Police Hit and Use Taser Gun on 15-year-old boy
Police hit and used a Taser gun on 15-year old Sir Millage of Portland, OR, when drivers reported seeing him walking across a bridge without shoes or a shirt on December 5th. As reported in KPTV.com today, officers said they had “no choice” and noted Millage’s size and weight. A first policeman “cycling his Taser gun four times without effect”; another policeman is reported to have struck Millage six times with a collapsible baton “when Millage refused to remain on the ground.” Millage’s great-grandmother and legal guardian, Mary Overstreet-Smith, noted that he has “severe autism” and also bipolar disorder ADHD and childhood degenerative disease.
“When he’s charging the officers, menacing the officers with a large pole and completely noncompliant with all the requests, then they have to take the next step, which is some kind of less lethal force,” said Sgt. Brian Schmautz of the Portland Police Bureau.
“Charging”? “Menacing”?
Overstreet-Smith’s comment about her great-grandon suggests otherwise: “’You shout at him, he closes down. He doesn’t understand verbal commands.’”
An internal affairs complaint has been filed against the two officers involved.
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POSTED IN: Safety
13 opinions for Police Hit and Use Taser Gun on 15-year-old boy
Kassiane
Dec 21, 2006 at 2:24 am
What the hell is wrong with people?
Get all the cops out of their cars, like, NOW, until theyve been Tazered for as long as they tazer people, while being shouted at in a language that they don’t understand. Then send them to a Dennis Debbaudt workshop. And do that lasso thing to them.
In short, make them human again. They forgot what it is to be humans.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Dec 21, 2006 at 2:43 am
Charlie goes out of the house often without his shoes….
Kassiane
Dec 21, 2006 at 3:25 am
Last I checked, being barefoot wasnt a crime anyway.
Kev
Dec 21, 2006 at 9:12 am
That is scary. And appalling.
Kassiane
Dec 21, 2006 at 4:55 pm
I must add that the Portland police are morons.
Like, failing to recognize either the signs of assault, a severe head injury, or three grand mal seizures in a row morons.
That doesn’t excuse them. Just means they need to be tazered more. Or something. Better training. And they need to keep their grubby paws out of people’s belongings, too.
Kassiane, who was physically attacked in portland, was as impressed with the EMTs who think an 18 gague needle is a butterfly as she is with the cops, and thinks the DA who wont prosecute this guy, who has EIGHTEEN complaints.
Lesson: stay out of portland.
Derrick Jeffries
Dec 22, 2006 at 1:20 pm
River of Tears
The following words are written for Sir J. Millage, and for all people who have Autism.
Please see the following article to understand: http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/116650410380180.xml?oregonian?lcfp&coll=7
Over a bridge walks a child in the darkness of December’s cold morning.
A river of tears flowing sea bound neath bare tender feet.
Through a window he had made his flight. Leaving suddenly, and without warning.
Fear was not of his thinking. Family awaking will dread who he may meet.
Workers, they saw him, a man, not a child.
Lawmen, they tased him, beat him, subdued.
Shirtless, sweating, stick wielding, yet not being riled.
Unheeding, gazing right through them, and oh so very rude!
If a child were shocked and beaten in a city, how great would be the cry?
Where is human kindness? Where is the mercy and judgment of God? They may declare.
In Portland, the tears of the Willamette and the mighty Columbia never go dry.
Yet for a child of innocence clad in a man’s body, will the tears of mankind be rare?
I ponder questions surrounding policies of power.
How many must die or be maimed before paradigms are challenged?
By a cover no book should be judged, but what is sweet will never be sour.
The door of our future before us stands. Upon a willingness to learn, may it be hinged.
Derrick Jeffries
December 22, 2006
Aut2ActNow – Compassion for people with Autism who are under oppression.
Permission is granted to copy as long as compassion for Sir J. Millage, and other people with Autism is the intent and clear purpose. Please use these words to encourage appropriate police and first responder training that centers around best practices for people with Autism and other challenges.
Training is available through Dennis Debbaudt: http://www.autismriskmanagement.com/
The following cities have broken free from paradigms and have developed appropriate crisis intervention teams:
Memphis, TN (most notable and successful around Autism)
Baltimore, MD
Reno, NV
St. Louis, MO.
Please encourage your city to follow suit.
Contact the Portland Police Bureau to express your concern: policeIandR@portlandpolice.org
Kristina Chew, PhD
Dec 22, 2006 at 5:58 pm
Derrick, thanks so much for the verses and for the links—a great resource. Hopefully we all can learn from what happened to Sir Millage.
Gerard Petillo
Dec 22, 2006 at 11:14 pm
In April 2006, for autism awareness month, my sons school, the Devereux Millwood learning Center in Westchester NY, plans to host a training seminar for local law enforcement. The hopes are to educate and sensitize them on autism and autistic traits and tendencies. Additionally it would serve as a resource for law enforcement to reach out to when encountering a person with autism.
Definitely a step in the right direction.
Gerard Petillo
Parents of A.N.G.E.L.S.
Bronx N.Y.
Kassiane
Dec 22, 2006 at 11:37 pm
Gerard-
If you can get some off duty EMTs there too that’d be another step in the right direction without even having to do another training. So many EMTs don’t know squat about deescalating in a medical emergency (broken bone, concussion, autistic standing by), and then they end up making a bit mess just happen.
Steps in the right direction…
Kassiane
Gerard Petillo
Dec 23, 2006 at 12:04 pm
Kassiane:
Thanks for your insight!
I will suggest that we make it a public safety event rather than a law enforecement event.
Gerard Petillo
Parents of ANGELS
Bronx N.Y.
Kassiane
Dec 23, 2006 at 4:25 pm
Sure thing.
I’ve got ‘weird’ medical conditions (most notably a mixed pattern seizure disorder and adrenal failure that’s sent into crisis at the drop of a hat) and am terrified of EMTs because of their lack of understanding. At these times I can’t express myself too well either (though I DO have a PECs card that says “Go to Hell” and another that says “Shut up, Go Away”). Otherwise, what I’ve got is a bathroom that locks from the inside, and a flier I can push under it and a housemate who supports my right to do my own darn adrenal injection and refuse to even look at them until they demonstrate understanding of what is on the sheet.
But that isn’t going to occur to a lot of autism families, and a lot of emergencies are ONE TIME emergencies, not repeated “yeah she went into status and then woke up and was drowsy and the adrenal crisis following was combative. Leave her alone” kind of thing we deal with here.
Even claiming to know things, they want to touch waaaaay too much. More first responders need REAL autism & related conditions training.
Good luck!
Gerard Petillo
Dec 23, 2006 at 7:49 pm
I can relate to what you are saying. I have taken Nicholas to enough doctor’s appointments & emergency room visits to know that if I was not with him he would have had a real problem.
I’m not sure how one training session or one session per year will educate first responders. I think the solution is to get them to the point where they can identify the disorder and have someone available to call for direction and advice.
I think a once a year training session will give first responders the necessary contacts to do that. Additionally, a list of contact information for autism schools, recreation programs, and other professionals in the field to reach out to during an encounter.
Just my 2 cents
Gerard Petillo
Parents of A.N.G.E.L.S.
Bronx N.Y.
Tased
Feb 11, 2008 at 1:22 am
[...] getting tased: It happened to 15-year-old Taylor Karras in September of 2007 and to 15-year-old Sir Millage in December of 2006. There’s a bill here in New Jersey to promote autism training for first [...]
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