Commission Holds Final Listening Session In Frederick

from WFMD 930 Free Talk:
The final listening session of the Maryland Commission for Effective Community Inclusion Of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities was held in Frederick on Saturday afternoon. The panel was set up to examine training for police officers and other first-responders in dealing with persons with disabilities, and to make recommendations.
Members heard from a number of witnesses, including Phyllis Lidell, whose grandson has autism. She  said he also  has physical disabilities no one can see. "Police officers are working with everybody. They're so vulnerable to their ignorance, and other people's ignorance. They are looked on for guidance in these situations. They're looked at to set an example and control the situation. And when they're out of control themselves, we've got mayhem," she said.
The panel was appointed by the Governor in September, 2013, following the death of Ethan Saylor, 26, of New Market, who died following a struggle with off-duty sheriff's deputies who were trying to remove him from a movie theater in Frederick. He had Down Syndrome.

Mom of Man with Down syndrome talks about his death in Maryland Cinema

by Jeremy Meyer from The Denver Post:
Ethan Saylor simply wanted to see a movie one more time.
The Frederick, Md., man had just watched "Zero Dark Thirty" in a theater inside a mall and wanted to see it again.
Saylor, 26, had Down syndrome — a genetic condition that impairs physical growth and intelligence. His condition was likely apparent to the off-duty sheriff's deputies working at the mall on Jan. 12 who were called to remove Saylor because he hadn't paid for another ticket. But those deputies clearly didn't know how to help Saylor work through the issue.
Saylor's aide told them to wait it out. His mother was on the way and he just needed some time. She warned them not to touch Saylor, who could quickly become agitated.
Saylor's mother now believes her son was desperately trying to use his iPhone to figure out how to buy another movie ticket. He didn't carry cash.

Aide to man with Down syndrome who died in theater had warned police, report says

from the Washington Post by Theresa Vargas:
Moments before off-duty Frederick County sheriff’s deputies tried to force a young man with Down syndrome out of a movie theater — a move that eventually led to his death — Robert Ethan Saylor’s 18-year-old aide warned them that he would “freak out” if they touched him.
“Next thing I know, there are I think three or four cops holding Ethan, trying to put him in handcuffs,” the aide told authorities, according to documents from the Frederick County Sheriff’s Department obtained Monday by the Associated Press. “I heard Ethan screaming, saying ‘ouch,’ ‘don’t touch me,’ ‘get off’ and crying. Next thing I hear is nothing.”

What happened to Robert Ethan Saylor?

by The Editorial Board from The Washington Post:
WITH EVERY passing day, the appearance grows that Frederick County officials, especially the sheriff, Charles Jenkins, have something to hide in the case of a man with Down syndrome who died in a scuffle with law enforcement officers.
The movie-theater confrontation between Robert Ethan Saylor and off-duty sheriff’s deputies over an unpaid $12 movie ticket occurred nearly six months ago. There has still been no adequate public accounting of the events surrounding this senseless incident, which was ruled a homicide resulting from asphyxia.
Mr. Jenkins promised transparency, vowing that “all the facts will be presented when the investigation is complete.” What can he be waiting for?