[/caption]Ernest Dempsey — The homeless and psychologically unstable in California, watch out for the cops! They may be your last vision on earth. Katarina Nikolas’s story on Digital Journal has electro-shocked us all by describing the horror of the torture inflicted on a homeless man who was brutally killed by the police. And it was not a case of solo cop action—half a dozen uniformed police officers took part in this venture which took the life of a man whose only crime seems to be homeless and schizophrenia. Thinking of “law—enforcement”? Obviously, only the latter was in operation during this crime.
What happened to 37-year-old Thomas Kelly was actually recorded by some civilian with their cell phone camera. A clip from the video was included in TYT Network’s YouTube video, showing the scene and the victim’s desperate cries, calling his father (an ex police officer): “Dad, Dad, Dad….” Thomas was electro-shocked five times with tasers by the group of policemen because they suspected he was burglarizing a car, a crime which in itself is not punishable by death. Fatally injured, Thomas succumbed to the wounds five days after he was hospitalized following the traumatic cop-gang attack on September 5th, 2011. He was barely recognizable due to the disfigurement caused by the taser-inflicted wounds.
Two of the cops involved in killing Thomas are now behind the bars, facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and second-degree murder. This partly satiates the demand for justice, but the TYT news anchors expressed concern so pertinently over the demand of police across the country to legally ban citizens from taping videos of police action. This is where the fears of protecting police crimes by law envelop the civilian and the activist alike. Without videotapes evidence, police high on their power will virtually become unstoppable from torturing civilians under the pretext of suspicion. Considering the US as a world leader, such legislation would take the term ‘draconian’ to a new level of meaning—a level far below humanity.
When contacted for comments on the issue, expert on homelessness America, Jay S. Levy, Regional Manager at the Eliot Homeless Services and author of Homeless Narratives & Pretreatment Pathways said:
“Many of the folks who struggle with schizophrenia don't perceive themselves as mentally ill, so what is needed is a ‘housing first’ approach that does not require treatment, but encourages it via an ongoing support service, which utilizes pretreatment strategies to build pathways to needed treatment. In general, we are always concerned that the police are given the proper training for de-escalating situations that involve people with major mental illnesses. If we are serious about addressing homelessness and major mental illness, it is essential that we provide ongoing outreach and affordable housing to those who are the most vulnerable among us. This is not only a moral issue, but it will ultimately cost the tax payer less, as well as save lives.”
