Is Sitting While Autistic a Crime?
In late May, Clifford Grevemberg had a traumatic encounter with the police. Grevemberg, 18, was standing outside the Rock House Bar and Grill in Tybee Island, Ga., waiting for his brother to pick up some cheeseburgers when he was approached by officers, Tasered, and arrested for disorderly conduct. A police-department report posted by the Savannah Morning News says Grevemberg was “staggering back and forth and appeared to be either intoxicated or on something.” By the time his brother came out of the restaurant, Grevemberg was handcuffed and bleeding with a broken tooth. Only then did police receive the critical information they’d been missing: Clifford Grevemberg is autistic.
via Is Sitting While Autistic a Crime? – Newsweek.
A thought provoking article about an issue I hadn’t considered. I hope this article raises awareness and encourages more law enforcement agencies to get the training they need around autism.
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About The Author
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts is founder of Support for Special Needs and has been a regular contributor since its inception in May 2010. A mom to two kids with special needs, she didn't want other parents to feel what is the often isolating world of raising a child (or two!) with disabilities. Her kids had kidney transplants at the age of eight and will need liver transplants in the future as a result of ARPKD/CHF. They both have vision disorders and learning disabilities.
Yep, this is the scariest thing. Especially if your Spectrum kid is a boy. I go back and forth, but I’m pretty sure that, when the time comes, I will have a laminated card put in Coleman’s wallet identifying him as having Asperger’s and briefly outlining commonly misunderstood behaviors, with our phone # at the bottom. He’s high functioning, and many people tell me they “wouldn’t know anything was wrong with him.” (don’t get me started on that statement) but I can see, already, that when his anxiety level increases, he does a number of things that would be misinterpreted by a law enforcement official. Dickson was a cop, and his dad was Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety, so we’ll also be working on “Social Stories” and scripts and role playing with Coleman, on how to behave when pulled over or approached by law enforcement. But, it’s still super super scary, and happening more often.