Would you do this for a fellow autistic/aspie?

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thewildeman2
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24 Jan 2010, 11:15 am

As and advocate I've been working to help Zakh Price and kids just like him all over the country, maybe even the world. I'm posting this here (I run a blog here too) to ask you, fellows of the autistic community to help out. Please check out this posting from my facebook page and consider if a few postcards are something you can do. Thank you all for your consideration. To clarify from the post below. Zakh Price had a meltdown in class and the Principle and Teacher waited for it to pass and for him to go, on his own, to his corner. Then they cornered him and pulled a take down restraint on him. They triggered a fight or flight response and he fought back. He did no more than kick the Principle in the leg with no serious injury during the struggle (an un-necessary struggle) and they called the police. They had him hauled away in handcuffs and he faces a charge of felony assault. If they are successful, Zakh will be locked up in an institution until he's 18. He's in the boyscouts, has already been instutionalized doing damage to him, and he has no criminal record. There were no weapons involved, nothing that constitutes a felony level charge occurred. So my post follows;

Zakh Price, an eleven year old autistic boy who faces felony charges that couldn’t be more trumped up with an air compressor. As if that weren’t enough for his troubled family to deal with, there’s more. Despite what must be hundreds of emails pleading for sanity in his case, the prosecutor could care less. Despite what must be hundreds of emails and a twitter to at least 80,000 people, just one news agency has yet to step forward. Apparently, the story just isn’t juicy enough for any of them. Yes, I’m being a very harsh critic at this point.

What the agencies then, are failing to grasp, is that Zakh isn’t alone. This is an epidemic in the educational system that’s routinely throwing special needs children out the window, right along with their educational futures. Sure, it’s against the law. Sure, there are federal laws on giving them a proper education. Sure, there’s IDEA and “no child left behind”. None of it matters one iota. Why do I say that? Because all the agencies who are supposed to step up and defend kids like Zakh, are failing. I’ve heard from numerous people that the ACLU and state advocacy centers in several states just aren’t interested. So, instead of getting fair and just representation, families are forced into costs in the thousands to try and fight for their children’s rights. That is WRONG.

So clearly, something bigger needs to be done. Starting with the case of young Zakh Price, I have a huge idea. Let’s look at what hasn’t worked so far:

1: Emails: too easily erased and obviously just not working.

2: Contacting government: No response from them, but then they need to see more don’t they?

3: Media: They want more juice? Let’s give it to them.

I’m calling on all of you, and anyone who can pick up a pencil and a few cheap postcards. This is how to help Zakh Price and light a fuse for legal rights of these kids.

All of you, ALL OF YOU. Go to your local post office and pick up a bundle of cheap prepostage post cards. So easy to do, and cheap! Fill them out. Put an address for one of the people regarding Zakh’s case on each one and write just three words on the other side:
HELP ZAKH PRICE. If you want to jot a couple extra respectable things, go for it. But make sure those three words are unmistakable. Then pass this instruction on to everyone you can. Write a letter too if you feel like it, but make sure those words are still loud and clear.

We don’t want 10 or 20 postcards in those mailboxes, not 50 or 100 either, THOUSANDS. And we don’t want to stop until we get action.

So we can’t gather to make a picket line, then let’s mail one. Here are the addresses and people to write to (remember to be polite, but firm):

Dan Shue Prosecuter, 901 South B street, Fort Smith, AR 72901

Hon Gov Mike Beebe, State Capitol Room 250, Little Rock, AR 72201

Hon Mayor C. Ray Baker Jr., PO Box 1908, Fort Smith, AR 72902

Dr. Benny Gooden (School district supervisor), 3205 Jenny Lind Rd, Fort Smith, AR 72902

Dr. Deanie Mehl (President of the School Board), 3205 Jenny Lind Rd, Fort Smith, AR 72902

Pam Siebenmorgan (Principal of Beard Elementary), 1600 Cavanaugh Rd, Fort Smith, AR 72908

Want to add someone to this list? Feel free, but these are the primary people that need the info. Oh, maybe a few news agencies would like some. Feel free to add them too.

Then do it again. And again.

Come on people, this isn’t just one child we are trying to help here, but all of our special needs kids being arrested and persecuted.

It’s time to get their attention. It’s time to take action. Lets go.


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mechanicalgirl39
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24 Jan 2010, 12:31 pm

What country is this in?


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ursaminor
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24 Jan 2010, 1:18 pm

How is this not juicy? Maybe his parents can say something, the media seems to listen to parents with autistic children much more than to the children themselves, which is backwards but logical somehow because the parents they choose to listen to are easier to understand because they are NT or have a form of autism mild enough to be clinically insignificant.



Michael_Stuart
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24 Jan 2010, 1:26 pm

mechanicalgirl39 wrote:
What country is this in?


By the addresses listed, I'm going to guess the USA, specifically the state of Arkansas.



CockneyRebel
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24 Jan 2010, 3:24 pm

I'd do something along these lines to help out, if a kid on the spectrum in my area was facing the same dilemma.


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Iris_Petals
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05 Feb 2010, 9:41 pm

I'll help but is it still going on?



Blindspot149
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06 Feb 2010, 1:01 am

HEY GUYS :!:

When I started reading this post I was wondering whether it would be a request for money.

Actually is a request for something far more powerful than money.

I'm going to check out the facts (hopefully Google can find the ONE newsagency that has covered the story) and if this stacks up I am going to mail these post cards out.

I don't live in the US but I do have an interest in this case....................just as the US maintains an 'interest' in the countries around the world where it remains 'involved'.

In fact, post cards from 'overseas' might make the people 'in charge' sit up and think about this even MORE :!:


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pensieve
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06 Feb 2010, 1:32 am

Blindspot149 wrote:
I'm going to check out the facts (hopefully Google can find the ONE newsagency that has covered the story) and if this stacks up I am going to mail these post cards out.

In fact, post cards from 'overseas' might make the people 'in charge' sit up and think about this even MORE :!:

http://thezakhappeal.com/home/index.php ... 9&Itemid=8

News sites that have covered the story on an official site made for Zakh.

This is really horrible. I should get a group of people in Australia to send out some postcards.


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Blindspot149
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06 Feb 2010, 2:03 am

pensieve wrote:
Blindspot149 wrote:
I'm going to check out the facts (hopefully Google can find the ONE newsagency that has covered the story) and if this stacks up I am going to mail these post cards out.

In fact, post cards from 'overseas' might make the people 'in charge' sit up and think about this even MORE :!:

http://thezakhappeal.com/home/index.php ... 9&Itemid=8

News sites that have covered the story on an official site made for Zakh.

This is really horrible. I should get a group of people in Australia to send out some postcards.


Thanks Pensieve,

I just read the piece in examiner.com:

http://www.examiner.com/x-4959-Special- ... n-Examiner Special Education Examiner

I don't know whether to scream or cry :!:


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EnglishInvader
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06 Feb 2010, 4:43 am

pensieve wrote:
Blindspot149 wrote:
This is really horrible. I should get a group of people in Australia to send out some postcards.


There is actually a very old episode of Home and Away from 1988 that deals with this issue of provoking Autistic people into violent behaviour and having them institutionalised. This sort of coercion is nothing new.



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06 Feb 2010, 5:07 am

Canada has a world reputation for advocating for human rights.One can urge the Canadian government to pressure the US or Obama to have the charges dropped.
The Canadian media might listen more...The CBC is funded by the Canadian Government and Canada is a country that has an interest in human rights.This will then make the Canadian Government pressure that prosecutor to drop the charges. I might look at writing to members of parliament in canada.One can also get their e mails and such at

Current members of parliament (all parties)


You can also contact the Prime Ministerof Canada

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's contact info


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pensieve
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06 Feb 2010, 5:44 am

EnglishInvader wrote:
pensieve wrote:
Blindspot149 wrote:
This is really horrible. I should get a group of people in Australia to send out some postcards.


There is actually a very old episode of Home and Away from 1988 that deals with this issue of provoking Autistic people into violent behaviour and having them institutionalised. This sort of coercion is nothing new.

That is the last show I would have picked to create some sort of autism awareness.


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Blindspot149
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06 Feb 2010, 5:45 am

EnglishInvader wrote:
pensieve wrote:
Blindspot149 wrote:
This is really horrible. I should get a group of people in Australia to send out some postcards.


There is actually a very old episode of Home and Away from 1988 that deals with this issue of provoking Autistic people into violent behaviour and having them institutionalised. This sort of coercion is nothing new.



I think you made a mistake with the quote function here. Pensieve wrote this.

and yes, I know this is a very AS thing for me to be bringing up :)


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