Deaf in Texas

I have some experience with deaf people. My mother is deaf and I remember being a small child trying to help her communicate with other hearing people. I remember how protective I was over her when people made fun of her; one time that protection included delivering a broken nose to the girl who called Mom deaf and dumb while she mocked her pronunciation of yellow. Though it may seem weird that daughter protected mother, I don’t regret that moment to this day. Meanness should be confronted and that was all my 5th grade self could do. I wish someone had thought about meanness and protection in South Texas.

Communication Access Now reports the abuse of a 19 year old deaf Hispanic woman in Brazoria County, TX.

A 19 year old Hispanic deaf woman who was assaulted by her brother who was drunk. She uses sign language to communicate and does not speak. She tried to summons help by calling 911. As indicated by the police report, she was crying when she dialed 911, then hung up the phone.

Shortly after, PD arrived. Her brother told officers that “she is crazy. ” He told officers that she tried to stab him with a knife. The client was still crying her bedroom. When the officer came into her room, she tried to communicate what happened to her. Meanwhile, the brother was yelling that “she is crazy”, and said she tried to stab him. She began motioning to the officer to get her an interpreter so she could explain. The officers did not try to communicate with her, they believed her brother (who is on probation and previously ID by the police as a member of several gangs). The officers cuffed her hands behind her back. She was charged with assault with a deadly weapon. She said she became more frantic and tried more vigorously to communicate, but could not because her hands were behind her back.

She was taken to the police station. Once there, she said she kept trying to indicate to them she needed an interpreter but no one would communicate with her. She said she was stripped naked in the presence of 3 male officers and one female officer. While the female officer straddled her body and retrained her hands. The older male officer performed a cavity search. The client said that he put on a glove and inserted his fingers into her vagina. She became very upset.

She was then moved to the County Jail, again she tried to convey to them that she needed an interpreter, but no one addressed her communication needs. police Officers reported to jail staff that she (the client) is crazy. She says her clothes were taken from her. She remained naked in a jail cell where there was no bed and she had to sleep on the floor. three days later, she was moved from the isolation cell and placed into another cell with a bed.

Communication Access Now is rightfully demanding an investigation:

We are requesting a full investigation of the law enforcement agencies/officers involved in the following situation. This client remains devastated and believes that a number of her Constitutional and Civil rights have been violated.
• Failure to provide effective communication
• Sexual abuse/harassment
• Unlawful imprisonment
• Misuse of authority
• Cruel and unusual punishment
• Failure to assist during an Emergency

This woman, who called for police protection, was in jail for more than a week without knowing the charges against her. A man performed a body cavity search. She was “diagnosed” with “psychiatric issues” because she could not communicate with police. A district attorney agreed to drop any charges against the woman, but refused to release her from jail until she had a place to go. An advocate for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing stood her ground and secured the woman’s release.

This information would be disturbing if it happened to anybody, but that it happened to a young woman who couldn’t understand what was being said to her is even more appalling. It is not “special treatment” to follow the law. The police department should have sent for a sign interpreter. Seeing that they failed at that simple task, the woman should have been arraigned in court. It seems that there were breakdowns everywhere in the system.

Nobody should be left naked in a jail cell confused about why they are there. The police are supposed to serve and protect and they failed miserably in Brazoria County.

Update: Communication Access Now has a protest planned for May 24th at 1pm at Barzoria County courthouse.

~ by Miche on May 9, 2007.