What happened next that evening in May 2021 is the basis for a lawsuit by the mother alleging that Burlington police used excessive force and discriminated against her unarmed son, who is Black and has behavioral and intellectual disabilities.

After he failed to hand over the last of the stolen e-cigarettes, two officers physically forced him to do so, then Cathy Austrian’s son was handcuffed and pinned to the ground as he screamed and struggled, according to a civil lawsuit filed Tuesday and police body-camera video shared with The Associated Press by the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont.

The teen eventually was injected with a ketamine, a sedative, then taken to a hospital, according to the lawsuit and video.

  • Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social
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    8 months ago

    If you have a problem and you call the cops you now have two problems

    Edit: Also, who administered the ketamine? Had they received training in appropriate dosing? Or did some dumb cop just shove a needle into a kid and hope he didn’t die.

    • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Or did some dumb cop just shove a needle into a kid and hope he didn’t die.

      Or did some malicious cop just shove a needle into a kid and hope he did die?

    • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Usually it’s administered by EMS. At least here it is.

      At least it’s supposed to be. Cops generally only have slightly better medical training than you’re average cpr/fa/aed cert holder.

      Basically, it’s just enough they can say they tried to keep that guy they just shot alive long enough for EMS to show up.

  • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Obviously the police are the criminals here, but that mom…

    They clearly didn’t grow up being told what I was always told: “if you’ve got a problem and you call the police, now you’ve got two problems.”

    • Socsa@sh.itjust.works
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      8 months ago

      Yeah this is some abusive, privileged bullshit and I really hope this idiot learned a lesson. I also hope her child reminds her of this shit anytime she starts mounting her high horse in the future.

      • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
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        Yes, the elderly woman that adopted an at-needs child of color is the one being abusive and privileged.

        The abusive, privileged bullshit is your comment.

          • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
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            She mistakenly thought that calling the cops to talk to her child about not stealing would help him understand why it’s wrong and what the stakes are. She’s an old white woman. She didn’t realize that cops wouldn’t treat her large, black child as subhuman.

            She was stupid and ignorant, but the cops are the monsters here. Don’t get it twisted with your own relationships with your parents. This isn’t that.

            • wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
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              8 months ago

              Insanely weird to project your parental issues on a lady calling the cops on her adopted black child, but being old is not an excuse for not being aware of the century long issue of cops treating black people poorly.

              • Doof@lemmy.world
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                8 months ago

                there was a time where media portrayed that as a reasonable thing to do, the police would come and talk to their kid. I’ve heard stories about it happening. Hell when i kid we got caught being destructive and the cops who caught us took us on tour of where we could end up. We got brought in the truck straight to the cells. It is a foolish thought but a person who holds some idyllic model in their heads sometimes are blinded by it.

                • wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
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                  8 months ago

                  She has a black lives matter sign in front of her house.

                  She isnt senile, and she is aware of a movement dedicated to dealing with police aggression.

                  Her age isnt an excuse. She clearly should have known better. Its insane to excuse her behavior.

                • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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                  8 months ago

                  When I was in cubs as a child, they took us to a police station and the cops talked to us about various things, we got our fingerprints taken (for us to keep, not their system) and we got to check out the jail cells.

                  Cops have definitely been used for educational purposes in the past. I don’t remember much of it specifically, but i remember it being a great experience.

                • wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
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                  8 months ago

                  ???

                  There was no “no u” here.

                  Are you whiny about the fact that they projected their parental issues onto anyone who correctly judged the idiot for calling the cops? Thats their projection, that they said.

                  Correctly noting the idiot should have known better about the older-than-her issue of cops beating black folk for the sin of being black has nothing to do with anyones parents.

                  Telling someone not to project their problems isnt a “no u,” but its cute your best retort was to brag about how poorly you read.

  • Fisk400@feddit.nu
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    8 months ago

    This is a minor problem compared to the fucking forced ketamin injections but can we please use more words to describe these types of issues. Like, specific ones. “Behavioral issues and intellectual disabilities” has also been used to describe the kid that almost beat a teacher to death for saying he shouldn’t have his Nintendo in school and the flying guy that tried to kill the judge. If there is no difference between how we describe them and this kid, we are just reinventing calling people retarded in increasingly elaborate ways.

    • medgremlin@midwest.social
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      8 months ago

      I see your point, but that is a bigger can of worms than I think you are expecting. There are dozens of genetic or congenital disorders that can lead to intellectual disabilities and hundreds of acquired ones; all of which result in a range of severity. Also, “intellectual disabilities” and “behavioral problems” are very large buckets of different manifestations. In order to differentiate in the way that you are asking for, they would need to report exact diagnoses and give a detailed description of the individual to differentiate them, and even then, there would need to be a lot of context and clarification if they are to avoid misinterpretation or misunderstanding of any terms or descriptions used.

      • Fisk400@feddit.nu
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        8 months ago

        I’m not saying it’s easy. When I say specific I just mean more specific than the huge bucket we currently have. Maybe 5 buckets so that this kid doesn’t need to share a bucket with the Nintendo kid i mentioned.

      • Fisk400@feddit.nu
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        8 months ago

        I’m sure there is some middle ground we can find. His mother is named in the article and his actions were explained in depth so I don’t see a problem with being a bit more specific with what caused the behaviour. Especially when the phrase is also used to describe quite violent people.

        • girlfreddy@lemmy.caOP
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          I have to wonder why you want a clearer picture of what the boy was suffering from, 'cause from my vantage point it seems it’s only to satisfy your own curiosity rather than solve a larger issue.

          Imo it’s none of our business what his diagnoses was as he was the victim here.

          • Fisk400@feddit.nu
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            8 months ago

            If it’s not relevant they dont need to bring it up. If it is relevant I would like to know what way it is relevant. I am fine with either but not both.

            Don’t forget that the reason I want there to be more detail is because they used the expression as an excuse for that guy that jumped the judge. A guy that was articulate and friendly right up until he turned feral. I think it is doing this kid a disservice to put these two very different people under the same vague header. It’s what they did with the r-slur and it’s why it’s considered a slur today.

            • girlfreddy@lemmy.caOP
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              8 months ago

              Again, in this particular instance he was the victim.

              Blanket rules in revealing diagnoses do not take into account individual’s right to privacy. I prefer to respect that right vs your request to know.

              • Fisk400@feddit.nu
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                8 months ago

                I don’t know why “a bit more specific” is being read as reveal his medical history.

                • girlfreddy@lemmy.caOP
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                  8 months ago

                  Because being specific is a breach of privacy. It’s really none of our business unless ofc one is a busybody.

    • Socsa@sh.itjust.works
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      8 months ago

      Meh, not criminalizing children is usually a good thing, and language is an important part of that.

    • mainframegremlin@programming.dev
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      8 months ago

      What sound does a cow make? Moo. What sound does a dog make? Woof. What sound does a cat make? Meow. What sound does a pig make? UP AGAINST THE WALL MOTHER FUCKER.

  • shalafi@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Liberals: “GUNS BAD!”

    Also Liberals: “Calling the cops will get you killed!”

    Fuck am I supposed to do?!

    POC, LGBT and women: “We’re the biggest gun purchasing demographic because we see what’s coming.” That’s our right, and everyone but white liberals seems to be exercising it.

    Did I make you uncomfortable? Sure as hell hope I did. The problem is our culture, not people like me.

    I’ll defend you if it comes to it, do my damndest if it comes to “trains”, but please stop whining about gun owners. Stop whining about, “They want to exterminate trans people!” Get a fucking clue and work towards self-defense. FFS, stop losing votes.

    I often read, “But gosh! What if the pigs exterminate ME personally?!” Either grow a pair and die with your boots on, or get the fuck out my face. This isn’t a schoolyard tussle. We’re entering a fight for American democracy, and for you gay and trans folks, it’s a fight for your right to continue life.

    • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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      8 months ago

      You’d think if liberals actually believed Trump is a fascist and American democracy is on the ballot, they’d arm themselves to be prepared.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Why do you want people uncomfortable with you having a gun? Do you have some sort of need to instill fear in people who aren’t doing you any harm?

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          This is what they wrote:

          POC, LGBT and women: “We’re the biggest gun purchasing demographic because we see what’s coming.” That’s our right, and everyone but white liberals seems to be exercising it.

          Did I make you uncomfortable? Sure as hell hope I did. The problem is our culture, not people like me.

          Seems like maybe you didn’t read it.

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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              Ah, insulting me rather than explaining what I supposedly misread. Sounds to me like I didn’t actually misread anything and you just want to attack me for not being afraid of guns for some reason.

              Sorry, I’m still not afraid of guns and you can’t insult me into being afraid of them.

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                  8 months ago

                  That’s not what they said.

                  Again, this is what they said:

                  POC, LGBT and women: “We’re the biggest gun purchasing demographic because we see what’s coming.” That’s our right, and everyone but white liberals seems to be exercising it.

                  Did I make you uncomfortable? Sure as hell hope I did. The problem is our culture, not people like me.

                  I don’t know why you’re trying to gaslight me when this is the second time I’ve pasted what they said.

                  Now I guess you’ll insult me again?

    • morphballganon@lemmy.world
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      Liberals don’t say “guns bad.” They say “let’s make sure only people who pass a background check can buy them.”

      But I guess the truth isn’t relevant to your narrative.

      • Dark Arc@social.packetloss.gg
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        8 months ago

        I mean it’s the same problem broad labels always have … liberals the term is for everything left of Bernie Sanders to the ball park Joe Manchin depending on who you’re talking to.

    • kebabslob
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      8 months ago

      Love seeing liberals get called out on their weird takes

      • ABCDE@lemmy.world
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        What’s your point here? You both treat “liberals” (whatever that means) as being one homogenous group incapable of nuance or differing views.

      • Lmaydev@programming.dev
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        8 months ago

        People buy guns to protect themselves from people with guns.

        Weird that this problem doesn’t happen in most countries isn’t it. I’m sure it’s nothing to do with the gun laws.

    • Draedron@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      8 months ago

      Guess what? If you had good laws the other side wouldnt have guns either. What we propose? No guns and a well educated police force. You in america have the worst combination of crazy people like you, hoping for the day they can shoot someone, gun fetishism, idiotic gun laws and a completely untrained and aggressive police force.

  • Minotaur@lemm.ee
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    8 months ago

    Yeah god bless the woman I’m sure she had good intentions - but she’s not living in some 1990s public service announcement where the nice policeman gives valuable lessons to children.

    Police are like… an absolute last resort “I need someone shot” measure. The fact that we also have them (for no particular reason) also authorize things like reports for insurance related incidents is a pretty colossal failure of “the system” as a whole

    • Æon@lemmy.sdf.org
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      8 months ago

      Exactly this. I can’t imagine how sheltered I’d have to be to still believe calling the police to “teach someone a lesson” is anything but a catastrophically bad idea. And I’m pretty sheltered already!

  • doctorcrimson@lemmy.today
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    8 months ago

    I feel the struggle, my little brother has been in and out of prison for years. He just has to be cool for a while, catch rides to work and the store, and he could pay off his fines and go back to normal life, but it always gets out of hand.

    Cops have no mercy in their soul.