Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Autism Acceptance Challenge 9: What Will You Do?

No fun and games today.

Once again a young Black autistic man has been victimized by those who were charged with protecting him. Kayleb Moon-Robinson kicked a trash can at his middle school. He was subsequently arrested, handcuffed, charged with and convicted of a felony. Yes, he tried to resist. What would you do? What would you do if you were Black and autistic and therefore conditioned to being treated as less than human?

He kicked a trash can.
Not a person.
Not a computer.
Not another kid's favorite toy.
A trash can.

Go read this. 
Read the links on this post.

I'm not going to try to say this stuff better than it's already been said.

Think about this.
What does our community do in cases like this? Do we do enough?
What did you do to support Neli Latson? 
What will you do for Kayleb Moon-Robinson?

Will you sign the petition?
Will you share this story with everyone you know?
Will you write or call a legislator?
Will you demand that the organizations claiming to support autistic people take a stand?

Think about what you will do.
Tell me.


Kayleb Moon-Robinson
#justiceforKayleb

8 comments:

  1. My wife brought this to my attention and I found it to be absolutely bewildering. I think back to my school and the violent activity that took place there. At least a couple of times a month there was an incident. A teacher got trampled, people were sent to the hospital, and people were kicking other PEOPLE instead of trash cans. Not once were the police involved, and in discussing this with other people not once did the police ever get involved in their schools either. Kicking a trashcan is a very minor offense, but I guess they are considering the double whammy of being autistic and black to be what he is really guilty of.

    I've signed the petition, and have spread the word about this event. I'll be contacting any organization that claims to represent autistic folks to see if they are willing to step up too.

    It's really a shame this happened and even worse because I'm sure this event has been beyond traumatic and probably near impossible to get over.

    BH

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, BH. People who have been mythologized as dangerous are easily devalued and abused. It is not safe to be either black or neurologically divergent in the U.S. Thank you for calling attention to this injustice.

      Delete
  2. I signed the petition, I posted news item about Kayleb. This is so upsetting.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I signed the petition and shared on FB. I never liked school and was always confused by the focus on compliance and control above learning. I am surprised that schools now get police involved...very disturbing. -Jennifer V

    ReplyDelete
  4. Petition signed and shared. I'm not in the USA and as my son is autistic and mixed race (though most people assume he is white) I am glad that I do not live in a place where the police routinely shots civilians. I know that his differences mark him out and that hate crime against disabled people is all too common here too. I will continue to campaign on these issues and mention them to all candidates canvassing at our upcoming elections.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sharon. It is really alarming what is going on here. The lack of accountability is truly frightening, as is the number of people who continue to defend the officers in these situations. Thank you for adding your voice.

      Delete

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