Saddest, sickest thing I've read in a while

[The Laughing Man]

Video Records Lethal Attack - Teens Charged After Man's Death

What began as several teenagers tormenting a mentally retarded man in the lobby of his Hartford apartment building Saturday afternoon escalated into an attack that left him dead, according to two men who viewed a videotape of the incident.

One teen flung a full bottle of soda against Ricky Whistnant's head so hard the 39-year-old man fell over sideways, hitting the other side of his head against a wall as he collapsed, said the men who watched the surveillance camera videotape.

The teens then surrounded Whistnant, kicking him and opening more soda bottles to pour over his motionless body, according to Oscar Negron, superintendent of the building, and his brother, Elliott, the assistant manager.

Other tenants entering the lobby called 911, and paramedics arrived to try to revive Whistnant. He was pronounced dead soon afterward at Hartford Hospital.

I work with developmentally disabled (aka "mentally retarded") adults and this story just saddens and physically sickens me. No one deserves to be attacked and killed like that - least of all the developmentally disabled. It's unfortunate that a lot of people still stigmatize people with d.d. Often, they are seen as "diseased" or something. People avoid them or cringe away from them. They cross the street if they see a person with d.d. coming towards them. Worse yet, some taunt, ridicule or - like this story - assault these people.

Please, if you have not done so already, open both your mind and - most importantly - your heart to these people. And they are people, just like you or me. They enjoy the same things we enjoy: reading, watching TV, listening to music, going to the movies, playing games and sports, talking to others, meeting new people, spending time with their family and friends, and interacting with the community. They aren't going to hurt or "infect" you, so don't be afraid to approach them. If they say "hi" to you, don't ignore them. Say "hi" back and smile - it'll make their day. If they talk to you, listen to them as you would any other person. Take an interest in what they are saying since they think it's important enough to share with you. Don't pity them. Don't think any less of them. Care about them. Care for them. They are deserving of the same dignity and respect you expect for yourself. You could even go as far as helping out with things like Special Olympics. If you have kids, teach them to respect people with d.d. and to treat them with kindness.

[$cirisme]

That is so sick...

[Dee Dee Warren]

I have a retarded aunt, and yep, she sure is just a person who happens to have a lower intellect and some motor skills problems.

[Woman]

Thank you sharing the article and your reminder to open our hearts to all men and women.

[The Laughing Man]

It's what Christian love is all about, W.

[Epoetker]

Retarded people can be really cool sometimes. Slow speech is oftentimes QUALITY speech. Having all that extra time to plan what you say means that they can come up with some pretty funny stuff quite often.

[Piebald]

Man it makes me sick...

[Sher]

That is extremely sick ...

04-08-2003 @ 05:48 PM post located here
Jinx72:

If you have kids, teach them to respect people with d.d. and to treat them with kindness.

This is so very important! If more parents would take an active role in exposing children to all sorts of people, d.d., elderly, other races and nationalities, etc., I think there would be a lot less things like this happening.

[djnoz]

The people who were truly "mentally retarded" were the youths who attacked this Whistnant guy. How can anyone be that morally bankrupt?

[lordsnooty]

That is very sad indeed. The poor, poor man. What a disgusting world we live in.

Justice has no way of dealing with such evil. Prison isn't punishment enough, and execution (if available) is far too quick.

Paul

[Peek-a-boo-baby]

I have difficulty grasping that anyone could do such a thing to another human being. Yet it happens all too often, and not just to MR people. Anyone who is "different" is a target for this kind of behavior by teenagers who have not been taught to respect life. I hope these kids were punished to the fullest extent of the law.

[Christianotaku]

what about duddits in dreamweaver..........maybe mentally reatards arent really people maybe there aliens !!!

[Vorkosigan]

It's worse than that:

"Making this tragic story so much sadder are the facts of Whistnant's life: After a horrible young adulthood marred by the accidental death of one brother, the murder of another, and his own perpetual battles with mental illness and retardation, Whistnant was given a state award in 1999 for taking control of his life and learning to be self-sufficient. But nothing could prepare Whistnant for a world where sitting on a radiator to enjoy a soda could get you killed. "For a lot of kids, it's fun to pick on people because you can laugh at them," said a friend of the accused teens to the Hartford Courant. "But they went too far, in my opinion. Way too far."

But this is an old story, Jinx.

[Bob Jenkins]

"Man it makes me sick..."

Me too!

[Lazy Agnostic]

04-08-2003 @ 08:24 PM post located here
Jinx72:
It's what Christian love is all about, W.

One's faith may bring it out but that kind of love exists irrespective of theological underpinnings.