Police Won Battles with a 95-yr-old, 107-yr-old, and a double amputee - Killed 'em all

John Wrana, 95

Age-onset dementia and Alzheimer's plague many people as they age. Most elders get forgetful and confused at times. Throughout the nation, concerned families place their elderly relatives in care homes to see that their needs are met around the clock. Care homes ideally provide compassionate aids, three nutritious meals daily, and take ailing senior citizens to their doctors' appointments. But if the elders resist going to doctors' appointments, the care homes may call police, then police kill the obstinate senior citizens. That 'tough love' happened to John Wrana, age 95, by Forest, Illinois police officers. Excerpts from World Socialist News Service are below:

Police kill 95-year old man in assisted living facility

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/08/10/illi-a10.html

[August 10, 2013] On July 27 Park Forest, Illinois, police, armed with Tasers, a shotgun and flexible batons or “bean bag” rounds and a riot shield, shot John Wrana, a 95-year-old resident of an assisted living facility, eventually killing him. In the course of subduing the elderly man, police shocked Wrana with a Taser and fired “bean bag” rounds at his chest when he refused to be transported for medical treatment . . . Victory Centre staff reportedly pleaded with police to let them help Wrana get into the ambulance . . . Claiming that he refused to comply with verbal commands to drop a knife, police proceeded to shoot the 95-year-old man with a Taser. [According to the cops], when this proved “ineffective”, police shot Warner multiple times in the chest with flexible baton “bean bag” rounds from a shotgun . . . The “bean bag” rounds used by police in the killing of Wrana consist of a fabric bag filled with lead shot. When fired from a shotgun at the chest, they have the power to push broken ribs into the heart and cause internal bleeding to the abdomen. Bean bag rounds pose a serious risk of death or injury when fired from less than 10 feet away . . . [According to the lawyer for the Wrana family, Nicholas Grapas], there is no evidence to account for the existence of a “12-inch butcher type kitchen knife” with which police claimed Wrana threatened them. Wrana’s family never saw a knife in his room on previous visits, nor did facility staff find knives or similar weapons in his possession. (Read the entire article at the link above.)

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Monroe Isadore, 107

Park Forest, Illinois police had what might have been the record for killing the world's oldest police victim for less than a month. On September 7, Pine Bluff, Arkansas SWAT officers killed Monroe Isadore, 107,  who resisted being taken to his new apartment.  Like many elders, Isadore did not welcome changing homes, so he was shot to death in a hail of at least 30 bullets, according to witnesses. 

See "Age-Onset Dementia: Monroe Isadore, 107, Killed by SWAT"
http://dogjusticeformentallyill.blogspot.com/2013/09/age-onset-dementia-monroe-isadore-107.html

The U.S. Department of Justice should require police officers not to carry deadly weapons into care homes or private homes when responding to calls regarding very elderly persons. They seem only to know "shoot to kill," and that is a highly inappropriate response to age-onset dementia and Alzeheimer's. Email the Department of Justice at AskDOJ@usdoj.gov . Perhaps police should wait until the confused elder falls asleep, then use a sheet or fishing net.

Brian Claunch

The same methods would serve to capture unarmed, psychotic double amputees from their care homes, like Brian C. Claunch, who was fatally shot by Houston cops.
Police Ridicule, Beat, Taser & Kill Amputees
http://dogjusticeformentallyill.blogspot.com/2013/09/no-charges-for-fatally-shooting.html

Fishing Net

Mary Neal

Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill

MaryLovesJustice@gmail.com

Death by Police - Kenneth Sprankle, St. Pete

ST. PETERSBURG — Kenneth Robert Sprankle was convinced he would find a cure in the Florida sun. He moved here several months ago from Pennsylvania and loved the beaches. But, as he'd done for years, he struggled to manage his mental health. The end came Monday, when the 27-year-old bipolar schizophrenic smoked some spice and began chasing people downtown with an ax before being shot and killed by police. (Tampa Bay Times)
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Sprankle's tragedy proves that gun control is unlikely to protect Americans from avoidable mental health crises. Only removing barriers to timely psychiatric treatment, improving access to mental hospitals, and instituting assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) programs can address Americans' mental health needs and enhance community safety. See the ABC video about Sprankle below.

Was shoot-to-kill an appropriate response by police? Would Sprankle have been temporarily disabled by Taser? Should police be equipped with guns loaded with fast-acting tranquilizers for circumstances such as this? Could Sprankle have been taken into custody by specially trained police officers? Homicides by police involve mentally ill victims in at least 50% of the cases, according to Treatment Advocacy Center - "Justifiable" Homicides by Law Enforcement Officers 
http://www.tacreports.org/justifiable-homicides

Kenneth Sprankle was the fourth person shot to death by St. Pete PD this year, according to an ABC report.

"This will happen again and again and again until we find enough places where people can take their neighbors and relatives that may not need to be hospitalized," St. Pete City Councilman Karl Nurse said.

Councilman Nurse is not unlike police officers this writer polled, 100% of whom agreed that mentally ill people do not belong in prisons and jails.

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References re Kenneth Sprankle: 
ABC
http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_south_pinellas/st_petersburg/st-pete-police-officer-involved-fatal-shootings---4-out-of-6-suspects-with-mental-health-issues
Tampa Bay Times 
http://goo.gl/QQDrRT

GUN CONTROL THIS AX

Mary Neal

Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill
http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/aimi

Wrongful Death of Larry Neal
http://WrongfulDeathofLarryNeal.com

Dog Justice for Mentally Ill
http://DogJusticeforMentallyIll.blogspot.com

Paragraphs 1 and 2 repeated:
ST. PETERSBURG — Kenneth Robert Sprankle was convinced he would find a cure in the Florida sun. He moved here several months ago from Pennsylvania and loved the beaches. But, as he'd done for years, he struggled to manage his mental health. The end came Monday, when the 27-year-old bipolar schizophrenic smoked some spice and began chasing people downtown with an ax before being shot and killed by police. (Tampa Bay Times)
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Sprankle's tragedy proves that gun control is unlikely to protect Americans from avoidable mental health crises. Only removing barriers to timely psychiatric treatment, improving access to mental hospitals, and instituting assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) programs can address Americans' mental health needs and enhance community safety. See the ABC video about Sprankle below.
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This article contains two photos, one video, and six links. Unfortunately, advocacy for mentally ill persons is censored; therefore contents to some articles are listed. It would negatively impact prison investors to decriminalize mental illness and treat people's psychiatric conditions in hospitals or community care programs instead of awaiting an opportunity (crime) in order to incarcerate them. In fact, advocating to decriminalize mental illness has made me America's most censored person. If you find the links, video, or photos have suffered tampering, please comment below or email me at MaryLovesJustice@gmail.com . 

DOG JUSTICE NEEDED FOR AMERICA'S MENTALLY ILL