Family Says Nephew of Justice Clarence Thomas Was Beaten, Tazed at West Jeff Hospital

[Morning Dew]

Source: Chicago Tribune

MARRERO — Family members of Derek Thomas, nephew of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, are alleging that the younger Thomas, was punched and tazed when he was admitted to West Jefferson Hospital Thursday.

The family says the use of the taser caused Thomas to have a seizure.

According to at statement from the family, Derek Thomas, who is epileptic, refused to put on a hospital gown and tried to leave his examination after a possible suicide attempt. They say security "punched him in his lip, pulled out more than a fistful of his dredlocks and tasered him to restrain him."

Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/wgno-news-derek-thomas-tazed,0,1364061.story

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Apparently, Justice Thomas is flying down to investigate.

[Xipe Totec]

1. So now (finally) he has some skin in the game nt

[hlthe2b]

2. well, maybe when a taser abuse case comes before the USSC

Thomas will be able to get past his asshole kneejerk "law and order" tendencies.

[No Elephants]

4. We know he won't recuse himself bc of his involvement with the issue.

He doesn't seem to get the whole potential conflict of interest thang.

[Sebastian Doyle]

3. Hopefully this will be one time Clarence doesn't need Fat Tony to tell him what to think

Why the hell are rent a cops running around with tazers anyway? It's bad enough that real cops are way too trigger happy with these portable electrocution devices. Don't need these idiots making it worse.

[izquierdista]

25. Why should he start now?

Clarence's cranium has had the "Gone Fishin" sign up for going on 20 years.

[demigoddess]

33. we probably care more about this relative of thomas than he does.

the guy strikes me as a narcissist. who else would think he was really qualified for SCOTUS

[No Elephants]

5. I'm sorry to hear this. Epileptic, possibily suicidal--and tased into a seizure at a care giving .

facility. Whatever happened to "First, do no harm?"

[BrklynLiberal]

6. If he did not have a famous uncle this story would probably never even have hit page 40 in the news.

Too bad that in some circles...-can you say repuke?--it only counts when it is YOUR family that is hurt.

Empathy for others that you may not even know is a sign of weakness and stupidity to them.

Too bad that lady that died in the waiting room of the ER in Brooklyn did not have any famous relatives...

http://www.newsweek.com/2008/07/11/the-woman-who-died-in-the-waiting-room.html

[Spazito]

7. Ain't that the sorry truth n/t

[Alameda]

11. OMG! What a sad sad story. You are right...

[Lost4words]

12. I like you!

you have a nice brain! :toast:

[BrklynLiberal]

45. You made my day. thanks.

LOL

:hi:

[Morning Dew]

13. What a sad story.

Thanks for posting it.

[DeSwiss]

19. +1

[nadinbrzezinski]

36. +1000

[Gman]

8. Clarence will say it was Derek's fault for not being white

like Justice Thomas.

[jaysunb]

14. ROFL !

Too true. :rofl:

[CC]

9. So doctors were dealing with

a combative patient after a possible suicide attempt? The family wanted them to sedate him? With drugs? Did they want to suicide attempt to succeed? Did everyone in that room know exactly what was used in the attempt and how much?

Not that I agree with the taser but unless the doctors knew exactly what and how much of whatever the young man used to attempt suicide adding another drug to the mix might of been deadly. Letting him leave without help might have been deadly too. (No one really knew at that point)


Having rushed an accidental drug overdosed person to a hospital who became combative and watched him rip free of leather restraining straps I'll wait until more information is released before I jump on the they were wrong bandwagon. It took a very strong drug to sedate that person and then the docs had worry it would do permanent heart damage or kill the patient.

[foxfeet]

20. +1 for common sense.

Was anyone from the family there to actually observe what happened? What is the source of their info? If the young man was pre-ictal at the time of the incident his own memories may not be accurate.

I'm curious why hospital security personnel would be armed with tasers. I'm wondering if the "security" staff were actually the police officers who brought him to the hospital.

A full investigation is warranted. I'll await the release of further information before I jump to any conclusions.

[1monster]

23. Did you get this story from a link other than in the OP? Because the story in the linnk

didn't say he had taken anything and didn't say he was combative. It said that he had made a "possible" suicide attempt" and that he refused to put on a hospital gown and wanted to leave. (Unless he was committed by a judge or under arrest by the police, I don't see how the hospital had the authority to taze and punch him for not putting on a hospital gown...

If there is more to the story, let's hear it.

[izquierdista]

26. "possible suicide attempt"

Like mouthing off to a white policeman? :shrug:

[jwirr]

29. That is what I was thinking. Commitment can only be accomplished

through the courts when the patient refuses treatment. Suicide may change that law.

[nadinbrzezinski]

37. The suicide attempt gives them the

freebie of the 72 hour hold...

They don't need a judges order... a doctor can make that judgment.

Now after that... wholly off base.

[1monster]

44. That's called the Baker Act in Florida and one still has to have a court order.

It is a state law, not a federal law, so the state involved may have that law...or not.

[nadinbrzezinski]

47. Well in California (and Baja California Norte)

if you are a danger to yourself or others, you can be legally detained by EMS, Police, or a doctor at the Emergency Room.

You really do not need a court order.

Perhaps Louisiana is similar.

Now where it gets sticky as it were, is what is danger to self or others? Declaring you want to kill yourself is pretty clean though.

[wordpix]

49. wondering if the nephew was fighting with hospital staff to bring this on?

not that I condone tasing or hitting, just that we're hearing one side only here.

[sendero]

43. And using a taser......

.... when they did not know what he had taken - just as deadly.

No sale.

[ck4829]

10. Freepers and teabaggers saying that Obama is behind this in 3... 2... 1...

[my2sense]

15. Since when is it OK to taze

patients. I imagine combative patients are dealt with routinely in hospitals around the country. Since when was it ok to simply shoot them with volts of electricity? This is scary.

[Speciesamused]

16. At least they did not "mistake their taser for a gun".....

I do not think anything will come of this.
The republican Thomas is part
of the problem. His investigation is just for show.
Where was Thomas when Derek needed real help so he would not try to take his
own life? At least they did not mistake
their taser for a gun or he would be dead right now.
With all due respect to Derek , I am sorry for this and wish him much love.

[Indianademocrat91]

17. He was still getting his bjs from corporate America

That takes a while, you can only do so much and with al other things in this case his nephew you say fuck them, until it becomes a national story where you can egotistically through your name out there in bright lights as an avenger of the distraught.

[Roy Rolling]

18. "Combative" patient?

Tasering is not the proper protocol for subduing a combative patient. Alzheimer's patients and diabetics are often combative (I am a retired medic). Would they have been tasered? Not likely, only a "suspected mental patient" with suicidal tendencies is subject to this sort of inhumane and improper medical treatment. Regardless, tasering is never recommended when there is a plethora of injectable drugs that can sedate a combative patient within 5 minutes of administering medication. The patient is suicidal, he wanted to be abused (evne to the point of death)...so the hospital gave this clearly delusional patient his wish by abusing him?

[Downwinder]

21. We won't let you commit suicide. We'll kill you instead.

[Hansel]

32. Sounds like a pro life stand. nt

[foxfeet]

22. Sedation was probably contraindicated because

the patient was suicidal and the hospital had not yet been able to get a tox/drug screen to determine whether he had any substances "on board." Additional sedation could have been lethal, as noted by another poster below. BTW, nothing in the newspaper or TV accounts suggests that the young man was delusional. His confusion could be due to his seizure disorder.

None of this is intended to imply that tasering is in any way appropriate for ER patients.

[crim son]

24. How did we manage to keep order before tasers?

Because I think it's time to revisit those methods.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

27. Strangulation and the use of large metal flashlights

Some cops will be brutal, using whatever equipment is at hand.

[crim son]

30. True, brutal cops are brutal cops.

I still believe that adding the taser to their arsenal was a v. bad idea.

[nadinbrzezinski]

39. Four point restrains, with actual people

I became an expert on them.. and at times got hurt with them.

As a medic I had to restraint a few patients. and it usually involved a lot of sweat, and a few times actual injuries for the caregivers.

Hospital security should have NOT have tasers, but that's just me.

[Mz Pip]

40. Probably beat the crap out of patients

then gave them lobotomies.

Tasers came about to avoid lethal confrontations that might result in someone out of control getting shot. It's certainly time to revisit the methods but I don't want to see the police or security guards returning to a shoot first (with a gun) and ask questions later modus operandi.

I really feel for this kid. He was obviously in some serious distress.

[valerief]

28. How in the world were patients put under control before the abuse of tasers?

It's like trying to figure out how kids fit in sedans before the sales explosion of SUVs.

Poor kid. Of course, his lackey uncle will do nothing to curb the abuse of tasers. Thomas has been bought and paid for like the other corporatist justices.

[Judi Lynn]

31. This is sickening because it happened, and sickening that his uncle doesn't support human rights,

but has supported totally cold sadism, and disrespect for human beings, instead.

I can't imagine what Judge Thomas must be thinking right now. He should use this time to sober up and face reality. He's not getting any younger. He needs to "come to Jaysus."

[Jefferson23]

34. I'm looking forward to his response:

"Thomas meanwhile, says he will take legal action. "I would like to sue the hospital because it was uncalled for. Where in America can you go and, from you not putting on a robe, should the consequence be tased, punched in the face?"

Derek Thomas is also hoping his uncle, a man who is often the final word when it comes to right and wrong, can help to make sure this alleged abuse doesn't happen to anyone else."

[nadinbrzezinski]

35. I think I have something to say about this in practical terms

I treated patients who were a tad on the agressive side. And we NEVER, EVER had to punch anybody... and we did not have tasers either.

One bit me... (He was so hypoglicemic, aka low blood sugar that he was having seizures). We still did not punch him... and it took three medics to get the arm to the point we could get vein access and use meds... to both stop the seizures and reverse the low blood sugar.

I fear that patient would have died. There is a serious problem when security decides that they need to do that.

Oh and re-reading the story, the kid was on a psych hold... 72 hour. That still does NOT mean they should have done that.

Hell we had a guy who took a gun from a cop running around the hospital with a gun. A loaded gun kiddies. We defused this, without anybody getting shot... so yes something at times tells me that we need more training for security.

And what stinks is ... drumroll, color of skin and yes I have had patients break hospital restrains...

[Doctor_J]

38. Tasing is now a daily occurence, and Uncle Slappy is a big reason

He & Fat Tony have stripped accused rights to the bone.

[nadinbrzezinski]

41. Well I can hope that at least one USSC Justice

will now buy a clue.

I know... that is crazy to think

[defendandprotect]

42. Shouldn't happen to anyone . . .terrible . . .

[tom_paine]

46. Didn't those cops know this kid was in a "family of one of the good ones"

:sarcasm:

I mean, look at all that Clarence has done for the White Aristocracy and in helping the old KKK shed their white sheets to join the Republicans.

Those cops just didn't know that Clarence's nephew was "on the team".

Clarence will investigate - I mean he can't expect HIS kin to be treated as if they were plain old ordinary black or poor folk. Clarence hasn't helped reintroduce medieval aristocracy to see HIS kin treated like Commoners.

Oh, and don't think for a moment that this taste of "how the other half lives" will change Clarence & Ginny's devotion to Medieval Aristocratic Power. They have been riding the gravy train for too long to let a tiny bit of reality and personal suffering by a family member blow all that.

On the other hand, in keeping with the ideas and concepts of Medieval Aristocratic Power, the INDIVIDUALS who are responsible for harming the kin of Noble Courtier Thomas will lose their jobs and probably be made to suffer in other ways.

[wordpix]

48. "his uncle, a man who is often the final word when it comes to right and wrong..."

oh yeah, Clarence is an expert on right v. wrong, as Anita Hill and Gore know only too well.

[catnhatnh]

50. As an EMT we used the prone "butterfly eight"...

Flat gurney, standard wrist/ankle ties and a looped sheet around both upper arms and the middle of the upper back, then looped below and square knotted. The loop could then be stepped on, constricting the biceps and pulling them towards the torso. The prone position eliminated most danger to the medic's face as a strike area and reduced chances of wrist/ankle restraint failure-try your relative muscle power facing down rather than up at the wrist. The resistance has to come from the full limb with no strong pivot from an elbow although the leg gains strength. The butterfly loop was a compliance mechanism to let the patient know that struggling was counter productive. A backward leg strike is strong but ineffective.

But the thing is that this position was NEVER achieved by punching, hair pulling, or electrocuting. The person being restrained was a fucking PATIENT! If it took 8 people to achieve then so be it. Or 10 or 12.

The OTHER thing is that it is just a fucking job-every day I started it I told my self "You may be an asshole, but for each patient you handle this day your job is to be the best thing that happened to him all day. And to each, to the limit of my abilities, I was. When I felt I could no longer be that person I changed jobs.

Today instead, both sworn officers and rent-a-cops think they are a "Terminator" or "Last Word". The arming of rent-a-cops is just a liability jungle that corporations like hospitals currently consider themselves the king of. But sworn police officers deciding to judge and punish without restraint is right wing neo-nazi bullshit and until police begin "policing' again rather than "enforcing", or at least admitting there is a difference in the terms, the country will continue to sink.

[stray cat]

51. He was locked up for a suicide attempt and under court ordered observation

probably - you can expect to be restrained if you are in prison or court ordered hospital lock up.