So , This happened to me last month ..... ( moved to general )

So , this happened to me last month .

I went to a car show at a crowded public park . About half way into the main entrance my scooter flipped over spilling me out onto the ground . Within 2 minutes I was surrounded by police , I tried to tell them I was ok and just needed a hand getting up and back on my scooter,. But my voice is messed up and its hard to understand me , but not that hard if you take 2 seconds to listen to what I am saying . I am able to communicate with the rest of the world on a daily basis . Well , what happened next is criminal . 4 police officers surrounded me and then instead of helping me up they took ALL my belongings and my scooter and forcibly held me down on the ground for over an hour . I was repeatedly told I would not be allowed to get up until I produced some ID . They confiscated my wallet and keys along with all my possessions and moved them to another location where they were searched , so that was out of the question . More than several bystanders offered to help me up but were threatened with arrest and sent away . All in all I was held on the ground against my will for over an hour because no one would take the time to listen to me telling them I have a medical Condition .

Finally , a state police officer stopped by and ordered them to help me up.

Bottom line is you are going to be held as a common criminal or drug addict if you should ever need help in public ,. Be aware of this and plan ahead , do not trust that the very people who have sworn to serve and protect will do anything to help you .

Many random bystanders were able to understand me from 20 feet away but the police officers were so caught up in the moment , shouting orders at me that they never took the time to listen to my pleas for a simple hand getting up .

That was shocking behavior by the police. I get the feeling there must be something more to the story. What state? Police and people here in Oregon have always seemed kind and helpful. I think a medical bracelet or an explanatory card is recommended here. I would add when it comes to interaction with the police, calmness and respect are good if only for self-preservation.

It sounds dreadful, I’m so sorry. Here in the UK we’ve experienced some horrendous situations in normally safe public areas. It’s easy to see how a simple accident could raise suspicion. I hope you can regain your confidence, and enjoy being out and about again🙂xB

Not much more to the story , I fell , I was held down on the ground for an hour against my will .

WHY ?

Who knows , Power trip ? Distrust of the handicapped guy who didn’t fit into the "Norm " ? I got the distinct feeling that these officers were NOT trained to deal with the public , They made it abundantly clear that I was to SUBMIT to their authority FIRST AND FOREMOST … I was questioned on how I got there and who I was there to see , where I lived , why I had chosen that day to visit their town , etc , etc . None of them made much of an effort to try and understand what I was saying , they were too busy yelling at the crowd and talking amongst themselves on what they thought my "problem " was … Like I said the people standing around watching heard me just fine and offered to help me up off the ground , but these folks who were sitting on me holding me down didn’t hear a thing ,…Hummm… !!!

So there is no need to “blame the victim” here , I was respectful for about half an hour then I just started yelling for someone to help me up when I realized this was not a response to a person in need , but a criminal interrogation . This happened on a sunny sunday afternoon in a public park during an antique car show . I do not drink nor do I take any medication other than tylenol . So I am not the stoned drug crazed glassy eyed type , furthermore I use a motorized scooter when in public and yes it has a handicapped sign on it , so , why given those facts would you think I was a terrorist or cast away from happy hour at the corner gin mill . No this is pure public perception , I was preconceived as a duggie and or social outcast and was dealt with as such . Same as you pre conceived that " there must be more to this story " . They took my wallet and driver’s license and searched my van , called my info in on the radio , all while I was forced to lay upside down on the side of a hill . I am sorry that is NOT public service …

If you are truthful in how you describe what happened, the police were thugs and I hope you took names and badge numbers and will issue a formal complaint, maybe even contact someone higher up the food chain, like a councilman or mayor. I thought I could be perceived as pillorying the victim, but “everyone lies.” (My husband was an insurance investigator.) I’m sorry I came off that way and I understand my comments could offend you. I’m tired of being disappointed in our public servants.

I am wondering if you actually have ataxia , or are you just telling a lie ? Because people lie all the time . But if you really do I wish you the best .

Anyhow , two young girls video taped most of what went on . Can i post videos on here ?

Look , I don’t really give a flying hoot if folks believe me or not and I don’t want to waste all our time debating the issue . I just posted this as a public service . And will share a few takeaways from my point of view…

1 ) Do not expect that anyone will understand your condition . I am guilty of this . Make a dog tag that explains things , no one will know you have it on until you choose to pull it out and show them .

  1. Do not expect that first responders will act in your best interest . In today’s world they are going to be more worried about terrorists and or drug addicts , than figuring out what your handicap is . Especially in public places .

  2. In addition to my new dog tag I am keeping a second cell phone hidden on my person , in case I need to call 911 during an incident and my phone has been confiscated . Cell phones will dial 911 even if you have no network contract , ie: no second bill .

  3. Try not to go out alone . Having someone there that could have explained my condition would have ( maybe ) prevented this .

1 Like

If I didn’t have ataxia, Searcher, I could certainly find a lot more interesting and active sites to go on, no offense. In my 68 years, I have never come across a policeman who would treat a disabled person like you describe. But, first time for everything, right?

1 Like