The nexus is news at Jefferson, How to Have Difficult Conversations About COVID and Race Relations. The woman given ketamine had requested an asthma pump after police sprayed her with mace. Why the person behind Libs of TikTok doesn't matter, Finland is voting to join NATO, but Hungary is joining Turkey as an obstacle, Why Fox News pushed Trump's bogus election claims, Tennessee governor says photo of him in skirt and wig irrelevant to drag show ban, Jupiter and Venus to 'kiss' in the night sky Wednesday evening, Hyundai recalls 65,000 cars over possible exploding seatbelts, Why space experts want to establish a lunar time zone, Sign up for The Week's "Today's best articles" newsletter here. A GoFundMe page created by Sheneen McClain, Mr. McClains mother, raised more than $2 million, and more than five million people signed an online petition demanding that the officers involved be taken off duty and that there be an in-depth investigation of the encounter. At the time, McClain, a massage therapist, was wearing a ski mask, according to the indictment. All rights reserved. She and her team also investigated how interpersonal influences such as community and social networks can influence ones decision to wear a mask. Elijah McClain believed in the healing power of love, he played violin for kittens, and none of it was enough to convince police that he wasn't a bad person. He was never into, like, fitting in. !#JusticeForElijahMcClain https://t.co/gRkCrsfNkk pic.twitter.com/9KGtxppeuo, remi cruz (@missremiashten) June 24, 2020. On June 9, City Manager Jim Twombly agreed to undertake an independent investigation of McClains death, pursuant to Aurora lawmakers request. McClain, 23, was killed in Aurora, Colorado, about 40 minutes from Boulder, Colorado - the site where a gunman with an AR-15-style rifle stormed through a supermarket killing 10 on March 22, 2021. Most likely the decedents physical exertion contributed to death. However, one comment heard in the body camera footage suggests the dose may have been 500 milligrams. His sister later told a local ABC affiliate, Denver7, that McClain was wearing an open-face ski mask because he "had anemia and would sometimes get cold." And although he was unarmed, simply walking home, and, his sister said, listening to music, police claimed that "a struggle ensued." The report also notes that first responders injected McClain with an inappropriately large dose of ketamine based on a grossly inaccurate and inflated estimate of Mr. McClains size without attempting to examine or question him first. Though Mr. McClain had not committed a crime, officers immediately restrained him, telling him to stop resisting when he put his arms up to his chest and to stop tensing up. The footage shows Mr. McClain pleading with the officers to let go of him, and trying to get out of their grip. Or perhaps the cardiac arrest in the ambulance wasn't so idiosyncratic, as cardiovascular and respiratory symptoms are among ketamine's common side effects. We need to stay vigilant, because not everyone can get the vaccine yet, or are simply unable to get the vaccine due to other health concerns, Dr. Casola says. At one point, he says, I cant breathe, similar to Floyd and Eric Garner. Before the city report, Minneapolis had no department rules prohibiting police "prescriptions" of ketamine, even though the department manual labeled it a date rape drug. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Rene was named a 2019 AHCJ Comparative Effectiveness Research fellow, a 2020 USC Center for Health Journalism California fellow, and holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles. His family later said he often wore a ski mask because he had anemia and would sometimes get cold. The best data comes from Minneapolis, where Floyd was killed. On the way to the hospital, he had a heart attack and went a coma, Patch reported. According to the petition, the officers used excessive force unnecessarily. The 23-year-old unarmed Black man died in 2019 after having contact with Aurora Police Department officers in Colorado, according to the Global Dispatch. A nexus of ideas, The central and most important point or place. The officers were responding to a 911 call about a sketchy person wearing a ski mask and waving his arms. Because he had a blood circulation disorder that made it difficult for him to chill out, he wore a ski mask as well as warm clothing. When an independent report investigating the August 2019 death of Elijah McClain was released in February, it found that police had no legally justifiable reason to stop McClain that evening let alone search him and restrain him with multiple carotid chokeholds. Black people, men especially, have spoken out about the dangers of wearing any mask as a Black person because it puts them at risk of being labelled suspicious, increasing the likelihood of a deadly confrontation with police. His family said McClain wore the mask because he had anemia that caused him to get cold easily. Youngs office, plus hundreds of complaints filed with the police department. Ketamine, a powerful sedative, might be given by paramedics to calm. She was also invited to help with a police reform bill in the works at the state capitol. Anyone can read what you share. It is unclear what exactly caused Mr. McClain to go into cardiac arrest. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, This password will be used to sign into all, who has been covering gender, politics, and culture since 2018, How to Support the Struggle Against Police Brutality, What We Know About the Killing of Elijah McClain, 39 Pairs of Sneakers to Upgrade Your Wardrobe, Im On the Hunt for the Best Sunscreens Without a White Cast, Nobody Wants to Perform at King Charless Big Party. We need to see the math books. An autopsy report by the Adams County coroner said that the cause of death was undetermined, and that it could have been a result of natural causes, a homicide related to the carotid hold or an accident. A piece of text accurately transcribes the last words of Elijah McClain in a video recording of his encounter with police officers before he died in August 2019. A statutory ban to the same effect would be a stronger caution, as might setting legal prerequisites for paramedic use of sedatives during police encounters. Brittney Griner Made Everyone Emotional at the NAACP Awards. He is actually a victim., I looked at everything that happened to him because its my responsibility, she added. Jared Polis appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the case and file charges if "the facts support prosecution.". Paramedics arrived, giving McClain an "excessive" dose of ketamine, according to McCain's lawyer, and McClain suffered from cardiac arrest shortly after in an ambulance. He tells them his name, says he has ID but no gun, and pleads that his house is right there. He sobs and vomits and apologizes: I wasnt trying to do that, he says. In September 2021, a grand jury indicted the three officers involved in Mr. McClains death, as well as two paramedics, Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec, with the Aurora Fire Department. Elijah McClain's mother Sheneen McClain at her attorney's office on March 3, 2021. This is a decision that needs to be clearly made by EMS Personnel, not MPD Officers. Interim police chief Wilson fired him, along with two other officers who appeared in photos taken at a memorial for McClain in October 2019. , IP, Yahoo. WBAL NewsRadio 1090/FM 101.5 - A group of police officers and paramedics have pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the role they are accused of playing in the death of a 23-year-old Black . Mr. McClain died days after he was detained by the police in August 2019. He entered the store, purchased an iced tea, and exited. McClain was wearing headphones and a ski mask over his face because of a chronic health condition and did not stop when police called to him. After a resident called police because McClain looked "suspicious," Aurora police officers Nathan Woodyard, Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt pulled up and told the young Black man to stop. Black people, men especially, have spoken out about the dangers of wearing any mask as a Black person because it puts them at risk of being labelled "suspicious," increasing the likelihood of a deadly confrontation with police. The investigators note that racial biases may have influenced authorities perceptions of McClain as being much bigger than he actually was. Those who knew him describe him as gentle: I dont even think he would set a mouse trap if there was a rodent problem, his friend, Eric Behrens, told the Sentinel. Roedema and Rosenblatt also face one count each of second-degree assault with intent to cause bodily injury and committing a crime of violence. I hear and understand Councils concernsas well as the communitysabout the individual that was hired to conduct the review, Twombly said in a statement on June 10. The police killed more than 1,000 people in the United States in 2019, 23% of whom were Black. At that time, it was possible that people in rural communities may not have known anyone with the virus and felt that mask wearing was simply an overreaction.. A Change.org petition calls for the officers involved in his death to be taken off duty and for the entire incident to be investigated again independently. He wore a ski mask to cover his face. dangers of wearing any mask as a Black person, police murders of Black people with health conditions or a disability, cleared without repercussions by the police board in February, Sandra Bland, who died in a Texas jail after being arrested for a lane change violation, had epilepsy and depression, Eric Garner, who was killed by New York police officers who put him in a choke hold, had asthma, diabetes and a heart condition, Baltimore residentFreddie Gray, who had a developmental disability, died after a spinal injury caused by a rough ride in a police van, Tanisha Anderson, who lived in Ohio, was having a mental health crisis when police restrained her face down outside her home, which killed her. Meanwhile, when police do recommend ketamine, our old friend qualified immunity often ensures they escape legal consequence. According to McClains family, the 23-year-old had made a quick trip to the convenience store to pick up an iced tea for his brother. Mr. McClain was violently struggling with officers, who were attempting to restrain him, the report read. "Weve been standing by the family throughout the case and the pain theyve suffered," Halpern told ABC News. But as the Jefferson researchers, led by Allison R. Casola, PhD, explored in a recent article, the individual decision to wear a mask during COVID-19 is deeply rooted across ones social-ecological network. Privacy We need to bring the message to the public in a way that will meet them where they are. Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old massage therapist and skilled violist, died following an encounter with police in August 2019 while he was walking home from a convenience store. McClains autopsy also raised questions. Paramedics were called to assist the police and injected McClain with ketamine to sedate him. On Aug. 11, 2020, Mr. McClains family filed a lawsuit against the city of Aurora. At the time of the injection, the report states, Mr. According to Colorado Music, he played music for them because he thought they were lonely and the music would calm them. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. I wouldnt say torture unless I mean it, and I do mean it.. Someone called. In the report, it was also noted that Mr. McClain had chronic asthma. In it, we find some strange behaviors of Elijah McClain. The police called it justified. It was excessive force and it led to his death., An independent panel investigating Mr. McClains death issued a highly critical report on Feb. 22, 2021, faulting officers for stopping him without justification and for escalating their use of force, including the two applications of the carotid hold. Black people with health condition are especially at risk. Many might wonder why it is mandatory in one state, but not in another. McClain was walking home from a grocery store on the evening of Aug. 24, 2019, when he was stopped by three Aurora police officers. Heres What You Need to Know About Elijah McClains Death, https://www.nytimes.com/article/who-was-elijah-mcclain.html. "Courts only consider [breaking qualified immunity] if there's been another case, in their jurisdiction, where someone was sued for very similar conduct, and that conduct was found unconstitutional," Craven said. The WNBA star got a standing ovation and called for the return of other detainees. Public health researchers at Jefferson recommend ways to avoid misinformation during the COVID19 pandemic, like seeking out trusted sources, local updates, and cross-checked information, JeffMask, JeffVent Missions Seek to Help Fill Potential PPE and Ventilator Gaps. Two years earlier, Elijah McClain died after being stopped while walking down the street in the Denver suburb of Aurora. On August 24, 2019, McClain was walking home from work wearing a ski mask he wore to keep himself warm, because he was anemic. I just cant breathe correctly. One of the officers can also be heard threatening to set his dog on McClain if he keep[s] messing around and claiming McClain exhibited an extreme show of strength when officers tried to pin back his arms. Mr. McClain was walking home from a convenience store on Aug. 24, 2019, when someone called 911, saying he looked sketchy and was wearing a ski mask and waving his arms. Jared Polis eventually appointed Attorney General Phil Weiser as a special prosecutor to investigate Mr. McClains death. His name, his legacy. , Yahoo, Yahoo. His family says he wore it to keep warm. A photograph of Mr. McClain playing the violin for stray cats he believed the music helped soothe them has gone viral. An Aurora Fire Department press release said ketamine is "routinely utilized to reduce agitation" during arrests. 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