Rory Fanning reports on how one family and community are grappling with a horrific episode of police violence against a mentally ill black teenager.
Stephon Watts suffered from autism, but he was like other 15-year-olds in many ways. He loved to fix computers, watch YouTube and read Dr. Seuss books.
On the morning of February 1, Stephon was having an emotional meltdown because he didn't want to go to school. His father, Steven Watts, called the hospital and described the situation, and they told him to call police.
This wasn't unusual. The local Calumet City, Ill., police had been to the home 10 times under similar circumstances, and Stephon's social worker had also counseled the family to call police in various situations.
Stephon had calmed down soon after his father called the police, and by the time four white police officers arrived, he was sitting quietly in the basement of his home. But the sight of the officers frightened him, so he raised a butter knife and lunged at the gun-toting men, according to his father.
That's when police shot and killed the African American teenager.
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13 comments:
"...so he raised a butter knife and lunged at the gun-toting men..." The answer to your salacious headline was right in the text of the story. Next.
I just don't get the racial side of this. Incredibly and horribly mishandled, yes, but racially motivated?
They are practicinge for the rise of the American gestapo.
Your right.it was mishandled and a tragedy. However leave it to the blacks to scream racism. I'm surprised that al sharpton hasn't had an embolism yet! The cops have been there before. They should've know about this young man.but the reality is the guy had a knife and came at them.could the cops have said its only a butter knife and its four on one....yes they could've.but protocol calls for their actions.so black folks please quit with the early nineties Rodney king crap.you have a black president now.shit has changed.everything but yalls ignorance on racism
11:26 AM
When you try to impress with 25 cent words, find out their meaning first.
Cops may be legally justified since he had a dangerous 'butter' knife, but morally and realistically?
1:08 You're joking, right? The story indicated that one of the police officers was cut by the knife that the lunging person had. I guess since after the fact we learn the lunging person only cut an officer on an arm and didn't plant it in his face or throat, the officer should have simply shaken it off and taken other measures to subdue the individual.
While you sit on your sanctimonious and pretentious high horse, both morally and realistically the action taken by the police officers was justified, no matter what criteria you choose to use.
2:23 PM
No, I am not joking. If you want to give these thugs the right to kill at the slightest provocation you better make sure you walk the line every single day.
It has nothing to do with any so called high horse. It's a thing out of the past which many, probably you too, have never heard or experienced. It's called common sense.
If a cop cannot defend himself without using a gun, especially in situations like these, he has no business being one.
I had already stated they were probably legally justified. That doesn't mean a whole lot to me since the law itself is becoming more and more of a joke itself.
If a cop cannot disarm a 15 year old with a BUTTER knife, he isn't much of a man or a cop.
You can lick their boots all you like as far as I'm concerned.
To me this is just ANOTHER example of punks, thugs and just lazy ass bums seeing an excuse to shoot somebody, and taking it.
While you sit on your sanctimonious and pretentious high horse, both morally and realistically the action taken by the police officers was justified, no matter what criteria you choose to use.
March 3, 2012 2:23 PM
I feel sorry for you and people like you. You can't see the forest for the trees. They may have been justified but that doesn't make it right.
Four adults could not disarm and subdue a 15 year old boy with autism? I hope they are proud of themselves. It already seems like you are.
25 cent words? Lmao.and everything said by me is is exactly what you just said.I love how people on here blast a person and essentially say the same thing.here is a penny word for you...moron!
Have you ever dealt with an autistic teen? They have the strength of several men.
And punks thugs and lazy bums? Your ignorance is obvious. How is life in the ghetto? Oh you don't know? These cops responded to the ghetto.story tells it.you have no idea what its like to be in their shoes.and that slice to his arm could have easily been to his jugular.
25 cent words? Lmao.and everything said by me is is exactly what you just said.I love how people on here blast a person and essentially say the same thing.here is a penny word for you...moron!
March 3, 2012 7:18 PM
Anonymous said...
Have you ever dealt with an autistic teen? They have the strength of several men.
And punks thugs and lazy bums? Your ignorance is obvious. How is life in the ghetto? Oh you don't know? These cops responded to the ghetto.story tells it.you have no idea what its like to be in their shoes.and that slice to his arm could have easily been to his jugular.
March 3, 2012 7:24 PM
How you can equate anything I have said to support your uniformed and biased statements is beyond me and reason.
Your speculation of what MIGHT have happened has no bearing on what DID happen.
And where did you ever come up with people with autism has the strength of several men? Must less a 15 year old boy?
Here's a little fact for you if you can do a little research instead of relying on your vivid imagination.
An estimated 60%–80% of autistic people have motor signs that include poor muscle tone, poor motor planning, and toe walking;[40] deficits in motor coordination are pervasive across ASD and are greater in autism proper.[43]
You are obviously very young and not very educated in the subject you wish to discuss. The lack of facts and personal attacks are a very good indication of this.
You may be trying to align your words with what I have been saying but it will not work. There is a stark contrast to the unfounded rubbish you have been stating to the information I am trying to provide.
Maybe you have confused autism with another disorder. I don't know. But you obviously know nothing of which you speak.
In your haste to defend and justify this unnecessary killing you have misaligned and given false facts about this disease and even tried to twist my words to seem to support what you have said.
Nothing could be further from the truth. If only you would educate yourself and do just a little research about this disease I wouldn't be forced to discuss this asinine misrepresentation of yours.
.and that slice to his arm could have easily been to his jugular.
March 3, 2012 7:24 PM
If it could happen easily as you put it, cops are not well trained. And therefore not qualified. Keep right on burying these so called cops.
Police officers should be required to attend training to work and deal with people with disabilities. Wonder if they tried offering him a soda for the butter knife or a chance to look at or touch his badge. Many think autistic children are not intelligent-guess again,they just can't relay their message. In training facilities 100 pound women are trained to restrain until calm. 4 cops - Really!
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