BREAKING: LAPD shooting homeless man

originally posted by: network dude

originally posted by: randyvs
a reply to: game over man

Why is a man, deemed mentally ill, homeless?
Is this how california takes care of it's people?
Just throw a mentally ill person out in the street
and put him at the mercy of W/E circumstance.

That is the real crime here.

I cannot agree more. And I doubt it's just CA.

No, it's not. My stepsister is bipolar and just left Kentucky for NY. She has a tendency to live under bridges or room with people if they're nice enough to offer. She's been trying to find housing, but usually you need a past landlord for references to get it. Which really messes with the homeless. She's been through drug treatment for stealing Vicodin in the past, any money she gets she spends on beer, drugs, cigarettes, and God knows what else. I think they keep suspending her SSI because she has no main address, so my dad keep sending her money for food and her "necessities", which are usually what is described above. My dad knows she spends it on drugs and stuff, but as long as she buys food as well, he doesn't care. He worries about her.

She's gotten worse since her mother died 2 years ago of a heart attack. I tried taking her in then, but she was really bad. When she stole birthday money my dad sent for my daughter, it was the last straw. My daughter was imitating her moods. If she came home drunk and severely depressed, my daughter was severely depressed. My daughter is autistic and an empathy. She imitates the world around her. My sister came home drunk or high and depressed every single night. I understood her being depressed. Her mother just died. But being drunk and high I couldn't put up with. Especially not with a child. I couldn't risk her bringing drugs into my house and risk my daughter being put into foster care. When she stole my daughter's birthday money, it was the last straw.

My dad understood and gave her a bus ticket to my other sister's house, where she stole my sister's Vicodin from a tooth surgery. My sister dropped her off at a drug clinic and got her meds refilled and had to sign a contract stating she wasn't a drug addict and all that mess. She was pissed to say the least. She even opened her house a SECOND time to her, while I was there, this time, I locked my meds up and learned my lesson from her. I drove her to Kentucky on my way to PA. She was supposed to come to PA to see my daughter. Last minute she changed her mind. (Bipolar moods) Ok, fine. My daughter was very disappointed, but what can you do? *Shrug*

She has 4 children, none of which are in her custody. She has to pay child support for all 4. I was asked to adopt one of them, but when I told my stepmother and stepsister, that my sister could not be called Mom, and couldn't keep coming in and out of the child's life and be called Mom, it would be too upsetting for the child, they changed their mind and told me no. My stepmother raised two of the girl's and my stepsister's ex-MIL raised the 2 boys. When my stepmother passed away the aunt of one of the girls, stepped in and raised both girls. All the kids know I'm there if they need me. 3 out of 4 of the kids have been through Juvie because of issues with Mom coming and going and not being there for them. Needless to say, they're messed up now. One is out now, one is still in Juvie, one is now in a group home for girls, and one is relatively normal. It breaks my heart.

I know this is just one tale of Bipolar and not the norm, but it gives you an idea of what one family goes through. Some people are quite normal when they take their medication. My sister refuses to take her medication. My birth mother is paranoid schizophrenic. She too, refuses to take her medication. She was quite abusive, physically and emotionally to me as a child. I have the physical scars to prove it. I bore the brunt of her abuse, my brother and sister did not. They were spared that at least. For that, I'm thankful. My daughter is nearing 20, but because of her autism and brain damage, she has the brain of an 8 yr old. She asks why we can't visit my birth mother.

I explain it in a way she can understand. I tell her, just like her brain is broken, and she takes her medicine to make her brain better, her grandmother's brain is broken too, but she doesn't take her medicine. So her brain is still broken. But when she takes her medicine to make her brain better, we can go visit her. For her, this explanation works.

a reply to: Anyafaj

My hat goes off to you. The way you write conveys your strength. I work with the mentally ill, so I can empathize with what you have gone through/going through. The world needs to do more for this population, they are only human too. Thank you for sharing your experience and perspective with the ATS community.

originally posted by: Sparkymedic
a reply to: Anyafaj

My hat goes off to you. The way you write conveys your strength. I work with the mentally ill, so I can empathize with what you have gone through/going through. The world needs to do more for this population, they are only human too. Thank you for sharing your experience and perspective with the ATS community.

Anytime. I only wish I could do more to help my sister, but unfortunately you cannot force help upon those that think they have all the help they need.

a reply to: game over man

I thought they trained police officers to always say things like "stop resisting" and "hes reaching for my gun" or "drop the weapon" whenever in a confrontation. That way it gets them off the hook later.

Its like Jimbo from south park said you always scream "they're coming right for us!" right before you kill an animal or person that way you can claim self defense.

originally posted by: randyvs
a reply to: game over man

Why is a man, deemed mentally ill, homeless?
Is this how california takes care of it's people?
Just throw a mentally ill person out in the street
and put him at the mercy of W/E circumstance.

That is the real crime here.

THIS. A significantly large chunk of the homeless population has severe mental illness to the point that they can't take care of themselves at the capacity of a basic functioning adult. Letting a person with that level of mental illness out and onto the streets without a secure home and support system in place is as criminal, irresponsible, and immoral as allowing young children to wander and fend for themselves on the streets if they no longer have parents. It is also why so many become drug users. To medicate their illnesses to the extent of their capabilities and judgement levels, which are almost always very low. It was perhaps the most depressing thing I remembered when I was living in the homeless shelter: the place resembled a mental ward quite literally. I'd say at least one out of every 3 homeless people had mental illness to the level that they could never live on their own without someone to take care of them. And then there were a good number who, while being able to live on their own, were permanently unemployable due to their mental illness. Many also had some pretty bad medical conditions. Many who had manageable mental problems who would have otherwise been employable had they received proper diagnoses and treatment soon enough, had criminal records that limited their employability and opportunities. I could tell you a few stories that would rip your heart out, about the women I met there, but I won't. I will say it really makes you lose faith and respect for so called "decent" society. To think this is an acceptable state of affairs is even worse.

a reply to: Skadi_the_Evil_Elf

And it appears that absolutely no one is standing up
for them, so they become cannon fodder to the variety
of perils on the streets. Is that accurate?
Thank you for the reply.

a reply to: game over man

It will end when we have no more homeless people. Think about it, clean streets, no vagrants or pan handlers. Utopia!!!

"As LAPD continues to investigate the shooting death of Charley Saturmin Robinet a black homeless man living on skid-row in Los Angeles, officials say the body camera footage won’t be released just yet, Mashable reports.
Police say they are hesitant to release the footage until the officer’s intent is fully investigated. Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck told reporters that the release of the footage could cause a divide between police and pedestrians, something they’re strongly trying to avoid."


revolution-news.com...

a reply to: RoScoLaz4

"If you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to worry about"...
Wonder why that never applies to them.

Instead they are going to let people fester and grow more suspicious the longer they wait.