In recent years, police violence, especially against the African American community, has been rampant. In fact, data surfaced after the first wave of anti-police brutality protests following George Floyd's death in 2020 shows the number of disabled Black people killed at the hands of police has increased over the years. In Virginia, Marcus-David Peters was shot and killed by police while experiencing a psychiatric episode, even though he was unarmed. In Atlanta, Matthew Zadok Williams was suffering from a mental health crisis that went ignored when police killed him in his home. In Seattle, when Charleena Lyles was found in a mental health crisis armed with a knife, the police killed her. So, what do Marcus-David Peters, Matthew Zadok Williams, Charleena Lyles, and countless others have in common? They are Black victims who were brutalized by the police. In addition, they all had a mental illness or developmental disability that were ignored by the police at the time of their death. As Sarah Kim, a disability journalist, said, “Just like we cannot afford to forget the names of those victims, we also must not erase their disabilities.”
We are all aware of the frequent news stories about the mentally ill who resist law enforcement and end up dead. Add being Black to the mix and you get a disaster waiting to happen. But, what exactly defines a disability ? Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a person with a disability is someone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. To put this into perspective, disabled American adults make up a quarter of the population, and many that are killed by the police are also people of color. While the number of disabled people killed at the hands of police is not systematically tracked, the Ruderman Foundation estimates that ⅓ of all Americans killed by police have a disability. These statistics make sense since the Black community is subject to many detrimental factors that include, but are not limited to, poor access to healthcare and environmental racism.
Still, we do not often talk about disability when referencing someone killed at the hands of police, and the lack of representation can be seen in Black Lives Matter protests and rallies. At the same time, participating in protests can be dangerous for those with disabilities, as large crowds and long routes can be difficult to navigate. In addition, with the protesters and police often meeting in clashes, the movement becomes even less accessible than it already is. America has a long, entrenched history of criminalizing disabilities and “For the most part, there’s this [belief that] mental illness or some sort of problem needs to be contained. There is no sympathy. There is no humanization or humanizing of the situation or the individual… they need to be controlled in some way. And that is often met with brute force, like tasering or shooting,” asserts Justine Shorter, an international advisor for Disability Inclusive Humanitarian & Disaster Assistance. Despite the drawbacks, the reiteration of #BlackDisabledLivesMatter has paved its way up during a pivotal time in American history with the help of people like Shorter.
How do we go beyond this? How do we sever the connections between racism, classism, and police violence? Advocates have proposed solutions that would address disabled Black people entangled in the legal system. For instance, Campaign Zero, a police reform campaign, recommends police to redirect funds towards solutions to crisis situations, like crisis intervention training and unarmed mental health response teams. Moreover, Advanced Youth Leadership Power (AYLP), an advocacy group organized through Access Living (one of Chicago’s leading disability rights organizations), is trying to educate those concerned about police conduct on the disability component of the abusive narrative written by so many police departments. Others, on the other hand, argue for more radical measures, such as the abolition of the police and prison systems entirely.
Nonetheless, we should not celebrate until the world implements a system that ensures that having a mental health crisis of any magnitude does not become a death sentence. Understanding the nuances of policing on Black disabled bodies is necessary to create solutions that will help mitigate centuries of violence, aggression, and wrongful denial of rights that have led to the deaths of far too many.
Recommendations For Change
Systems of oppression have been organized to ensure marginalized groups are unable to be integrated members of society. Even as civil rights laws have given them ample access to their communities, BIPOC people with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by police brutality, which has often led to death. Many times, the people harmed are segregated in low-income, inaccessible neighborhoods. To build more inclusive, safe, and integrated communities, we must continue the fight for reforms at the local, state, and national levels.
Disability is not a crime: “As a society, we’ve evolved, and police practices have to/should reflect that evolution” - Harold Spence
- Advocate for an increase in the number of mental health professionals in law enforcement agencies
Changing Crisis Response: Invest in crisis intervention teams comprised of compassionate peers trained in de-escalation and trauma-informed care instead of law enforcement members who are trained on a “warrior” mentality
- Eliminate School Resource Officers
References
Jones, Valencia. “Family of Matthew Zadok Williams Sues for Alleged ADA Violations.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 21 Feb. 2023, https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/family-of-matthew-zadok-williams-sues-for-alleged-ada-violations/.
“White Paper on Law Enforcement Use of Force and Disability.” Ruderman Foundation, Mar. 2016, https://rudermanfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/MediaStudy-PoliceDisability_final-final.pdf.
Scott, K., PhD, Buehler, E., PhD. “State And Local Government Expenditures On Police Protection In The U.S.” 13 July 2020, http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail.