Taser Party at the Towne Pump
Fred Meyer was an auspicious place to be this morning at around 10 a.m. this morning.
First of all, there was this bizarre pseudo-hail floating down peacefully while the sun streamed through the clouds. It resembled those tiny Styrofoam pellets you find in bean bag chairs, rather than actual hail, and they were light enough that they just sort of fluttered to the ground.
Then there were the cops, all gathered around the Towne Pump gas station across the street, adjacent to 7-11. I was wondering why they needed four police vehicles there and figured someone had tried to rob the gas station or *gasp* had a broken tail light.
Nope! The cops tasered a homeless woman from Seattle who had called the nearby mosque asking for help. Using a Taser is apparently an effective way to get someone to stop punching a police officer... it's the fourth time they've zapped someone this year. They sure like their toys. Much more fun that simply handcuffing someone.
I jest, but to me, it seems like another case of a mentally ill person falling... no, plunging through the cracks. Corvallis has some good resources for the mentally ill, but as noted in the Gazette-Times article last Sunday, if you have no insurance and no money, good luck to you. I hear there are some other folks camping under the bridge... maybe they can help you. Benton County Mental Health, our town's best safety net (in theory) is turning people away more frequently. And every year, there are a few more stories about the police using a Taser or worse on someone who is belligerent without obvious cause.
First of all, there was this bizarre pseudo-hail floating down peacefully while the sun streamed through the clouds. It resembled those tiny Styrofoam pellets you find in bean bag chairs, rather than actual hail, and they were light enough that they just sort of fluttered to the ground.
Then there were the cops, all gathered around the Towne Pump gas station across the street, adjacent to 7-11. I was wondering why they needed four police vehicles there and figured someone had tried to rob the gas station or *gasp* had a broken tail light.
Nope! The cops tasered a homeless woman from Seattle who had called the nearby mosque asking for help. Using a Taser is apparently an effective way to get someone to stop punching a police officer... it's the fourth time they've zapped someone this year. They sure like their toys. Much more fun that simply handcuffing someone.
I jest, but to me, it seems like another case of a mentally ill person falling... no, plunging through the cracks. Corvallis has some good resources for the mentally ill, but as noted in the Gazette-Times article last Sunday, if you have no insurance and no money, good luck to you. I hear there are some other folks camping under the bridge... maybe they can help you. Benton County Mental Health, our town's best safety net (in theory) is turning people away more frequently. And every year, there are a few more stories about the police using a Taser or worse on someone who is belligerent without obvious cause.
posted by Corvallist at
11:19 PM
5 Comments:
http://www.petsweekly.com/Stories/Hostages.html
Link above is to a story a Sweet Home lady wrote, recently, about her attempts to get six cats away from a seriously mentally ill Sweet Home man, who allegedly rides around on an old bike with six cats in two carriers on the back of the bike. Allegedly, five of the adult cats are crammed into one small carrier. He believes, allgedly, the CIA are everywhere and after him in particular. He and the cats all need some major help that none of them are getting, it sounds like.
By
Strayer, at 6:43 AM
How are you supposed to handcuff someone who is punching you? Isn't the person supposed to turn around and place their hands on their back? Maybe the cop could have thrown her to the ground where she could have broken her collar bone or arm -- Or maybe the cop could have used his pepper spray on her causing her pain for 45 minutes to an hour as opposed to a quick "5 second" pain complaince with a taser.
I think you should sign up for the Corvallis citizen police academy and educate yourself on who the police are and why they do certain things. It opened my eyes for sure.
By
Anonymous, at 10:14 AM
that is indeed very sad and distressing. i always wonder if there isn't a more humane way of dealing with people.
i was a client of the mental health dept. and had a terrible experience with a counselor who was obviously apathetic and burned out. i filed a grievance complaint and had all but one of my claims substantiated. the counselor is now under close supervision and is receiving training. if i were to go there again, i would request someone young, someone fairly new. from what i've been told, burn-out is very common and at gov't agencies, usually overlooked.
By
Anonymous, at 1:21 PM
I was driving by when the woman started hitting the policeman. He has a right not to be used as a punching bag at work. She should of complied with his request but chose not to and suffered the consequences. Too bad.
By
Anonymous, at 4:56 PM
I did mention that I was joking about the police having "fun" with this. I understand Tasers are sometimes necessary. However, the police are not well trained in how to recognize and deal with the mentally ill, which is something that desperately needs to be addressed.
By
Corvallist, at 1:25 AM
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