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Medical Forum / General / General / December 2007On Physical Brutality, Tasers & Violations
When will there be news of hopspiatls such as Bellevue Hospital, in NYC, being held accountable for similar physical brutality? Moreover, 3 weeks ago, I reported to a NYCPD officer by the East River that I was approached by 2 men who offered me money to touch me. The NYCPD officer I reported this offence to did not want to record the incident, was not interested in my name, and never asked me to sign an "incident report," even when I insisted he take my name and contact information. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE, or is it just me? "CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- Robin Petrovic, a college English teacher, was out dancing at a popular Chicago nightclub, the "Funky Buddha Lounge," when she got into an altercation with the bouncer and called police for help. Robin Petrovic alleges that she sustained extensive injuries after a Chicago cop beat her outside a popular nightclub. 1 of 3 But according to Petrovic, the officer who showed up -- James Chevas, a 12-year veteran -- turned on her when she refused to sign a blank incident report and tried to write down his badge number. "He picked me up and threw me face down into the ground. And since my hands were handcuffed behind my back, I couldn't break my fall at all, so I just landed on my face," she told CNN. Petrovic is one of thousands of ordinary people who every year accuse Chicago police of abuse. Few complaints result in disciplinary action." (more) http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/law/09/27/police.complaints/ "Twittering ~ Just shut the *uck up ... If you make them mad, They might come after us ~ !" ~ Folly "My dear byrd, We have always depended upon the kindness Of strangers. Mercy, be not strange tonight ..." ~ Twittering ~ * ~ 19 May 2006 U.S. Appeals Court Upholds NYC Homeless Law NEW YORK (AP) -- An appeals court, in a split decision, has concluded that a city law used to clear the homeless from parks and sidewalks as part of former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's ``Quality of Life'' initiative is constitutional. A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided Thursday that a law banning people from leaving boxes behind or erecting an obstruction in any public space justified the Feb. 28, 1997 arrest of Augustine Betancourt. Betancourt was arrested at a park in lower Manhattan after he folded three cardboard boxes and a loose piece of cardboard around his body and went to sleep on a park bench. (More) http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/37762.php?contentType=4&contentId=144890 "O Heather ~ You are SO not SILLY." ~ Twittering "Heck, yeah ~ ! We ARE NOT addicts nor do we have schizophenia." ~ Folly "We lost our AD[Hi!]D meds." ~ Twittering LSTOO & Folly IAG The NY Post Homeless Holiday Hype December 7, 2002 By Heather Mac Donald It's the holiday season-the time when New York's press likes to scarf up the homelessness industry's lies even more eagerly than usual. Thanksgiving week saw a cornucopia of made-for-the-media whoppers. That Tuesday, The New York Times reported that an organization "founded by homeless people" was suing the New York Police Department for allegedly "singling out the homeless for arrest." The real plaintiff in the case, the New York Civil Liberties Union, charges that the police enforce quality of life rules only against homeless people, while ignoring the many domiciled offenders. All we ask, purrs the NYCLU, is equal application of the laws. Nosense. What the homelessness industry really wants is total exemption from the law for street vagrants, so that they can remain publicly visible until the final throes of alcoholism and schizophrenia drive them to the hospital or the grave. It's the enforcement of the laws-period-that infuriates the advocates, not their alleged "selective" enforcement. http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/_nypost-homeless.htm "At present, the advocates control the debate; the mayor must seize back control. He must explain why compassion does not entail leaving people on the streets. He must explain that in a city mandated to provide shelter, there is neither a right nor a need for vagrants to occupy the streets and trespass on private property. He must make clear that for police to allow vagrants to refuse services and violate the law is not caring but destructive-to the individual and to the public." ~ Heather, The Uneducated Ogre "REFUSE SERVICES ~ ? We & others we know [including our new friend Nicole] PREFER Some of The Great Outdoors of Manhattan To some of The Great Indoor Services of Manhattan Or The Greater Metro Area Outside of Manhattan. MOST HOMELESS women GET SHIPPED OUTSIDE OF MANHATTAN ~ ! Furthermore, however, and moreover, WE ARE NOT VAGRANTS Heather ~ !" ~ Twittering LSTOO & Folly IAG "Snobs, yes." ~ Folly Yo, Yo, Yo, Don't Make Me Tase You, Bro! > "Twittering ~ > Just shut the *uck up ... [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/37762.php?contentType=4&contentId=144890 The New York Times October 4, 2007 Motherly Act Began Events That Led to Gotbaum Death By JOHN SULLIVAN Carol A. Gotbaum was supposed to fly directly to Tucson last Friday to enter an alcohol rehabilitation program, but she delayed her departure to see her children off to school, her family said. The delay and the resulting nondirect flight were part of a series of circumstances that led to Ms. Gotbaum's confrontation with the police at the Phoenix airport, and to her subsequent death in police custody. The events surrounding her arrest are now under investigation, and the Phoenix Police Department said yesterday that it had a videotape of the arrest itself. But according to her family members and their lawyer, if the day had gone as planned, Ms. Gotbaum would not have been there at all. Ms. Gotbaum, 45, the stepdaughter-in-law of New York City's public advocate, Betsy Gotbaum, was originally scheduled to fly directly to Tucson for an alcohol rehabilitation program. But Ms. Gotbaum, who lived on the Upper West Side, delayed her flight because she wanted to say goodbye to her three children, two of whom were attending a new grammar school. The change meant a connection through the busy Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Her husband, Noah, was apparently comfortable letting her fly alone because she was to meet a couple she knew at a stopover in Phoenix, the family said. But Ms. Gotbaum arrived too late to make the connecting flight to Tucson, the family's lawyer, Michael C. Manning, said. According to a spokesman for Mesa Airlines, which operates the flight Ms. Gotbaum was to take, she arrived at the gate after boarding was completed. The passageway to the airliner was closed, and the plane was about to take off, said Paul Skellon, a spokesman for Mesa. According to the Phoenix police, Ms. Gotbaum began arguing with the ticket agents, insisting that she be allowed to board the plane. The police were called, and officers saw Ms. Gotbaum "yelling and screaming" and running through the concourse, said Sgt. Andy Hill of the Phoenix police. Sergeant Hill said that the officers tried unsuccessfully to calm Ms. Gotbaum, finally handcuffing her and arresting her on charges of disorderly conduct. But that account is now disputed by Mr. Manning. Mr. Manning said yesterday that his office had interviewed three witnesses to the confrontation. "The police approached her, according to witnesses, made no effort to speak to her, calm her or assess the situation," he said. "Two of them immediately took her to the ground." Mr. Manning said witnesses recounted that Ms. Gotbaum was not threatening anyone, and instead was yelling, "I am not a terrorist, I am not a criminal, I am just a sick mother, I need to get help." Sergeant Hill said tersely yesterday that the account of Mr. Manning's witnesses was "not true." "The officers did try to calm her down," he said, adding that the arrest followed police procedure. "When we release the video, everyone will see." He did not say when the video would be released. Ms. Gotbaum was placed in a police holding cell at the airport; her hands were cuffed behind her, with a metal chain about two feet long attaching the handcuffs to a bench, Sergeant Hill said. She continued yelling in the cell, he said, and was left alone for 5 to 10 minutes. After she stopped shouting, the officers looked in the cell, he said, and found Ms. Gotbaum unconscious with the chain stretched across her neck. Attempts by the police and medical workers to revive her were unsuccessful. Mr. Manning also criticized the officers' actions in the holding cell, saying they should have obtained a medical evaluation for Ms. Gotbaum and should not have left her alone. "You don't leave an emotionally disturbed citizen shackled with that kind of potential weapon or device they could use to hurt themselves," he said. The cause of death is under investigation, and an autopsy was performed on Tuesday evening by the Maricopa County medical examiner. David Boyer, a spokesman for the medical examiner, said the results of the autopsy would not be released until laboratory results were completed in a few weeks. A pathologist hired by the Gotbaum family, Dr. Cyril H. Wecht, was allowed to perform a separate examination, Mr. Manning said. He said yesterday that Dr. Wecht would wait for lab results before announcing his conclusion. But he added that a private investigator who also attended the exam said Ms. Gotbaum exhibited signs of "very serious trauma," including bruises and a mark on her neck from the metal chain. Eric Konigsberg contributed reporting. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/nyregion/04gotbaum.html?ref=nyregion The New York Times October 3, 2007 Editorial A Death at the Phoenix Airport Carol Gotbaum was a troubled woman seeking treatment for alcohol abuse in Tucson. She was on her way there last Friday when she missed a flight in Phoenix. That apparently panicked her and led, mysteriously, abruptly and horribly, to her death in police custody. Ms. Gotbaum's tragic encounter with the Phoenix police is getting attention because she came from a prominent family. Her stepmother-in- law, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, is New York's second-highest- ranking elected official. But it raises larger questions about how airport security officials are doing their jobs. The details of the death remain murky. Ms. Gotbaum, a 45-year-old weighing 105 pounds, was described as agitated and screaming when she missed her connection. The police were summoned. They subdued and handcuffed her, arresting her for disorderly conduct. That should have been enough, but Ms. Gotbaum was then shackled to a bench in an airport holding cell, where she was left alone to quiet down - despite having reportedly told police she was a "sick mom" and needed help. The police say she died of asphyxiation and was found with a shackle chain at her throat. "She cried out for help," Betsy Gotbaum said in a statement, "but her pleas appear to have been met with mistreatment." It is not clear what, if any, mistreatment occurred, but among the questions that need answers are the cause of her death, and why an obviously troubled woman was not placed under better supervision. Since Sept. 11, 2001, there have been widespread reports of airport security officials mistreating travelers and quickly escalating minor incidents further than they needed to go. An autopsy may offer some clues, and investigations are under way. They should look not only at Ms. Gotbaum's case, but also at what can be done to bring more reason and professionalism to airport security. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/opinion/03wed4.html "Twittering ~ Get Mum to call Betsy for us ~ ! After all, She IS our elected Public Advocate En NYC. & Bellevue is a New York City Hospital ~ !" ~ Folly "Heck, yeah." ~ Twittering "Dear Ms. Betsy Gotbaum ~ Our sincere condolences During this difficult time of your grieg & rage." ~ Twittering LSTOO & Folly IAG, Yours en La Grande Pomme The New York Times October 8, 2007 Op-Ed Columnist Terror and Demons By ROGER COHEN History happens, but only just. The lives of individuals, as of nations, may hinge on a millimeter's difference in the trajectory of a bullet, a road not taken on a whim or the random spray of shrapnel. But there is no undoing what is done. Nothing, for example, can bring back the life of Carol Ann Gotbaum, 45, whose terrible end in a holding cell at the Phoenix airport was chronicled in a Times report by Eric Konigsberg. Depressive and fighting alcoholism, Carol missed a connection by minutes. She became hysterical and was subdued, handcuffed, shackled, abandoned and found dead with the shackle across her neck. All this happened fast. We can hear her cry: "I'm not a terrorist. I'm a sick mother." We can see the heavy-handed police officers, their sense of mission redoubled by the alcohol on her breath, muscling Carol to the ground. In their zeal - for American airports are now temples of zealotry - they would not have imagined her three young children, her distraught husband, much less the dislocated life that had put her en route, alone, to an Arizona addiction-treatment clinic. As it happened, on another perfect New York morning redolent of the endless summer of 2001 (a time when sunlight mocked pain), I was particularly affected by Carol's story; and here I am writing about her, rather than brave monks in Burma, because certain signals are too powerful to ignore. In many particulars - her South African upbringing, her uprooted life, her acute postpartum depression after the birth of her last child, her hard-working and often absent husband, her radiant smile overlying pain and her powerlessness before her own self-destructive urges - Carol resembled my mother. So having read about Carol, my head filled with her disoriented rage before punitive officialdom, I did something I rarely do. I went back and read my mother's suicide note of July 25, 1978. The note reads in part: "It's as though I've turned to stone. I can't relate, I can't communicate and I can no longer bear the pain and gloom I cause to those I love most. I feel I'll never completely throw off this mood and hopelessness and depression. I know I have everything to thank God for and be thankful for, which only makes my ordeal worse and worse." In conclusion, my mother asks if "my body - any part of it - can be used for research." With that, she downed valium, antidepressant drugs and gin. That was almost the end of the story, or the start of a different tale of anguish, but my father, a doctor, found her just in time. Her life hung in the balance and was salvaged. Other suicide notes would follow - one of June 15, 1982, says: "I'm just too tired to fight anymore" - but never again was the attempt so serious. Technology leaps forward. Medicine advances. Lives grow longer. Diseases are vanquished. But the brain, and in particular the vagaries of mental illness, present mysteries as deep as the elusive enigma of life itself. When Carol, raised in Cape Town, had her postpartum depression after the birth of her now 3-year-old son, she was a relative newcomer in New York. When my mother, raised in Johannesburg, had hers after the birth of my sister in 1957, she was new to London, with its chill postwar pall. What happened to my mother in the 1950s - insulin shock therapy, electric shock treatment, hospitalization in harrowing wards; things about which she could never speak without a shudder - were of that time. Nobody would have treated Carol's despair, or anybody's, like that today. But the riddle remains, etched in radiant mothers' faces clutching laughing children, faces that seem to mock the very idea of panic, delusion and suicidal self-hatred, but contain them nonetheless. You can look at Carol's end in many ways: as an innocent's devastating encounter with terror-obsessed police, as a ghastly but haphazard event, as a death foretold. In the days of the Irish Republican Army's terrorism in London, my mother was thrown into what amounted to a holding cell at Fortnum and Mason, the department store, after she left a bag unattended. Under questioning, she became hysterical, confused, unhinged - and was locked up. There was no shackle, however. Thus do the affairs of the world intersect with individuals' pain. The upshot then rests on a razor's edge. Lives veer into a vortex. Carol Ann Gotbaum and June Bernice Cohen are dead. Cancer took my mother in 1999; she viewed the illness as a trifle beside depression. Her favorite book, unsurprisingly, was "Anna Karenina." Her favorite line was from "Othello": "What wound did ever heal but by degrees?" http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/08/opinion/08cohen.html "The first couple of times you are shackled by hanfcuffs and forcefully "taken down" is very, very traumatic, under ANY circumstances. For the most normal person, such an experience prompts the body and mind to resist, helplessly ~ stupidly, too, as they are ALWAYS stronger than you. If it happened a few more times, you learn to relax. That is a learned skill, however, over-riding the body's most basic instinct to protect itself. ANYONE who is cuffed and taken down should be treated and handled as though fragile; if an individual is panicked beyond his/her normal state, even moreso. Let us not forget Hal Coyote, A canine hound, Who trotted elegantly into town Merely to see Shakespeare in the round, En Central Park, La Grande Pomme, 2006." ~ Twittering "Heck, yeah." ~ Folly Thew New York Times April 1, 2006 Hal Coyote, 1, Dies; Romped in the Park By JAMES BARRON Hal, the coyote who led park rangers and police officers on a two-day chase in Central Park last month, died on Thursday, moments before he was to be released in a thousand-acre state forest in Putnam County. He was about a year old. The cause of death had not been determined, Gabrielle DeMarco, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said yesterday. Hal's birthplace was unknown, as was his birthday. After his romp in the park, Adrian Benepe, the city's parks commissioner, speculated that Hal had fled Westchester County, wandering across the railroad bridge that connects the Bronx and Manhattan at Spuyten Duyvil. From there, Mr. Benepe said, Hal could have sauntered down the West Side and into Central Park. He had the run of the park for a few days before parks officials cornered him at the Hallett Nature Sanctuary, not far from the Wollman Rink and the carousel. He leaped over their heads and spent another night on the loose before being felled by a tranquilizer dart fired by a police officer. He spent the last week of his life in the care of wildlife rehabilitators on Long Island. They turned him over to state biologists on Thursday. "He was in good shape when he left me," one of the handlers, Rebecca Asman, said yesterday. "Maybe there were other things going on inside of Hal. He looked good to us. As far as outward appearance, he was eating very well and he was very calm, but coyotes are by nature very calm." The state biologists took him about 60 miles north of Manhattan to the California Hill State Forest in Putnam County, near Kent, N.Y., Ms. DeMarco said. There, she said, Hal stopped breathing when the biologists and Cornell University graduate researchers restrained him to put an identification tag on his ear. She said that a soft muzzle had been placed around Hal's snout, but it did not cover his nose. His legs had also been restrained, but he had not been tranquilized, she said. (more) http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/01/nyregion/01c oyote.html&OQ=_rQ3D1&OP=60a596e5Q2FQ27,K!Q27IQ7C2odQ7CQ7C3UQ27U99Q22Q279Q25Q279Q 3CQ27VQ24dKQ51tQ7CVQ279Q3C2Q7CQ24Q7C3KQ7Bb3Q5C) "On another day, when my head does not hurt this much, I will tell you the story of the young girl, with serious impairments, who clung to me in fear, in Payne Whitney Clinic, New York Presbeterian Hospital, New York City, in summer 2006, when 2 "mental health workers" frightened her, threatening her with the seclusion room, after a single Dorito Chip did not elicit the desired behavior." ~ Twittering "After all ~ You can't eat just one ~ !" ~ Folly > "On another day, when my head does not hurt this much, I will tell you > the story of the young girl, with serious impairments, who clung to me [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > You can't eat just one ~ !" > ~ Folly http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/10/10/ex_mclean_chief_admits_sex_ with_patient/ Thanks for the link, Linda; That is news. October 11, 2007 The Boston Globe Reports ... "Ex-McLean chief admits sex with patient Guilt said to lead him to resignation, crisis" http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/10/10/ex_mclean_chief_... > - Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gFK6ErgpuB2or1fPU4p0KEMlXPyQD8S79C4G0 > Thanks for the link, Linda; > That is news. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >> >> - Show quoted text - > The New York Times > October 4, 2007 [quoted text clipped - 97 lines] > > http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/nyregion/04gotbaum.html?ref=nyregion Why was she traveling alone? This family surely could have afforded a companion. > > The New York Times > > October 4, 2007 [quoted text clipped - 100 lines] > Why was she traveling alone? This family surely could have afforded a > companion.- Hide quoted text - Not a bad question... It really is a shame. With a slight change of circumstances, this woman would be in a treatment center. Its a senseless loss of life, regardless of fault, liability, or blame. Currently, the investigation is incomplete. How long do you think it will be before some whack-job tries to blame it on the Pharmaceutical Industry in particular or conventional medicine in general? > - Show quoted text - On Oct 5, 11:04 am, The One True Zhen Jue <Andrew_King...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > > The New York Times > > > October 4, 2007 [quoted text clipped - 109 lines] > will be before some whack-job tries to blame it on the Pharmaceutical > Industry in particular or conventional medicine in general? Maybe after 'Koochers Kooks' get fingered for it explicitly, IMO. > On Oct 5, 11:04 am, The One True Zhen Jue <Andrew_King...@yahoo.com> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 114 lines] > > Maybe after 'Koochers Kooks' get fingered for it explicitly, IMO. :-) But, no.... Koochers Lying Kooks (except Canadians mercenaries like Jack Lazaik who apparently report to the exec branch) take their orders from the US Military and Intelligence Agencies. Criminalization of US Law Enforcement Agencies was occaisioned by their centralization via FALCON which all take their orders from the US Marshall---therefore the psychotic (supposedly dry) drunk in the oval office. Two different and distinct armies of defenders, supporters, and aplogists for criminally insane American rightwing. All discouraged from breaking ranks by Bush's very own personal criminally insane 20,000 strong Praetorian Guard aka Blackwater, Inc. Welcome to the NEW Dark Age. . > > On Oct 5, 11:04 am, The One True Zhen Jue <Andrew_King...@yahoo.com> > > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 122 lines] > who apparently report to the exec branch) take their orders from the > US Military and Intelligence Agencies. Millitary Intelligence - oxymoron. [snip] > Welcome to the NEW Dark Age. Welcome to the new gmail account. Cordially, Raving >>> The New York Times >>> October 4, 2007 [quoted text clipped - 87 lines] > will be before some whack-job tries to blame it on the Pharmaceutical > Industry in particular or conventional medicine in general? Hopefully never. "Her bad decisions and conduct cost her life." ~ John Waddey http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/1010wedlets106.html "O deer, Let's start from the top ..." ~ Twittering "Betsy Gotbaum, a New York politician and Gotbaum's mother-in-law, called the day of the death and asked police to use Carol Gotbaum's maiden name in police reports to shield the Gotbaum family from publicity." ~ The Arizona Republic "Please take a different position, Ms. Gotbaum. You have been inducted and now instructed. Now start looking, too, in your own NYC backyard to further your cause. We need your help, too ~ !" ~ Twittering LSTOO & Folly IAG Witnesses: Gotbaum's flight teary http://www.azcentral.com/community/ahwatukee/articles/1101gotbaum1101.html ~ * BETSY GOTBAUM Public Advocate for The City Of New York ~ * Solving Problems, Protecting New Yorkers Betsy Gotbaum is OUR NYC Public Advocate. She was elected in November 2001, and inaugurated on City Hall steps on January 1, 2002 . The Public Advocate is an independently elected citywide official, next in line to the Mayor, who is your ombudswoman to cut through government red tape. http://pubadvocate.nyc.gov/about/about.html ~ * ~ The New York Times November 9, 2007 Gotbaum's Death Is Ruled an Accident; Drugs and Alcohol Found By John Eligon Carol A. Gotbaum, the Manhattan woman whose body was found in a police holding cell in Phoenix on Sept. 28, died accidentally of asphyxiation, but alcohol and prescription drug intoxication contributed to her death, according to an autopsy released today. The autopsy report [pdf] was released by by the Maricopa County medical examiner's office in Arizona. It appeared to support the Phoenix Police Department's contention that the death was an accident. The department has maintained that its officers acted properly, but a review of their actions is still under way. Ms. Gotbaum's death in police custody at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport drew widespread attention, in part because of her family connections - her stepmother-in-law, Betsy Gotbaum, is the New York City public advocate - and in part because of questions about how the police dealt with her. A native of South Africa, Carol Gotbaum, 45, had struggled with depression and a drinking problem. She was on her way to Tucson to enter an inpatient alcohol rehabilitation program, but she was not allowed to board a connecting flight, and became agitated and disruptive. It took several police officers to subdue her and take her to a police holding cell, where she was left alone. About six to eight minutes later, she was found unconscious; efforts to revive her were unsuccessful. Her head was propped on a bench and the shackle connected to her handcuffs resting across her neck. Her husband, Noah, made frantic calls to the airport, but they arrived after she was already dead. The authorities later released video excerpts showing her behaving erratically in the moments before her arrest. In a news statement today, the Maricopa County medical examiner's office stated: In accordance with Arizona statutes and in adherence to this office's procedures, we have conducted an independent investigation into the death of Ms. Gotbaum and have now completed the autopsy and toxicology reports. Our investigation included the review of medical records and materials from medicolegal death investigators and photographers, extensive toxicology testing, review of microscopic tissue samples and investigative materials compiled by the Phoenix Police Department. Based on our investigation, the cause of death has been certified as as "asphyxia by hanging." Manner of death has been ruled "accidental." Contributing factors include "acute ethanol and prescription medication intoxication." This brief summary is not intended to be a substitute for the comprehensive written reports and opinions of this office in this matter. The autopsy found ethyl alcohol and ibuprofen in Ms. Gotbaum's body, along with two antidepressants, Citalopram and Duloxetine; Dextromethorphan, an antitussive used to relieve a nonproductive cough; two antihistamines, Diphenhydramine and Chlorpheniramine. Sgt. Andy Hill, a Phoenix police spokesman, said in an interview: "When you look at the findings, this basically substantiates what evidence and statements we have that were in our report. It supports the described actions of our officers." He later issued the following statement: The Phoenix Police Department recently concluded the death investigation into the Carol Anne Gotbaum case. The Medical Examiner has released their report. This report substantiates the findings of the Phoenix Police Department investigators. The cause of death was called "asphyxia by hanging" and the manner of death was termed "accidental" by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner. This is in accordance with our report which included all known evidence and statements. Additionally, the Phoenix Police Department believes the medical examiner findings substantiate that Phoenix Police officers acted appropriately and there was no misconduct during this tragic incident. Ms. Gotbaum's family has questioned the actions of the Phoenix police and hired a lawyer, Michael C. Manning, to conduct an independent investigation. Mr. Manning hired a notable forensic pathologist, Cyril R. Wecht, to conduct a separate autopsy, the results of which are expected to be released in the coming weeks, Mr. Manning said. Sewell Chan contributed reporting. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/09/gotbaums-death-is-ruled-an-accident/?hp "It is widely observed -- by some of our closest friends Who live in that state -- that Arizona Lacks intelligence, relative to New York." ~ Folly > "It is widely observed -- by some of our closest friends > Who live in that state -- that THE SOUTHERN STATES > Lack intelligence, relative to New York." > ~ Folly That is the truth, and Texas would be the worst. I mean they even came in 3rd for the ugliest people award! > "It is widely observed -- by some of our closest friends > Who live in that state -- that Arizona > Lacks intelligence, relative to New York." > ~ Folly "She never said that." ~ Twittering > > "It is widely observed -- by some of our closest friends > > Who live in that state -- that THE SOUTHERN STATES [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > in 3rd > for the ugliest people award! "So what" Kevysmom > "She never said that." > ~ Twittering [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Why does this person always write to himself? > The New York Times > November 9, 2007 [quoted text clipped - 85 lines] > > http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/09/gotbaums-death-is-ruled-... Now, how would the ruling be different if there were no alcohol or medications in her system? Death by asphixiation is still a well-sited risk under such conditions of restraint and/or retainment. Her fear-aroused and panic-driven state was clear, a reason in itself to monitor carefully her status. > Now, how would the ruling be different if there were no alcohol or > medications in her system? [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Her fear-aroused and panic-driven state was clear, a reason in itself > to monitor carefully her status. Her husband didn't care, not one iota. He didn't monitor her and KNEW her state. He may have even provided the alcohol. They have televised her being escorted, over and over. She was not totally out of control. >> Now, how would the ruling be different if there were no alcohol or >> medications in her system? [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > They have televised her being escorted, over and over. She was not > totally out of control. Since she wasn't totally out of control, then, there existed no legitimate cause to take her into custody. Hence, she's just another american murdered by the US government for having the audacity to exercise her constitutional first amendment right to freedom of expression. The combination polypharmacy of Celexa and Cymbalta is a risky one; the alcohol is bad, for sure, especially in combination with medications. But we know for a fact that if a person taken into custody is severely traumatized and panic-driven, s/he should be monitored carefully, for risk of suicide. Even if "standard procedures" were followed -- for the state of Arizona - that state needs to modify their safety procedures and re- train their security/police staff. Ms. Gotbaum is cited as saying, "I am a sick mother." That in itself warrants attention by the scurity staff who took her into forceful custody. Likely, it was not an "accidental asphixiation," but deliberate suicide under severe trauma, with no supervision of her care. > The combination polypharmacy of Celexa and Cymbalta is a risky one; > the alcohol is bad, for sure, especially in combination with [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Likely, it was not an "accidental asphixiation," but deliberate > suicide under severe trauma, with no supervision of her care. Since it takes VERY LITTLE time to do what she did we need to change how irrational people are handled. Even if there were someone in the cell or next to the cell, she could have succeeded in her suicide. She didn't "hang" herself. SOOOO Put all in a straight Jacket, then strap their legs to slats. After this, wrap them in heavy blankets and suspend them so they cannot roll over or cause any harm to themselves. All this in lieu of having institution style beds with restraining straps. The person would stay in that condition until a relative physically picks them up. A doctor would immediately be called in case there is need for IV or oxygen. The person would be responsible for all doctor's charges. I don't know much on how alcohol level is measured in blood; but I suspect that the reported 0.24% alcohol level [3x legal level] was influenced by the hepatic challenge of dealing with the other chemicals in her body, eg, 2 antidepressants and 2 antihistamines. If so, it could have been that she drank no more than 1 or 2 alcohol- based drinks to reach the reported level. If you combine only 2 medications such as Celexa and Cymbalta, you can really challenge the liver. >I don't know much on how alcohol level is measured in blood; but I > suspect that the reported 0.24% alcohol level [3x legal level] was [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > If you combine only 2 medications such as Celexa and Cymbalta, you can > really challenge the liver. Sort of like death walking. The percentage was there. She had to ingest the quantity, but along with your logic, she could have ingested the alcohol over a much longer period than the normal person. The alcohol was not processed out at the time of testing. "On October 17, 2005, Eli Lilly expanded its warning about potential liver-related problems with its depression drug, Cymbalta, and cautioned doctors against prescribing it to patients with chronic liver disease, U.S. health regulators announced. The new label for the drug also contains reports of hepatitis, jaundice and other liver- related problems in patients using Cymbalta." http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/cymbalta/ A particularly poor choice of meds to mix with alcohol, due to risk for liver complications. Seems odd a physician would risk this medication choice with a patient who is also dealing with alcohol issues. > The combination polypharmacy of Celexa and Cymbalta is a risky one; > the alcohol is bad, for sure, especially in combination with [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Likely, it was not an "accidental asphixiation," but deliberate > suicide under severe trauma, with no supervision of her care. Dear Gotbaum family: If I can be of any assitance to you, please contact me. For personal reference, I believe Adam Weinberg, Director, Whitney Museum of American Art (who's father was also associated with The NY Historical Society) can speak for my character. I was "manhandled" in Bellevue Hospital in summer 2006. It was physical abuse. I have filed a report with Bellevue Hospital. Sincerely, Virginia H. Hooper New York City > > The combination polypharmacy of Celexa and Cymbalta is a risky one; > > the alcohol is bad, for sure, especially in combination with [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > > - Show quoted text - In addition, when my friend and roommate died in a Boston Police South End jail cell, in the late 1970s, the second thing the police said to me -- when they came to my home that he ad died in their custody by hanging -- was, "So, he was a Boozer, huh?" He hung himself with a sweater; the pervious day, he had gone to Mass General Hospital seeking admission and help, and he was turned away. This is an issue that impacts me deeply. Please accept my sincere condolences and my best hope and desire that you seek and find some justice in her untimely death. Virginia H. Hooper New York City >> > The combination polypharmacy of Celexa and Cymbalta is a risky one; >> > the alcohol is bad, for sure, especially in combination with [quoted text clipped - 51 lines] > Virginia H. Hooper > New York City So, we have one of two conclusions. 1. The sickness came on suddenly. 2. The person had close family who didn't give a damn. Both are common. > So, we have one of two conclusions. > 1. The sickness came on suddenly. > 2. The person had close family who didn't give a damn. > > Both are common. I am not clear on your logic, but I know this ... Regarding the incident above, in the 1970s, the police visiting my home that morning to tell my roommate/friend had died in their cell manipulated thie conversation with me. I was exploited. I was ignorant and naive, and alone that morning. I was 26 years old. They manipulated me to get the information they were seeking, and then called Rocky a "Boozer." No one, including me, pressed for better answers. I know better now. >> So, we have one of two conclusions. >> 1. The sickness came on suddenly. [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > I know better now. Maybe yes, maybe no. It happened You weren't there. Something out of the ordinary started the whole scenario. >> Now, how would the ruling be different if there were no alcohol or >> medications in her system? [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > They have televised her being escorted, over and over. She was not totally > out of control. Incorrect. By the time she wound up in Arizona, any NY provided alcohol was long gone. Second, she was not being escorted by anyone in the family. They have a large extended family and I have asked, since day 1, why they did not have someone escort her. If someone had, I doubt that there would have been a death. > >> Now, how would the ruling be different if there were no alcohol or > >> medications in her system? [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Mark, I think you need to consider carefully the liver-related complications of Cymbalta. The FDA has sited this risk as well, in its labeling. I don't know enough about the issue of alcohol clearance issue; but it is a fact that clearance is slowed down, compromised, with some combinations of medicines. See the October 2007 new labeling issued by the FDA, specifically in regard to Cymbalta. This was not her family's fault. > This was not her family's fault. 100% their fault. She should not have been alone and they knew it. She was incapable of knowing anything. >> This was not her family's fault. > > 100% their fault. > She should not have been alone and they knew it. It was a major contributing factor. The Gotbaum family is highly connected and I have no doubt that they could find a former NYPD detective who would have gladly accepted a fee for accompanying her. In fact, I employ two of them who have said the same thing. > She was incapable of knowing anything. >>> This was not her family's fault. >> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > have gladly accepted a fee for accompanying her. In fact, I employ two of > them who have said the same thing. Thanks. It takes pepole who are invonlved to know. Can the polic emake mistakes or whtever , sure. No, ifs and or buts. that's the reason to protect ypourso called loved oves, >> She was incapable of knowing anything. > It was a major contributing factor. The Gotbaum family is highly > connected and I have no doubt that they could find a former NYPD > detective who would have gladly accepted a fee for accompanying her. Maybe they were trying to respect her own wishes; for example, if they had had her INvoluntarily committed to Bellevue Hospital, likely, she would never regard them the same way for the rest of her life. Instead, they arranged for someone to meet her on the other end of the plane flight; sadly, that fell apart, due to chance. I am sure they regret not accompanying her; I am sure many people, after suicides, regret many things they did not do. They had to weigh the decision to respect her own wishes vs force her to accept an escourt. Neither of us know what condition Ms Gotbam was in the week before she left; that would be a telling factor here. Police are professionals; they should know better. It is a regulated profession. I got badly hurt in Bellevue Hospital. professionals did that, and stood by watching. Who's fault? Families learn over time, and sometimes change, sometimes do not. >In fact, I employ two of them who have said the same thing. Have I met them? > This was not her family's fault. I question that. They knew she had problems, and they considered having her husband escort her. If no one in the family could, hire someone. They can afford it. >> This was not her family's fault. > > I question that. They knew she had problems, and they considered having > her husband escort her. If no one in the family could, hire someone. They > can afford it. Well not necessarily family's FAULT but they knew what her problem was and did NOTHING> >>> This was not her family's fault. >>> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Well not necessarily family's FAULT but they knew what her problem was and > did NOTHING> They did something, but did not do it the right way. > > Well not necessarily family's FAULT but they knew what her problem was and > > did NOTHING> > > They did something, but did not do it the right way. Did they leave her alone in her apartment for months alone? While she sent them dozens of emails begging for their help? Did they refuse to answer her, to this day? Did they make her sleep on the street? Did they make her take siciking medications for schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder? Did they make her pick up cans off the street, with a broken arm? Did they leave her for 2 years, homeless, with no explanations? Did her own physicians refuse to answer her, even when she called in desperation from a city hospital, locked behind metal doors? WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Eli Lilly and Co. has expanded its warning about possible liver-related problems with its depression drug, Cymbalta, and cautioned doctors against its use in chronic liver disease patients, U.S. health regulators said on Monday. A new label for the antidepressant, known generically as duloxetine, also includes reports of hepatitis, jaundice and other liver-related problems in patients using the drug, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on its Web site. "Some of these reports indicate that patients with preexisting liver disease who take duloxetine may have an increased risk for further liver damage," the company said in letter to doctors dated October 5. Cymbalta, which is also approved to treat a type of nerve damage caused by diabetes, has been known to cause liver problems. The label earlier warned against using the drug with alcohol. "Cymbalta should ordinarily not be prescribed to patients with substantial alcohol use or evidence of chronic liver disease," according to the new label, which was also posted online. A spokeswoman for the drugmaker could not be immediately reached for comment. The letter and new label are posted online at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2005/safety05.htm#Cymbalta. Lilly shares fell $1.04, or 2 percent, to $51.58 in afternoon trade on the New York Stock Exchange. The American Stock Exchange Pharmaceutical Index of large U.S. and European drugmakers was off 1.1 percent. Source: REUTERS http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/274318/eli_lilly_expands_cymbalta_liver_warn ing_fda/ Expert: Police in airport death could have done more Jahna Berry The Arizona Republic Nov. 12, 2007 04:26 PM Several factors - including mixing large doses of two prescription drugs - made Carol Anne Gotbaum more likely to have medical problems after she was shackled in an airport holding cell, an expert hired by her family says. "We are not talking about a drug death, but a death where drugs made her more susceptible," said pathologist Cyril Wecht on Monday. Wecht says he essentially agrees with the Maricopa County medical examiner that the death was an accident, but the police should have gotten medical help soon after they encountered Gotbaum, the pathologist argued. Phoenix Police Department has repeatedly argued that there was no way for officers to know that Gotbaum had health problems when she was arrested. "The moment that we were made aware that she was in medical distress, we made every effort to revive her," said police spokesman Sgt. Andy Hill. Gotbaum died at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Sept. 28. She was arrested in Terminal 4 when she began screaming hysterically and running in the airport. The outburst began when Gotbaum wasn't allowed to board a Tucson flight because she came to the gate late. When police found Gotbaum unconscious in her cell, officers could not revive her. On Friday, a Maricopa County medical examiner ruled that Gotbaum accidentally strangled to death in police chains. Drug tests show that Gotbaum had taken both Celexa and Cymbalta, when she should have taken just one prescription antidepressant, Wecht said. Combining the drugs with alcohol would have made it tough for Gotbaum to get enough oxygen in her system, Wecht said. Lab tests showed that Gotbaum blood alcohol level was .24 or three times the legal limit for driving in Arizona. Gotbaum's high-adrenaline outburst in the airport and her later struggle with police may have also depleted Gotbaum of oxygen, Wecht said. http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1112gotbaum1112-ON.html GOTBAUM DOC RAGES By DAVID SCHWARTZ in Phoenix and ADY GELLER in N.Y. November 13, 2007 -- A famed pathologist conceded yesterday that a drunken Carol Anne Gotbaum strangled herself in a Phoenix airport holding cell - but he also blamed that city's cops for her death, accusing them of "crude, rude, brutal, aggressive treatment." Dr. Cyril Wecht, who was hired by Gotbaum's family, insisted that the Phoenix police "absolutely mishandled" the situation and the Sept. 28 death of the mother of three could "unquestionably" have been prevented. He claimed that the cops roughed up the daughter-in-law of Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, didn't watch her while she was in the holding cell and failed to summon help immediately when they found her unconscious. "That insensitivity, that crude, rude, brutal, aggressive treatment, are directly responsible for her death," Wecht said. "This is an unquestionably a death that could be prevented - there is no question of that at all in my mind," he said. "What you do is get for this women the kind of medical attention that an employee would get or customers who come through that airport everyday would receive." Autopsy results released Friday by the Maricopa County medical examiner revealed that Gotbaum, 45, accidentally died of asphyxiation while moving her cuffed hands from the back to the front of her body. That autopsy also said Gotbaum was intoxicated on a combination of alcohol and two antidepressants and had a blood alcohol reading of 0.24 - three times the legal limit in New York. Cops said they acted by the book. http://www.nypost.com/seven/11132007/news/regionalnews/gotbaum_doc_rages_500775.htm Doc: Police Helped Bring Airport Death By CHRIS KAHN PHOENIX (AP) - A private pathologist hired by the family of a woman who died in police custody at the city's airport said Monday that she accidentally strangled herself - but he also blamed police for her death. Dr. Cyril Wecht agreed with a medical examiner's earlier report that an intoxicated Carol Anne Gotbaum accidentally strangled herself on her shackles in a holding room at Sky Harbor International Airport on Sept. 28. But Wecht also said officers roughed up the 45-year-old mother of three, who was flying from New York to an alcohol treatment center in Tucson, and said they should have watched her as she sat in the holding room alone, screaming. "This is a person who cries out for medical care, attention, appraisal, evaluation, appropriate treatment," Wecht told The Associated Press. "Anyone with a modicum of training would know this." "That insensitivity, that crude, rude, brutal, aggressive treatment, are directly responsible for her death," he said. Wecht said he sent his findings to family lawyer Michael Manning. Police spokesman Sgt. Andy Hill said officers followed proper procedures when they arrested Gotbaum, the step-daughter-in-law of New York City's public advocate. "The moment they knew she was under medical distress, they made every effort to try and save her life," including CPR, Hill said. The department is reviewing its procedures to see whether any policy changes are needed. Gotbaum's family has accused police of mistreating her. They have not decided whether to sue police, but the Maricopa County medical examiner's report "makes it more likely they'll make a claim," Manning said. The government autopsy report "says she was obviously sick before she went into the room, and she was left unattended with a 20-inch chain, and she asphyxiated on that chain," Manning said. The attorney said Phoenix police did not act appropriately. Local and national police standards call for officers to notify medical authorities when they're arresting someone who appears physically or mentally ill - not after the person is in custody and unconscious, he said. "It doesn't appear that they did" notify medical authorities in time, Manning said. "If they don't do that, if they make that mistake, then they're not supposed to leave that person shackled up and unobserved." A government autopsy said that Gotbaum was intoxicated on alcohol and prescription antidepressants, and that her blood-alcohol level was 0.24 percent - three times Arizona's legal limit of 0.08 for driving while intoxicated. Gotbaum became enraged when the gate crew didn't let her on the plane to Tucson, police said. In the holding room, she was found unconscious with the handcuffs up around her neck. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jtT6mK0J-jZRgOQhUl8y_McJ-GCwD8SSEQU80 > PHOENIX (AP) - A private pathologist hired by the family It was the family's fault. Note how the headlines are different on this story in Arizona, compared to other parts of the country. And interesting case of journalistic bias. Arizona headlines read ... "Gotbaums's Death Tied to Prescriptions" AP headlines read ... "Doctor Says Police Negligent" > Note how the headlines are different on this story in Arizona, > compared to other parts of the country. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > "Doctor Says Police Negligent" This was a woman who cared for her body, according to the autopsy ("teeth in good repair," etc) and reports of her physical health. This was a woman who willingly went to a private treatment center. This was a woman who may had a little as 2 alcoholic drinks on the day of her death. Yet, across the country, headlines read ... "BOOZE AND PILLS PLAY A ROLE" Was she a boozer? Or a person who may have taken as little as 2 drinks, yet because of other medications in her body (one of them, Cymbalta, known to cause severe liver complications) experience severe intoxication, due to little fault of her own? What doctor let her take Cymbalta, under these conditions? >> Note how the headlines are different on this story in Arizona, >> compared to other parts of the country. [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > What doctor let her take Cymbalta, under these conditions? I guess it was the big bad police who bribed her doctor. > What doctor let her take Cymbalta, under these conditions? If I were the family, I would also investigate the possible ill effects of her prescribed medication, to which she was apparently compliant. I looked at the video again, and her confussion and agitation seems far more serious than that induced by alcohol. Nonetheless, another reason for the police to have been acutely aware that this woman was in medical danger. Duloxetine-Induced Hyponatremia http://www.primarypsychiatry.com/aspx/articledetail.aspx?articleid=976 Gotbaums got hatred, are owed thanks Nov. 15, 2007 Arizona Republic There's one important thing that indignant Arizona folks have yet to tell the family of Carol Anne Gotbaum. We've told them that as far as we're concerned, the responsibility for the death of the politically connected New York woman, who spent her final moments in a holding cell at Sky Harbor airport, belongs with Gotbaum herself. And also with her family. We told them that it was Gotbaum's choice to drink and to take drugs. That she chose to become disruptive to the point where police had to arrest her. That she decided to struggle with the shackles and essentially strangle herself. advertisement We've told Gotbaum's family in no uncertain terms that we believe that they hired a heavy-hitting local attorney and a private pathologist as a way to shift blame for Gotbaum's death. We've let it be known in ways not always civil that we don't take kindly to wealthy out-of-towners who first allow a disturbed wife and mother to travel alone - leaving her vulnerable to exactly what happened - then try to blame well-meaning police officers for her death. We've said all of that. And more. And for the most part, we were right. Still, there remains one very important thing that we have not said to Gotbaum's family: Thank you. When a suspect dies in police custody, difficult questions should be asked. That doesn't always occur. Sometimes, it happens only if the deceased person has a family who can afford to hire an attorney like Michael Manning. I spoke to Manning this week. He told me, "The issue is simple. What are the police supposed to do when they come upon someone who is sick? This was someone (Gotbaum) who was obviously ill and not a threat. So, the first thing you should do is to call for some medical guidance. If you don't do that, you don't leave them in a room, shut the door and forget about it." Gotbaum was shackled in the holding room and got tangled in the chains. Phoenix police say that they followed their procedure. Department spokesman Sgt. Andy Hill has said that officers didn't know that Gotbaum was potentially suicidal or depressed until after she died. According to reports, Gotbaum was found by officers who had left her alone for only a few minutes. She then vomited into the mouth of one of the officers who tried to resuscitate her, reports say, and he continued to try to save her. "These people are lifesavers," Hill told me. "The day before this happened, they saved a life. The day after, they saved a life." This time, however, the woman in custody died. If everyone follows the rules and a death still occurs, then you've got to re-evaluate procedures. Hill said that police are doing that but have yet to come up with any reason to alter policy. I'd guess that by the time this case is over, some type of change will be made. And who knows? It may mean that the next person in Gotbaum's position - someone without her connections or her wealth - will live. It has happened before. If the wealthy parents of Scott Norberg, a disruptive suspect who died in the Maricopa County Jail a few years ago, didn't hire Manning and ask tough questions of jail procedures, deputies might still be using a deadly restraint chair. Hill and Manning agree that it's important to evaluate how police handle suspects. It's one of two things about this case that they agree on. The other, as described by Manning, is, "People these days are scary." He was talking about the hatred being leveled at Gotbaum and her family. Manning has used some inflammatory language when discussing the case. But most of the condemnation these days is aimed at his client's loved ones. And at him. "It is troubling to believe that this kind of vicious attitude can happen here," Manning said. Hill agreed. He said that some of the comments he's heard about Gotbaum are "uglier than the ones I heard about the Serial Shooters (two local suspects accused of multiple murders)." Perhaps it's the times. As the media's ability to deliver news has become instantaneous, so has our willingness to pass judgment. But even if you believe, as I do, that Gotbaum's family doesn't have much of a legal case, they do have some questions. And they have a right to ask them. Reach Montini at or ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444- 8978. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1115montini1115.html# There, but for the Grace of god, go I. I hope the Gotbaums sue the sh.t of them, too. Shifting the blame Nov. 18, 2007 12:00 AM The surviving family of Carol Gotbaum appears to be moving closer to a lawsuit against the Phoenix police for her Sept. 28 death at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Judging from the comments of the family and their advisers to the media, their theme, expressed consistently, is one of police brutality. From their shockingly irresponsible suggestions to the New York tabloids about "beefy" officers possibly killing the troubled woman to the wildly subjective observations of the family's hired pathologist, the working Gotbaum meme is that the cops were brutal to her. But there is another, largely unexplored, "theme" to the Gotbaum tragedy. Another meme. It is a matter of time. At 2:53 p.m., Gotbaum was led out of the Terminal 4 concourse - well beyond the legal definition of drunk, under the influence of prescription drugs and in obvious hysteria. Somewhere between 3:05 p.m. and 3:08 p.m., she was shackled to a bench in the holding cell, and left alone to calm down. As few as 12 minutes had passed. Likely no more than 15 minutes. According to a pathologist hired by the Gotbaums to examine Carol's remains, the police during those 15 or fewer minutes were not merely negligent in failing to perform an immediate evaluation of the woman's medical condition, they were "brutal." Dr. Cyril Wecht's forensic conclusions regarding Gotbaum's fate - his professional judgment, in other words -were similar to those of the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office. His commentary regarding the troubled woman's final moments were not: "This is a person who cries out for medical care, attention, appraisal, evaluation, appropriate treatment," said Wecht to reporters. Further: "That insensitivity, that crude, rude, brutal, aggressive treatment, are (sic) directly responsible for her death." As opposed to earlier, scattershot, contentions by Gotbaum family advisers that the "brutal" and "beefy" Phoenix cops actually conspired to kill Carol, Dr. Wecht's comments are quite specific. He is arguing that the failure to immediately anticipate the woman's medical needs was "directly responsible for her death." Within 15 minutes, or less, of taking Gotbaum into custody, in other words, police should have diagnosed that Gotbaum was not drunk and under the influence of prescription drugs (although, she was), but rather that she had a history of mental instability and that she was suicidal. And that the police were insensitive, crude, rude, brutal and aggressive for failing to have made the proper distinctions. These are preposterous conclusions. As we have observed before, the Phoenix Police Department ultimately may prove culpable for a policy that does not require a monitoring camera in its airport holding room. But there is nothing crude, rude or brutal about a policy that stipulates how to attempt to calm a person who appears to be (and, in fact, is) raving drunk. There are people, however, who were well aware of Carol Gotbaum's medical condition. Those people knew of her fragile mental state. They knew about her history with alcohol and drugs. They knew she suffered from episodes of anxiety and depression. One family spokesman said she had attempted suicide in the past. The family's lawyer disputes that. The Gotbaum family of New York had quite a bit more than 15 minutes to determine the danger an out-of-control Carol posed to herself. Leaving her to travel alone to an alcohol-treatment center across the continent is an unfortunate mistake family members, especially husband Noah, will have to live with the rest of their lives. Attempting to transfer their responsibility for that mistake to police officers with all of 15 minutes to figure her out is nothing short of insensitive, crude, rude, brutal and aggressive. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/1118sun1-18.html I hope that anyone concerned with these issue will continue to follow news updates via Google news search. I hate to see this dead woman's character maligned, called drunk, alcoholic, out-of-control, on "drugs," etc, to be blamed, or her family, for her own death -- a woman willingly on her way to a treatment center. People are missing the fact that the smallest amount of alcohol -- in combination with the specific medication she was prescribed -- may have caused her confussion and terrified panic. She told police she was sick. The New York Times October 11, 2007 Where's the Safety Net? By Judith Warner I just can't get out of my mind the story of Carol Gotbaum, the 45- year-old Manhattan mother of three who died in a Phoenix airport holding cell on September 28th on her way to alcohol rehab in Tucson. Her funeral was held this past Sunday on the Upper West Side. At the start of it, Rabbi Robert Levine of Congregation Rodeph Sholom said, "The central teaching of both Judaism and Christianity is to love your neighbor as yourself. But at that airport ... there was no such love offered to our Carol." This lack of basic agape is, far beyond what the police did or didn't do, or her family did or didn't arrange, or what the already contested autopsy report will or will not find, the disturbing crux of Carol's story. The base level of lovingkindness, decency, compassion and empathy that most of us assume, or at the very least hope, we and our loved ones will encounter in life appears to have been entirely absent from the boarding area where Carol lost it completely, after repeatedly being denied access to a connecting flight. She became hysterical, was arrested and locked up and, within a matter of minutes, was dead. The seeds for the tragedy that has now left her three young children motherless were sown before the police showed up and wrestled her to the ground. They'd blossomed well before she was left alone, handcuffed and shackled to a bench in her cell. They were planted when airport personnel called the police, rather than attempting in any real way to deal with her on a human level. As she bent herself double, threw her Blackberry and screamed, did it dawn on no one that she was a woman who needed help? "If the airline or the police authorities had treated Carol with some modicum of sensitivity and grace, or if one single person at that airport had put an arm around her shoulders, sat her down and given her some protection, she might still be with us today," her husband, Noah, said at her funeral. Perhaps witness reports will eventually show that some such care was shown to Carol. But none have emerged thus far and, frankly, there's every reason to assume the worst. For we all know what air travel is like today. For passengers, it's one petty insult and indignity after the other. And that's when things go without incident. In the past, when faced with the frustrations of air travel, passengers had, if not the right, then some ability to fight back. If, say, you were seated on a trans-continental flight 10 rows away from your four-year-old, you could raise the issue, and if you were ignored (as you often were), you could kick up a fuss and pretty much embarrass someone into setting things right. Now that's all over. You voice a complaint and they threaten to call security. This is enraging for anyone, under any circumstances. Imagine what it would do to you if you were already depressed, even suicidal. Imagine some bit of typically maddening airline officiousness happening to you on a day when you were already feeling embarrassed and ashamed. You were all alone - half a continent away from your husband and children, and the friends who were supposed to meet you hadn't shown up. Imagine, under these circumstances, that you got to your gate one minute late. You learned that your seat had been given away. A man then offered you his seat on the next flight out, but the gate agents wouldn't let you take it, because to do so, they said, would be a "security breach." "I'm not a terrorist," Carol Gotbaum screamed. She was, she said, just "a pathetic, depressed mother." You may say that you'd never lose your cool like Carol Gotbaum. You're not an alcoholic. You're not a depressive. You are supremely self- controlled. Good for you. Right now. Today. But have you never had the experience of being close to losing it? Have you never felt yourself starting to crack when, say, you've been fighting with your husband and your credit card's rejected, or you're worried about your health and you're late for a long-scheduled, absolutely critical doctor's appointment, and they cancel it, and won't reschedule it? At times like this, if there's something bigger going on -- and at times like this there often is -- it's very easy to snap. It's easiest to snap when you feel you've been trying to do your absolute best. This, I imagine, underlay some of the rage that Carol Gotbaum felt when she saw herself stranded in Phoenix. Think about it: the sole reason she was in that airport, instead of having flown directly to Tucson as planned, was that she'd decided at the last minute to see her children off to school for one final morning. She'd had to take a later, non-direct, plane as a result. (And to the many readers who will say - as people around the country have already said - that Carol's husband should have been there on that plane with her, I would just suggest that perhaps he wasn't there because Carol wanted him, in her absence, to be in New York, close to their kids.) Carol, of course, can't tell us any of this for herself. But it doesn't take a whole lot of soul-searching to imagine what she must have felt. A friend of mine, newly divorced, has been struggling a great deal lately with the financial and emotional stress of being a single mother. Recently she found herself screaming at a man in a parking lot who, she believed, had drawn his car in too closely to her young son. She'd berated the man until he started screaming back. "Am I losing it?" she asked me a few days afterward. (more) http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/carol-gotbaum Judith Warner, the NYTs writer above, self-reportedly suffers from severe migraine headaches. Anyone with that kind of neurologic disorder is likely to understand the kind of pain the brain feels under severe stress, which Ms. Gotbaum mave have experienced in her final minutes. That is a biologic mechanism, not a primary psychiatric/mental illness. This is your brain on MIGRAINE ... http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbeyond/2007/11/this_is_your_brain_on_a_migr ai.html I'm wondering if Ms. Gotbaum suffered from untreated hypertension from her prescribed medication, Cymbalta (a dual-uptake inhibitor, of seretonin and norepinephrine, like Effexor). And perhaps self-treated her high BP with alcohol, in a mis-guided attempt to lower her stress. The New York Times November 25, 2007 "Drug Rep" By DANIEL CARLAT "When it came to side effects, Effexor's greatest liability was that it could cause hypertension, a side effect not shared by S.S.R.I.'s. Sussman showed us some data from the clinical trials, indicating that at lower doses, about 3 percent of patients taking Effexor had hypertension as compared with about 2 percent of patients assigned to a placebo. There was only a 1 percent difference between Effexor and placebo, he commented, and pointed out that treating high blood pressure might be a small price to pay for relief from depression. It was an accurate reading of the data, and I remember finding it a convincing defense of Effexor's safety. As I look back at my notes now, however, I notice that another way of describing the same numbers would have been to say that Effexor leads to a 50 percent greater rate of hypertension than a placebo. Framed this way, Effexor looks more hazardous." http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/magazine/25memoir-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 Gotbaum, Addressing Daughter-In-Law's Death, Calls For More Police Oversight NY1 News November 25, 2007 New York City public advocate Betsy Gotbaum broke her silence Sunday regarding the controversial death of her daughter-in-law. Carol Ann Gotbaum died while in police custody in Phoenix in September. The public advocate used Carol Ann's death as an example of how police officers need better training. "Not only do we have a huge job to do in this city -- which is something hopefully we will be able to do -- but around the country there's something going on that is really horrible. And (I know that) in terms of my personal situation which I'm sure many of you know." Carol Ann Gotbaum was arrested for disorderly conduct at a Phoenix airport after she was told she couldn't board a plane to Tucson, where she was headed to an alcohol treatment clinic. Autopsies found she accidentally strangled herself while trying to get out of her handcuffs. The Gotbaum family argues that Carol Ann should not have been left alone by police in the airport's holding room. http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=3&aid=75916# Gotbaum Hasn't Heard From Phoenix Leaders Since Daughter's Death NY1 December 04, 2007 Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum says three months after the incident she still has not heard from city leaders in Phoenix about the death of her stepdaugher in law. Her stepdaughter Carol Gotbaum died while in police custody at the Phoenix Airport in September. The medical examiner ruled the death an accident, but said an intoxicated Gotbaum accide |
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