News Copter?

[theodosia.livejournal.com]

Any idea why that helicopter has been hovering over the 93/Mystic River area for the past half hour or so? Massive traffic accident? IKEA sneak opening? Sea monsters?

Comments

She didn't set anyone on fire.

[turil.livejournal.com]

This is how rumors get started. And people get killed.

She set a pile of his clothes that were in the apartment, on fire.

And she probably only stabbed these men because they were threatening her. Anyone under enough stress and threatened will defend themselves, sometimes lethally.

Re: She didn't set anyone on fire.

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Apparently, our esteemed Somerville "progressives" seem to believe that the solution for mental health care is to shoot the patients when they act violent.

Re: She didn't set anyone on fire.

[maelithil.livejournal.com]

Bullshit.

I just don't blame the officers for what is an absolutely horrifying situation. She needed medical attention while she was at the hospital, once she started acting violently towards others it was too late. Too late for her, too late for her boyfriend, and too late for the officers on the scene. I blame the lack of mental health resources in place before the actual incident.

Re: She didn't set anyone on fire.

[maelithil.livejournal.com]

I misread the article, I assumed that when she set her boyfriend's clothes on fire he was still wearing them. My bad.

Let me be absolutely clear that I do not blame her one bit for her actions. At all. She was clearly unwell and subsequently felt threatened by the officers. I also do not blame the officers. If someone stabs two of your colleagues and yourself it is entirely justified to defend oneself, and when one shoots, one shoots to kill. That's how guns work.

Who I blame, entirely, is the lack of mental health resources in this country. The article mentions that she had just been released from Somerville hospital, who had apparently not considered exactly how much help she needed. That is the tragedy. She was killed, officers were injured, her boyfriend was allegedly injured, because no one who was actually qualified to help her actually helped her.

I don't blame anyone. I just recognize the deadly combination of cops and people who are scared.

[turil.livejournal.com]

If the cops, and the boyfriend had just stayed outside, and told the woman that it's ok for her to be upset, no one would have been killed. If we teach people how to calm others down (rather than scare them even more), then we'll all be better off.

In this kind of situation, what's needed is a healer/mediator, not someone with a gun.

Re: I don't blame anyone. I just recognize the deadly combination of cops and people who are scared

[maelithil.livejournal.com]

Or, potentially, she would have really set her apartment on fire and killed not only herself but possibly her neighbors and/or any firefighters on the scene. Or she could have thrown herself out the window. Or she could have had a gun in there. Or any other million possibilities.

This woman was failed by the system. The cops were failed by the system. I don't think it's wrong for them to intervene in a crisis situation, which this clearly was, and I don't think it's wrong for them to have shot her after she stabbed them and was brandishing a weapon.

We have healers and mediators. At the hospital. Which sent her home to deal with this alone. Let's fix those mistakes before we demand "healers" deal with violent and entirely unpredictable situations.

The healers will come voluntarily, no "demanding" necessary.

[turil.livejournal.com]

If only we ask them.