My grandson is a really good kid, very mannerable, and highly intelligent. When I read this article, I said to myself this could have happened to my grandson, because he loves to walk too. He also likes to read scientific books, loves technology, and is very creative. My grandson is getting ready to attend college this fall and is working on creating a video software game. In every academic test that he has been given he has scored higher than anyone in the schools he has attended and can take a test without studying for it with ease. We have a program out my way called GATE for gifted children. He took the test and passed it with a perfect score.
When he was two years old, he was a whiz on the computer. In fact, he was the one that taught me about computers. At the age of five years old, he talked about building a Time Portal to transport people into time and went on to design how he wanted it to look and it wasn't one of those little scribble pictures that preschoolers make that you have to pretend that you know what it is that they drew. It was perfectly shaped and looked like an igloo. Einstein, Mozart, and Marie Curie had Aspergers. However, Aspergers does have its downfall, which you read in the link I put to the article about the symptoms of Aspergers.
This is one story that I can put myself in this young man's mother's shoes and know exactly how she must feel and what she is going through. I can even picture everything this mother is talking about regarding the problem her son has and is facing right now, because I know exactly what she is talking about and how people with Aspergers are misunderstood by people and how situations like this can throw them off balance and send them into a deep depression.
"For the next 11 days, Neli was held without bail, and in isolation at the Rappahannock Regional Jail. Police allowed Neli's school counselor to visit, and she relayed messages and information to Lisa, who was allowed only one visit. "He wasn't able to speak or communicate with me. He appeared to be in a catatonic state," Lisa says."~~Ken Reibel, Huffingtonpost~~
"Neli told his mother that the school officer threatened him, and that Neli said "You're harassing me. You're not allowed to do that. I know my rights," then turned and walked away. According to Neli, the officer grabbed him from behind and choked him. Police reports say a scuffle ensued, during which the officer pepper sprayed Neli. The police version, which you can read here, says Neli then took the spray from the officer and turned it on him." ~~Ken Reibel, Huffingtonpost~
People with Aspergers are brutality honest and are quick to let people know when that person is doing something wrong, because they don't like it when people do bad things. They don't mean any harm by it, they can't help it, but they just feel that everyone should be good and not do bad things. A lot of noise makes them nervous, they like quiet settings. In addition, they hate violence, they will cry like a baby, because they are really against hurting or harming another human being in any type of form or fashion. They sometimes have problems expressing their feelings.
Whoever, called the police with that false report is reponsible for causing this incident to happen. Why people think that every time they see a young black man sitting under a tree minding his own business he has to have a gun or be a thug is beyond does more damage than good. After all, black men like to sit down and relax under a tree and go the library too. Where is the crime in that?
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7 comments:
They really can't help it, as far as they are concerned what they read in "articles" on places like fox news and hear from people like limbaugh is the only truth they need to know. Hell to them we aren't even really people, we are THINGS. They only deal with us if forced and always feel like somehow they did us a favor. And somehow while they may not have gotten through to us WE were better from having met them, even if we understood what they were talking about better then them and tried to show them the folly of their ways.
The fact that this young boy was bright and intelligent was a threat, especially since a bright intelligent black man now sits in the oval office. They now see him in every young intelligent black kid walking the streets and it terrifies them. You can't say we are only SO smart anymore, because somebody proved to be smart period no " " needed, no disclaimers.
I hope his parents sue the hell out of that police department
Granny, first, that's really interesting about your grandson. He sounds like a high functioning Asperger's person. I've known quite a few, and they generally do extremely well in engineering, math, and some of the sciences. Hopefully he'll be fine throughout life.
This story is very upsetting, beginning with the racial profiling phone call. I swear, the fears and/or hate of white folks causes us so much grief and grinds us down. People in my own family and those of my clients have been victims of racial profiling just like that case.
The officer also did not act by the book. Technically, he had grounds based on that phone call to arrest him the young man immediately. But noooo, he wanted a discussion first, and got his feelings hurt and had his white privilege threatened when the kid told him he knew his rights and this was harassment, and walked away. Rights or not, a black or brown man who challenges a white cop is at risk. The way the barred his mother from seeing him until the school counselor intervened is also questionable from a legal standpoint. Reminds me of the gulags in old South Africa.
I wonder if this poor kid is now in an over-medicated stupor in the mental institution that's doing a 30 day evaluation. I hope he's given a good, non-racist psychiatrist and clinical social worker, and I wonder if hospital is state run. If so they might get political and compound the problem with omissions of what this kid says or twists his words, in order to make the patient the sacrificial lamb to spare the county budget.
Anyway, the mother has a new website and an online petition. It's here:
http://avoiceforneli.com/
Amen Prima!
I hope that she sues them too, but most of all I hope she is able to retain a good attorney that will help free her son, before more damage is done to him and his self-esteem. After he was searched and it was found that he had no gun, that should have been the end of it, and he should have been let go. Last time I heard this is suppose to be the land of the free and people are entitled to express their opinion. However, it seems like only if you are white are you entitled to those privileges. Why the police think that they must use excessive force with only our unarmed black children shows just how one-sided our justice system really is.
Kit:
My grandson is extremely good in math as well. When the young man in this topic told that police officer that it was harrassment, he knew his rights, and he can't do that, I thought to myself that this is something my grandson would say. Mainly, I say this because one of my children works in law enforcement, four of his neighbors are also in the same field, so my grandson has been exposed to law enforcement white and black in social settings, my son's neighbors, baseball, or going fishing with my son and some of those he works with. So he sees a different side of them. Therefore, I assume a situation like what the young man in the article experienced would be something different from what he is normally used to being exposed to and the fact that people with Aspergers will truthfully point out when something is wrong.
Yes, Kit, I believe he is one of those high functioning people with Aspergers, and more on the level of Einstein. Some of the stuff he talks about amazes me and others as well and that has been going on since he was a two years old.
The great thing about this population is the gifted ones like your grandson often earn a fortune, invent the impossible, marry and have a family. I've met a few.
They are some of our best minds and inventors. I've wondered if Bill Gates has a mild case of it; he has a rep for the classic rocking behavior when he's thinking. Very nerdy, is how laymen see it. I wish your grandson the best.
I talked to my baby today and he was telling me about the classes he has enrolled in. and I could tell he is happy and looking forward to attending college.
I remember when he was about five years old and was telling me and my goddaughter about polar bears being an endangered species because of the environment warming up. I laughed, not because it was funny but because he sorta shocked me with his comment out of the blue and him being only five years old; my goddaughter told me don't laugh, he might be the one have to give us a job one day.
The fact is that teens with Asperger's may have trouble understanding the emotions of other people (e.g., messages conveyed by facial expression, eye contact and body language). Thus, teens with Aspergers might be seen as egotistical, selfish or uncaring. In most cases, these are unfair labels because they are neurologically unable to understand other people's emotional states. They are usually surprised, upset or remorseful when told that their actions are hurtful or inappropriate.
Yes, Skyler, that is one of the downsides of Aspergers. Thanks for that link! I really appreciate it.
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