Let me preface this by stating that I do not advocate for total police reform in any way, shape, or form. I don't believe that would be helpful for anyone involved, especially the police and taxpayers. It would do more damage to too many of those already bouncing around within the judicial system, and it would criminalize police officers who truly don't deserve that type of harsh scrutiny in the first place. What I am advocating for is more education and compassion from mental health providers and a symbiotic relationship to develop between police officers and mental health providers so that this type of situation never happens again.
Irvo Otieno was pressed to the ground in full restraints by ten people for more than ten minutes. His life was pressed out of him. There was never any hope for resuscitation - just as there should be no hope for judicial resuscitation of the ten who willingly murdered Irvo Otieno, and the hospital workers who willingly stood by, observing the murder of Mr. Otieno. It is my hope that these folks are all persecuted to the full extent of the law and receive lengthy prison sentences.
This was not a racial attack. If you'll kindly educate yourself and watch the video, you will notice that almost every person in the room with Irvo Otieno was black. There was at least one caucasian person in the room as well. This is also not a total attack on police, as I've stated above, there were hospital personnel in the room as well. At any time, any one of them could have - (and should have) spoken up about the inhumane treatment of a mental health patient.
As a teenager, I was sent to multiple mental health facilities during a mental health crisis. During my time there, I saw at least one person a week in an out-of-control mental health crisis. The medical team there was able to quickly subdue the person via a tranquilizer injection. It was a simple, swift motion in the backside - usually in the butt cheek - that subdued the patient almost immediately. Every time I saw this done, the patient was out of control and threatening to harm either themselves or the staff. It took three average-sized nurses (under 200 lbs, ranging from barely 5 feet tall to around 6 feet tall) to subdue the patient. Never did I ever see them physically harm the patient, or press their full body weight on the patient. It simply wasn't necessary.
When someone is in a full-blown mental health crisis, there is no reasoning with them in that direct moment. It's not possible. Let's consider what happens to a hurt animal when someone tries to put them into a cage. What happens? They try to attack, try to escape, and want to run away to someplace that feels safe to them, so they can calm down, regroup and develop a game plan. It's a primal response to feeling unsafe. Now, let's consider what happens when a human feels unsafe. Harvard Medical School has an excellent article regarding the stress response. ("Understanding the Stress Response", Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Health Medical School, July 6, 2020; https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response) I encourage all of you to take a moment to read it.
There is another fascinating, in-depth study conducted by the National Library of Medicine that discusses physical restraint in mental health nursing. (Ye, J., Wang, C., Xiao, A., Xia, Z., Yu, L., Lin, J., Liao, Y., Xu, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2019). Physical restraint in mental health nursing: A concept analysis. International journal of nursing sciences, 6(3), 343–348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2019.04.002) Several great points are made within the article, such as the statement that " physical restraint must be implemented by qualified personnel" because both the patient and the personnel are subjected to "critical risks" through the process of administering restraint. Anyone who administers restraint is liable for the effects thereafter.
Within the USA, we, as a society have been advocating for bodily autonomy for decades. Physical restraint removes all hopes of bodily autonomy and places the entire livelihood of the person being restrained into the hands of the persons doing the restraining. This shouldn't be earth-shattering news, folks. It's common sense. There are actual laws and regulations against the use of restraint in the state of Virginia. Here is just one of the pages full of statutes I was able to pull up during a simple Google Search, using the terms "laws against the use of restraint in virginia state". (https://casetext.com/regulation/virginia-administrative-code/title-12-health/agency-35-department-of-behavioral-health-and-developmental-services/chapter-115-regulations-to-assure-the-rights-of-individuals-receiving-services-from-providers-licensed-funded-or-operated-by-the-department-of-behavioral/part-iii-explanation-of-individual-rights-and-provider-duties/section-12vac35-115-110-use-of-seclusion-restraint-and-time-out)
There are pages upon pages of laws and statutes all stating the same things - restraint is to be used only as necessary, for a short period of time. It's never to be used as a convenience, only as medically necessary, by trained staff. There are to be records kept with the patient's medical records regarding the use of restraint, or the reasons against using it. Restraint is never to be used solely for the purpose of pending criminal charges...and the list goes on.
Education is prevalent, relevant, and easily obtained for those who want to obtain it. Did the ten police officers who pressed the life out of Irvo Otieno want to obtain the educational materials? Were they denied the education necessary to preserve this man's life? We have to keep asking questions and asserting that the answers should always be public knowledge because we, the People are paying the price for the ignorance of those who are sworn to serve and protect us. This conversation is far from over. Let's keep talking, and more importantly, let's keep listening to those with firsthand knowledge, so we don't end up on the side of ignorance ourselves.
Stay tuned for another episode.See you next time! And remember, if you or a loved one is in danger, get help immediately, and don't stop talking until someone acts on your words.
National Domestic Abuse Hotline: 800-799-7233 Hours: 24/7. Languages: English, Spanish, and 200+ through interpretation service. SMS: Text START to 88788
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 Hours: Available 24 hours. https://www.rainn.org/
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Hours: Available 24 hours. Languages: English, Spanish. https://988lifeline.org/
