From the Daily Skimm 2/24/21
This past year has exacerbated calls for an end to police brutality and for the key changes that are necessary to make that happen. But two cases are showing police failing to appropriately respond to mental health calls – and the urgent need for reforms: Angelo Quinto and Daniel Prude.
In December, Angelo Quinto, a 30-year-old Navy veteran died in Antioch, CA, after police allegedly knelt on his back for about five minutes. Quinto’s family said he had been suffering a mental health crisis when they called officers for help.
In March, Daniel Prude, a 41-year-old Black man died in Rochester, NY, after police restrained him, covered his head with a “spit hood,” and pinned him to the ground – one officer put his knee to his back. Prude’s family had also said he was suffering a mental health crisis when they called officers for help.
The Treatment Advocacy Center reported that people with mental illness were 16 times more likely to be killed during an encounter with police.