When my first husband attended the police academy,
the first rule of thumb for cadets was to never fire a
weapon unless they had no choice. The second rule was to
shoot to kill. I remember this vividly, because spouses
of the cadets were given classes in firearms and were
taught the reason for deadly force. If you did not kill
the perpetrator, then you might be killed instead.
Many people question this teaching, given the amount
of shootings involving perpetrators who are killed as a
result of suspicion - such as the man killed recently by
federal air marshals after boarding and then fleeing
from a plane at Miami International Airport. The man
allegedly threatened passengers with a bomb. Federal air
marshals reacted based on their training when the man
refused to obey commands and reached into his backpack.
Later it was reported that the man suffered from mental
illness.
There is no way to sugarcoat the fact that mental
illness frightens people. A diagnosis of bipolar disease
or schizophrenia is considered by some to be far worse
than a diagnosis of HIV. Each requires lifelong
treatment, but mental illness carries the uncertainty of
the behavior of the patient.
If medications are not properly administered or taken
on a tightly regimented schedule, the mentally ill
person could appear as a threat to people he or she may
encounter. Frightening behavior is what dictated the
fate of the alleged plane bomber, Rigoberto Alpizar.
Debates on the correctness of the air marshals'
response will go on for a week or two. Was there another
way to defuse the situation? Why didn't Alpizar's wife,
who was with him, succeed in explaining her husband's
behavior? Did they have Alpizar's medication with them?
If not, why not?
Questions also need to be asked of the airline
personnel at the gate and on the plane. What did they
see and hear? What did or didn't they do?
The answers to these questions are important to avoid
another tragic death. When someone has a mental illness
and/or has a caregiver, such as a spouse, at hand, one
or both of them have a responsibility to make sure the
mentally ill person takes the medication on time and has
it in case of an emergency. Hindsight about flight
delays or lost luggage cannot be used as excuses for
erratic behavior.
No one wants to blame the victim when a tragedy such
as Alpizar's shooting happens. The actions or inactions
of Alpizar's wife and the personnel of American Airlines
may have set a tone of fear that could have been
avoided, if questions and answers were given before
Alpizar boarded. The air marshals may have acted
accordingly to the possible threat to the people on the
plane and the ground.
In the end, a man was killed. Fear of the unknown won
out.
McKee, a wheelchair user, is a poet and producer.
You can e-mail her at chairgrrl@chairgrrl.com.
Her column runs on Tuesdays.
