An autistic Bronx teen was allegedly punched in the face, slammed to the ground, and falsely imprisoned by three NYPD officers for no reason. The cops also ignored the teen’s mother, who begged for an explanation as she watched them beat her son, according to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court.
Last year, 17-year-old Troy Canales was standing against a car in front of his house when the officers first approached him. When they asked what the teenager, who looks young due to his autism, was doing, he allegedly replied, “chillin.” Then, Canales says, he was punched in the face and thrown to the ground, his face touching the concrete. He was kneed in the back as he called for his mother, then handcuffed and locked up at a local precinct, according to the lawsuit. He was released an hour later without being charged.
“He’s screaming, ‘Help me, mommy! Help me, mommy!” said Alyson Aulet-Valentine, who was unable to get a response when she asked why her son was under arrest. She says she told the officers her son is autistic, but they ignored her. When she arrived at the precinct, one of the officers claimed he felt “afraid for his life.”
“I feel terrified of cops now,” Canales, who is now 18 years old, explained to the Daily News.
Canales’ encounter with police was not an uncommon one, as mentally ill people are disproportionately brutalized by cops, due in large part to poor officer training. A 2012 study concluded half of all people killed by police have a mental illness. More than 25 percent of people shot and killed by officers this year had a mental illness. And in many cases, police wind up killing the people they’re called upon to help. There have been at least 45 cases this year alone where people called 911 for medical assistance, but police responded instead with deadly force.
That pattern of mistreatment extends far beyond policing, particularly in NYC. Forty percent of Rikers Island Jail inmates have a mental illness, and the facility is one of three jails that constitute the largest inpatient psychiatric facilities in the country. In Rikers and jails nationwide, mentally ill prisoners are routinely beaten by staff, and/or thrown into solitary confinement — two forms of abuse that exacerbate pre-existing conditions. The problems are so widespread that one-third of mental health professionals at Rikers reported having to jeopardize their values to continue working.