Online Wake for OKCPD Taser Victim, Darrell Gatewood

Darrell Gatewood was Tasered to death by Oklahoma City police officers on March 1, 2015, the same day that Los Angeles police officers shot Africa to death, an unarmed homeless man. Gatewood was handcuffed by police officers inside the residence, then dragged outside and deposited in a puddle of water where he was electrocuted by Taser. His death was apparently an execution without the benefit of judge or jury.

Gatewood self-medicated with drugs. Gatewood's family reports that he had bought and used synthetic marijuana shortly prior to his girlfriend called 911 last Sunday, without any expectation that the responders were significantly more stressed and unpredictable than Gatewood was. The unarmed man was killed, although he presented no immediate danger to police or anyone else. In fact, Gatewood had passed out on the floor before officers arrived according to eyewitnesses to his execution. 

Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill (AIMI) advocates against the homelessness, incarceration, prisoner torture, and wrongful deaths of people with drugs and alcohol dependencies just as we do regarding the neglect and abuse of persons with serious mental illnesses. We advocate for their civil and human rights and try to console families of such persons when deaths occur under the color of law. Some news reports said that Gatewood had mental health problems, but his family denies this. His family members who spoke with this writer said that Gatewood had no mental illness but did have a drug addiction.

An online wake for Gatewood was sponsored by National Network in Action (NNIA) channel on Blogtalkradio on Saturday, March 7, 2015. Members of Gatewood's family expressed the negative impact his death has on his family, especially Gatewood's children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Gatewood was the family babysitter and the primary organizer of family dinners and get-togethers. He was an excellent cook and a man who stepped in as a mentor to the children, some of whom no longer have immediate access to their own father.

Roscoe, who was Gatewood's brother, is presently wrongfully incarcerated. He and numerous other members of Gatewood's family spoke at the online wake sponsored by Rev. Floyd Harris, director of National Network in Action (NNIA1), and Mary Neal, the program's host. It is embedded below and at
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/nnia1/2015/03/08/radio-wake-for-darrell-gatewood-tasered-to-death-by-okpd Blogtalkradio, available for listening 24/7
Please notify Mary Neal immediately if your use of this link is redirected to another website other than to the Gatewood wake at Blogtalkradio. There is presently a cover-up attempt underway about this police killing.

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HELP WITH FUNERAL AND BURIAL EXPENSES: Gatewood's body was transferred from police custody to the funeral home on Friday, March 6, and awaits burial. His family requests your assistance with the funeral and burial expenses. The family established a fundraiser and asks for your help at this GoFundMe account http://www.gofundme.com/O5RC08

Oklahoma City is the Taser capital of America, with more Taser deaths than anywhere else in the nation, according to reports. Gatewood was the third member of his family to experience police brutality within the last few years. His cousin, Christopher Tucker, was stopped while driving and nearly Tasered to death a few years ago, and Tucker's son was also assaulted by police and arrested. Read about Tucker's case at the "Legal Victories" blog that carries the story: "U.S. Codes are Legal Victories"
http://legalvictories.blogspot.com/2015/01/us-codes-are-legal-victories.html

Another man who was killed on March 1 was an unarmed homeless, mentally ill California man called "Africa." A video of Africa's death by police is at YouTube link http://youtu.be/YKYHZ4U4g0g and embedded below. (The YouTube link should be active on this screen and copies. if not, please thank the USDOJ, which has the legal responsibility of protecting our First Amendment rights. Email AskDoj@usdoj.gov.)

Reference

More information will be added to this article about Darrell Gatewood and Africa as it becomes available. There are numerous news reports about Darrell Gatewood's unfortunate death online, one of which is by "Filming Cops.com," at the link below:

Cop Shoots Man with Taser Gun Again and Again Until Man's Heart Explodes and He Dies

http://filmingcops.com/cop-shoots-man-with-taser-gun-again-and-again-until-mans-heart-explodes-dies-report/ 

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Thank you for giving Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill.

How can you help? Follow this blog, and share the link to it with your friends. Human and civil rights of persons with mental disabilities in the United States are sometimes treated as being nonexistent.

It would be illegal to keep a dog in a tight space 23 hours a day and gas or Taser him for barking. It would be illegal to put a dog in deadly restraint for control. That happens to mentally ill people routinely in the nation's correctional facilities. What happened to Larry Neal? Why are we still asking that question after eleven years? Cover-ups regarding the wrongful deaths of mentally ill inmates are common and vile.

Mentally Ill Americans Need Dog Justice. Treat mental illness medically, not legally. Support the H.R. 3717 "Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act." The U.S. congressional bill by Rep. Tim Murphy provides for crisis intervention team (CIT) training for police and corrections officers, assisted outpatient treatment (AOT), and other needed changes.