotic features...but none of that really matters in the real world. Up to that point, there was no need for alarm. Hearing voices isn't a crime. Without warning, though, the man yanked down his pants and began..how shall I say...flamboyantly exposing himself! What happened next is a bit of a blur. Suffice it to say there was even more yelling, some hip gyrations, and a good deal of shaking about. I'm thinking, "This is the longest red light of my life!" I looked around at the other drivers but everyone else seemed absorbed in their cell phone conversations, perhaps better music, or just staring off into the glazed distant.
The exposure incident in isolation might not have prompted me to call the police, but this man did seem in danger of harming himself or someone else. He didn't appear stable only feet from a busy roadway and this entire act occurred right between two elementary schools that would be releasing within the hour. Enough children walk on these sidewalks that crossing guards are stationed there on weekdays. For these, reasons I called 911 and reported what I'd seen. I learned a few things from making the call itself:
1. As the operator informed me, "scraggledy" is not a word. Apparently my 10+ years of college education regressed to incomprehensible when I dialed the phone.
2. It really is very difficult to recall details even when you JUST witnessed something a few minutes ago. This might explain why witness accounts aren't always reliable.
3. It's next to impossible to remember what color someone's pants are when the last time you saw them they weren't wearing any!
I don't know what, if anything, resulted from my call, but I do feel a little guilty for calling the police. It wasn't my wish that he be arrested, I don't regret my actions because I think the protection of children should be prioritized. I wish our communities could better carve out a more proper place for adults with mental illness to seek help when they are at their most vulnerable points. I understand that-psychotic or not-the man committed a crime but his actions were clearly related to his disability so it seems like another organization, either instead of or in addition to the police, should be involved.
[Photo caption: Cell phone with 911 on screen.]
What do you think and what would you have done?
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Film at eleven... The police are well aware of what options are available to them for alternative placement. They want this mentally ill person taken off the street too, and put in a place that can do the most good for him, them, and the general public, most importantly them. The fewer incidents they have to respond to, the better. Don't beat yourself up, K. You called the proper authorities.
This brings up another subject, the changing role of police in society. Just as you so eloquently write in your bogothon about thinking of and treating the disabled as a culture, so too must we revise our thinking in regards to how the police should go about conducting everyday business (If your local PD is still stuck in the 70's you may have some work to do).
I believe the addition of women in daily police business brought with it more sympathetic and creative solutions to solving crime, and more importantly, preventing crime. I saw it first hand in one major metropolitan district where a woman was promoted to captain and assigned to run it's toughest precinct, a job many expected her to fail in as had all her previous male predecessors. Problems included rival street gangs, shootings, break-ins, drug trafficking and prostitution, truancy, unemployment, a lack of trust in the police among heavily concentrated Portuguese, Asian and Carribean minority groups, a language problem, and a hugh incidence of poverty. Arrests were always high but the problems themselves never went away. She immediately took a different and proactive approach to achieve a solution. She realized that if change were to occur, it would have to come from within.
She enlisted several public officials and public works departments to come on board. Those who wouldn't she put pressure on thru the mayor's office, and she allied herself with the ward alderwoman to pressure the mayor's office to support her.
Next she scheduled neighborhood walks with the entire collective: alderwoman, city inspectors (building, plumbing, electrical, zoning), public works officials, truancy officer, school superintendent, parks and recreation head, and a few I'm sure I left out. She achieved two goals right off the bat - making the proper officials aware she knew what was needed, and that they knew each other - who was accountable for what, who to call and how they should be contacted for results.
Then it began. Landlords were cited for building and health violations and piles of trash and graffiti all over their properties. Second warnings were followed by stiff fines and occupancy permits being yanked. She simultaneously began an anti-graffiti and trash program with the help of the public works department working with property owners to steam-clean the outside of the buildings and treat them with a chemical that would shed any new paint. She got the courts to support her by giving her the kids the police caught tagging properties and sentencing them to hours of community service running the steam-cleaning and chemical application processes.
Then a funny thing happened. People began taking pride in their neighborhoods. They also started to trust the police whom they's previously feared and mistrusted. A spirit of cooperation developed between the people and the police.
The schools were enlisted to open their doors after hours so the community could use their facilities to get kids off the streets and teach ESL to adults. Several off-duty cops refereed boys and girls baketball games and the kids got to know them on a first name basis. Community leaders of various ethnicities emerged and took on a role in improving their neighborhoods. Crime statistics in all categories dropped logarythmically.
Nothing's perfect. Her chief, who hadn't been the most supportive, got himself a job as the Superintendent of the second largest PD in the northeast by riding on her successes, and she retired a captain, but many of the changes she instituted remain, and the number of female police officers has trebled. She takes her satisfaction in that.
wow-that's awesome Andy. What a great example of full-scale community change. From what I hear in the media (which I realize is not the most reliable source at times!) the Miami PD has had our ups and downs since I've lived here. There have been several corruption busts, too many unfortunate deaths, and then I guess what weighs on my conscience are the stories some of my patients tell me of police involvement. I really appreciate your support though and thanks for sharing your story too!
Sorry for hijacking your blog, Kara! Got a little carried away, lol.
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