Episode 10: Abuse, neglect, and theft

• LAPD killing of autistic man was wrong, Police Commission rules (Joel Rubin, March 5, L.A. Now)
• Last year, an unarmed, 27 year old, african-american, autistic man was fatally shot by police for acting strangely.
• The police chief, Charlie Beck, declared after an internal investigation that the officers were justified for shooting the man who was armed only with a technological assist, a cell phone.
• Rarely does a commission reject the recommendation of a police chief, but this incident is so abhorrant and unforgivable that they were forced to admit wrongdoing.
• Police work is dangerous, stressful, and messy.  It's understandable that members of the force would look out for one another.  But, looking out for one another can also mean helping each other admit guilt and evolving beyond simple-minded group-think.  Group think is the most anti-social thing there is next to gossip and I'm grateful there are checks on organizations that have so much power over innocent civilians.
•  Autistic Girl Found in Boat on Pond (Catie Beck, Mar 6, WTVR) 
• An 8 year old autistic girl was found alone, in a boat in the middle of a pond, dressed only in her night-wear.  
• Charges of neglect may be pending; but, what's the gray area between using a soccer net to prevent such incidents (see the previous episode) and allowing such unfettered freedom?  What's neglect and what's abuse?  Commentators on this article argued for door alarms, but who can afford those?!?  We are not all wealthy enough to afford such luxurious means of control.
• Personally, I'm just grateful the girl was found before she drowned or froze to death.  Good job, Police officers, excellent work serving and protecting!
• Plea expected in autistic man's Wood Services van death (Laurie Schroeder, Mar 7, phillyburbs.com) 
• 41 year old aide from a Pennsylvania agency is expected to plead guilty of leaving an autistic man in a hot van for five hours, resulting in his death
• Parents aren't the only ones who struggle to deal with challenging behavior.  Service providers deal with compound challenges when trying to manage the needs of numerous individuals with autism.  They are often overworked, underpaid, and expected to work miracles with little to no support from their administrators.  
• This is an obvious example of neglect; but, I have to admit that I feel sorry for this woman who very likely did not have the resources necessary to manage this individual and the others in his group.  She may have been alone and forced to choose to leave a man behind in the van or take an entire group back to their residence.  
• Having worked in agencies like this, I have seen direct care staff who don't even have a high school diploma illustrate excellence in the care for individuals with autism.  I've also seen so-called doctors fail miserably.  Some aren't even able to provide the most basic level of care for the individuals they claim to serve.  It is sometimes these "doctors" who are running the show and who are ultimately responsible for instances of neglect, though they rarely get their hands dirty enough to be recognized as at fault. 
• When you place your loved one in the care of these people, you may be paying them to leave your loved one in a hot van for five hours, or in a room with the lights on for 15 days, or in a corner, covered in their own feces, with the self-righteous "doctor" claiming that they've defecated only for attention.  We NEED to move forward and develop a system of care that teaches advanced skills to those who have the longest lasting impact, the families.  Instead, we have a system that steals from the families and taxpayers by claiming expertise where no expertise actually exists.
• Nonprofit founder gets 60 days for theft (Joy Powell, Mar 4, startribune.com)
• Mario Cortolezzis, a Minnesota man who began a nonprofit organization to help individuals with autism and Alzheimer's was found guilty of theft and ordered to serve 60 days in jail and pay $43,000 in restitution.  
• He was raising money to support his organization, but also to pay his own mortgage and go tanning.
• Some of us do this work for free and might only ask for donations that would likely go to rent and utilities; is that stealing?  I know that I wouldn't be able to do this podcast if I didn't have electricity, a place to work, and internet access.  Though I haven't received any donations yet, would I be stealing if I used donations to pay for such expenses?  Let me know what you think!