King’s crusade for justice eludes disabled

The truth must be told, people with disabilities are treated in many ways unequally and of far less value than the general public which is discrimination

DELMAR, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, January 17, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- We have severe life threatening matters that are clearly discriminatory and unconstitutional, but the disabled are a forgotten and almost always an ignored group of people. Some of our most vulnerable among us that need us in many cases for their daily care are being treated as far lower class people. There will not be many individuals that will acknowledge this fact publicly because it is so shameful, but like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we too must stand up and speak out against such injustices. Just because a person happens to have a disability does not change the fact that they are equal, not only in Gods eyes, but the eyes of our laws and Constitution. Here is where the problem lies, just because the laws and Constitution are in place to ensure us the same rights and protections, there are people and institutions that still ignore these rights for certain groups of people. This press release is to expose that people with disabilities living outside of their family residences in residential care facilities and group homes are almost always denied immediate 911 emergency medical and police services when victims of crimes or in medical distress. Most people when they here of this they are first shocked and in disbelief and then it hits them and they usually say emphatically, what did you just say. Then the anger and outrage usually comes out and I would hear again something like this emphatically, you got to be kidding me. Then I explain how the disabled are treated as unequally valuable people and deemed not worthy of the same emergency assistance that everyone benefits from. We don’t have the money or time for them is the overwhelming pervasive attitude. When I explain to people that the disabled in most cases suffer similar discriminatory and civil rights violations that African Americans did and many still do, they get it. The light bulb goes on and they see it for what it really is, they see the ugliness and the evil of such behavior. No one is better than anyone else and since when can anyone or any group of people continue to purposefully deny people with disabilities 911 first responder emergency medical and police services or deny this specific group of people their constitutional right to equal protection of laws any longer?
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out against such injustices so eloquently and it is important for us all to remember not only him, but all that he stood for and against. “God is not interested merely in the freedom of black men, and brown men, and yellow men; God is interested in the freedom of the whole human race.” This famous quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who has influenced my life greatly reveals that he fought against all injustices, regarding all people. http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/inspiring-quotes/31-powerful-quotes-by-dr-martin-luther-king-jr.html “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” and “Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly” are famous quotes penned by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a letter from the Birmingham, Alabama Jail in 1963. These quotes speak volumes on how injustices affect us all in one way or another, we cannot deny this fact. As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s life and his awesome accomplishments fighting for civil rights I am compelled to shout it from the rooftops and bring to light this gross discrimination and civil rights violations occurring today that are sickening, extremely dangerous and deadly, that must be stopped. Dr. King also said that “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.” So what must be brought into the bright light is the fact that over 50 years have passed since Dr. King boldly spoke the truth, “that all men are created equal” that some of our absolute most vulnerable fellow citizens amongst us, people with disabilities, are being treated as far lower class people, they are victims of egregious discrimination that in many circumstances this discrimination is costing so many innocent people their lives, like my precious son Jonathan.
Jonathan had autism and he was developmentally disabled and only 13 when he was denied 911 emergency services a few times before he was ultimately killed. Jonathan was only 13 when he was suffocated to death by his New York State caregiver. What happened to Jonathan speaks loud and clear today for equal rights for the disabled and to end such gross injustices. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/06/nyregion/boys-death-highlights-crisis-in-homes-for-disabled.html and https://www.nytimes.com/video/nyregion/100000000849083/a-failure-to-protect.html . As Jonathan’s father and the founder of the Jonathan Carey Foundation http://jonathancareyfoundation.org/ I cannot remain silent. The horrors and literal atrocities that Jonathan suffered and endured within the three short years he lived in residential care facilities before he was killed demand massive reforms.
It is important to bring out a fact that in New York State the person that is disabled living outside of their family home is in grave danger of physical or sexual abuse, neglect or premature death because of the problem I have brought to light, but also the fact that almost all safety and abuse prevention measures are not in place to provide safe care. Governor Cuomo has known of the wide-scale discrimination and unsafe care of the disabled since he was the Attorney General and throughout his entire time as Governor of New York State, yet 7,000 calls continue to go to his abuse hotline for the disabled on average every month. The 911 emergency call systems are almost always bypassed. The physical and sexual abuse, neglect and death of the disabled in New York State is rampant and nothing significant is being done to stop it and everything imaginable is being done to circumvent 911 call systems, local authorities, laws, County elected District Attorney’s, Medical Examiners and Coroners, as well as local courts. It is as if the disabled are not really human beings, it is that bad. At the same time this is going on Governor Cuomo invokes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his crusade for justice not being over in an attempt to move to help another group of people that he favors. I have attached the Daily News piece that he wrote which came out on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/gov-cuomo-martin-luther-king-crusade-justice-not-article-1.2947176 . It is very interesting that on the same day my letter titled, “Clean your own house, gov” http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/jan-16-waldorf-politics-paris-article-1.2946199 (towards bottom) was two pages over in the Daily News Newspaper. Governor Cuomo is ignoring the rights and immediate safety, health and lives of upwards of 1,000,000 New Yorkers with disabilities. It is both outrageous and appalling that the disabled are being such victims of discrimination and civil rights violations still in 2017. The same emotions exist regarding Governor Cuomo’s attempts to move on to help another group of people that are nowhere near as vulnerable as the disabled that are living in known unsafe and extremely dangerous and deadly facilities and group homes under Governor Cuomo’s control. Governor Cuomo cannot continue to look the other way regarding the discrimination and atrocities occurring against the disabled, 5-6% of New York State residents, when he can take decisive actions to stop what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be horrified over.
It is the disabled that can no longer be treated unequally and denied emergency 911 first responder services and their basic constitutional right to equal protection of laws. We must work together to end this gross injustice and discrimination against our most vulnerable. We must prevent the further loss of precious innocent lives and ensure that 911 is no longer bypassed for our disabled. We as a civil society cannot sit by and allow this evil and the purposeful denial of equal protection of laws to continue any longer, it is without question discrimination in civil rights.
Stand with us for “equal rights” and “civil rights” for people with disabilities in New York State and throughout our great country by signing our petition at www.jonathancareyfoundation.org. No longer can 911 be bypassed, 911 call systems must be immediately called by all mandated reporters regarding all physical and sexual assaults, gross negligence of care, significant and suspicious injuries and when a person with a disability is in medical distress or has stopped breathing. http://jonathancareyfoundation.org/donate/

Michael Carey
Mr.
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The incredible life and tragic preventable death of Jonathan Carey, who was disabled, had autism, was non-verbal & only 13 when he was killed by his caregivers