It has been 6 months since Ethan Saylor died at the hands of three off-duty police officers and there has still been no justice. Here is a re-post of my blog entry about his death. We cannot – and will not – forget.
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On January 12, 2013, a 26 year old man named Robert “Ethan” Saylor died. He died because he didn’t buy a movie ticket and the security guards (three off-duty police officers) called in to handle the situation chose physical restraint instead of de-escalation. Ethan is dead; the three officers walk free.
This tragic event brings to light four very uncomfortable truths – truths that if we tackle head on and deal with, we could change the narrative about disability in this country.
Uncomfortable Truth 1:
The world is not always a pleasant place for people with disabilities. This is an entire segment of the population that continues to be marginalized, ignored, denied access, patronized, put away, put down. There is a deep ugliness in the heart of some people when it comes to disability.
We hide behind our non-profits and our laws. We say that our fellow human beings are cared for, loved, and included. The harsh truth is they aren’t always, and we prove it every single day. It’s the blocks you have to go to find a curb cut. It’s having to fight to get your kid an education the law says should be given to you. It’s people thinking they have the right to tell you that your kid shouldn’t even be alive.
For Ethan, it manifested in a horrible, irrevocable way. It’s the bystanders who refused to speak up and call for cooler heads. It’s the officers who determined that the appropriate response to lack-of-movie-ticket was cuffs and face to the ground. It’s the Grand Jury who decided that despite a homicide, despite the absolute negligent behavior of three law enforcement officers, there should be absolutely zero consequences. Just another disabled guy out of this world, no longer a burden to society.
Uncomfortable Truth 2:
These prejudices exist within the disability community. People say Ethan shouldn’t have been there, that he hadn’t had enough “compliance training,” and that their children would never act like that. We preach about independence, going to college, and real work for real pay, but when we find out about a man who went out into the world to see a movie, we blame him. We see a mom who allowed her child independence and we condemn her.
Our prejudices are showing. Time to deal with them.
How can we expect the world to welcome our children if we ourselves are so quick to judge? There should be a single message coming from the Down syndrome community: Ethan Saylor had the right to see a movie in a public place. And he had a right not to die.
Uncomfortable Truth 3:
Sometimes law enforcement officers do the wrong thing.
Ethan died because of the poor choices of law enforcement. There’s really no way around that. If the officers had chosen to back off, to de-escalate the situation, to take ten seconds and think about Ethan’s crime and the reasonable response, would Mr. Saylor be dead today? No.
It’s a horrible truth that sometimes the very people we trust to protect us do the worst thing imaginable: kill someone. And the companion truth is sometimes those in law enforcement deserve consequences for the poor choices they’ve made.
Uncomfortable Truth 4:
The fix isn’t going to be quick or easy. There is no “feel good” solution to this. Frankly, it’s an insult to Ethan’s life to think that we can find one.
National Down syndrome organizations are pushing for law enforcement training as the answer, but training will only further the idea that his disability played a role in his death.
Down syndrome didn’t cause Ethan’s death – three off-duty police officers who were over zealous did. In fact, these officers already had training in the two things that might have saved Mr. Saylor: de-escalation and proper restraint procedures. Their 49 years of combined experience should have given them plenty of opportunities to work with people with disabilities.
Training does not fix the deeply rooted societal belief that Mr. Saylor never should have been at the movie theater to begin with. It does not fix the belief that Mr. Saylor somehow asked for this or deserved to die.
What’s needed here is justice. The officers need to be held accountable. We must push for an investigation into this case and bring all the facts to light. Letting them off the hook sends a powerful and dangerous message: you can kill a man with Down syndrome and return to work without consequences.
Then the Down syndrome community needs to hold society accountable. Challenge these ugly ideas, create a world where our children can go to the movies.
It’s time to change the narrative. Let’s talk about the big picture – true acceptance, true understanding. All the training in the world won’t make a difference until it is a deeply held belief that people with disabilities have worth. We can do it, if we do it together.
So what can you do?
If you’re going to the NDSC conference this summer, please find Patti and Emma Saylor. They will have a booth with information and action steps. Patti is also giving a presentation – attend and offer her your support.
Our national organizations are asking us to contact Maryland’s governor. Ask him to push for independent investigation into Mr. Saylor’s death. Information can be found here.
Join us on Facebook and stay up-to-date. The Justice for Ethan facebook page can be found here.
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