Not Guilty

NOT GUILTY


On Feb 19 Amanda pled NOT GUILTY in court at the Antigonish Justice Center.  Now she goes to trial on July 14/14.  Amanda is living at the level of approximately and 8 year old.  She has also been assessed and deemed not competent.

Amanda attending court.  She's been charged with assault for striking a care worker at the home she lives in under the Department of Community Services.







Her parents are devastated that this is even happening to their child.   All they want is for Amanda to be supported by Department of Community Services in the ways that are best for her.  Not in a situation that is set up for failure.

Amanda and her mom, Iris Murphy.






Hopefully, Amanda will not go to jail.  This could be devastating for her emotionally and physically.  Our tax dollars support this action.  All people are treated equally under the law.  Yet not all people are equal.


MONDAY FEBRUARY 24 ~ 9:30am

Nichele is going to court in Dartmouth to enter a plea for her charges.  Her parents are equally devastated.  Please attend Nichele's court appearance to show support for her, her family and to let our leaders know that as Nova Scotia citizens and parents we won't tolerate criminalizing people with special needs.  Especially when they have no option but to live in a system that sets them up for failure.

Nichele and her mother Brenda Hardiman.






Dartmouth Provincial Court
Halifax Regional Municipality 

277 Pleasant Street
Suite 200
Dartmouth, NS
B2Y 4B7

Phone: (902) 424-2390
Fax: (902) 424-0677



Excerpt from the blog A Primer on Special Needs and the Law By Michelle Morgan Coole:

For anyone who's somehow managed to miss it, 25-year-old Nichele has an organic brain disorder and began exhibiting bouts of aggressive behaviour following an epileptic seizure when she was four. We are told that due to her disability, Nichele is unable to control these outbursts. Despite that situation, things went fairly smoothly for the many years Nichele was living in an alternative family arrangement (think of it like foster care for an adult). Well, they went smoothly until the Department of Community Services changed its protocol and no longer allowed the family to use a therapeutic quiet room when Nichele had one of her aggressive outbursts.

The new protocol required demanded that the police be called any time such a situation occurred. That resulted in Nichele being forced to move from a family situation to a rehabilitation centre. And the results of that?

Since the protocol change, Benn has had 17 police interventions, seven incarcerations and several assault charges and convictions. Nine months ago, Benn scratched the face of a commissionaire during an aggressive outburst; the police were called, Benn was arrested, charged and sentenced to 18 months’ probation, 24 hours of community service and ordered to provide a DNA sample.

That was the situation back in March of 2013. Since then, things have only gotten worse for Nichele. This past April, Nichele was charged with assault after she slapped another resident in retaliation for him allegedly spitting in her face several times. Last month, Nichele bit a staff member while she was being put back in her room. Once there, she threw several objects at another staff member. That incident resulted in charges of assault and assault with a weapon  the "weapon", by the way, was a shoe.

Read all of Michelle's blog here:
http://specialneeds-ns.blogspot.ca 

Social Justice

World Day of Social Justice

February 20, 2014

The term 'social justice' implies fairness and mutual obligation in society: that we are responsible for one another, and that we should ensure that all have equal chances to succeed in life.

We are approaching World Day of Social Justice which ties in to what Advocating Parents of Nova Scotia (APNS) is all about.  Being responsible for each other, standing up tall when vulnerable people need a voice.  

Right now APNS is addressing the issue of criminally charging people with special needs when they have outbursts of agression.

Is striking one of your care workers right? Of course not but is the answer to put people with deminished capacity in jail?  My five year old knows right from wrong but when she gets frustrated and pitches a fit, I don't call the police.

We need to work together as a community to inspire change.  We are all neighbours in society.  It's important to let our government know what values we want to have as Nova Scotians.  

Many parents we hear from at APNS have a very basic concern.  They want to know that their adult children are safe, respected and living in a warm environment.  They don't want to worry that when their children's disabilities get the best of them, that they could end up in jail or hurt.  Don't we all want that for our children?

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.

~Mother Teresa

Details

02.02.2014

"STOP CRIMINALIZING PEOPLE WITH

SPECIAL NEEDS"

Today is the day! Join Advocating Parents of Nova 

Scotia around the Nova Scotia ! We 

encourage media to attend as well as concerned 

citizens.  Please browse the information below and 

attend one of the 7 locations across Nova Scotia.

 Demonstrations are for Nichele Benn, Amanda

Murphy, Richard Rector and others like them.  Their 

parents are seeking a meeting with Justice Minister

Peter MacKay.

AMHERST
1:10 pm Meet at Bridge Adult Service Centre, 16 Station Street
Parking lot next to Moore's Recreation
1:25 pm Walking procession to Amherst Justice Centre, 16 Church Street
1:30 -2pm Demonstration of Support

HALIFAX
1pm Meet at the Superstore
1075 Barrington Street - park at the farthest end of the parking lot. Look for red demonstration posters
1:15 pm Walking procession to Halifax Provincial Court 
5250 Spring Garden Road
1:30 -2 pm Demonstration of Support

NEW MINAS
1:30 pm Meet at the old Civic Centre, (across from Canadian Tire at the lights) 
1:30-2 pm Walking procession to the RCMP detachment on Jones Road.

NORTH SYDNEY, CAPE BRETON
1pm Meet at Superstore –park at farthest end of parking lot, away from store
125 King Street - Look for red demonstration posters
1:15 pm Proceed to Cape Breton Regional Police Dept.
412 Purvis St
1:30 -2 pm Demonstration of Support

TRURO
1 pm Meet at Superstore (where garden centre is located during summer months)
46 Elm Street
1:15 pm walk to Truro Justice Centre
540 Prince Street
1:30 -2pm Demonstration of Support

WINDSOR
1pm Meet at Hants County War Memorial Community Centre
78 Thomas Street
1:15 pm Procession to RCMP Station
140 Morrison Drive
1:30 - 2pm Demonstration of support

YARMOUTH
1:00 pm Meet at Yarmouth Library
1405 Main Street
1:15 pm Procession to Yarmouth Justice Centre
164 Main Street
1:30 - 2pm Demonstration of support

Curve Ball

When Life Throws You a Curve Ball…..

It's an odd thing when you become a public advocate for your child.  All of a sudden you're in the lime light with the media, bending the ear of politicians you would likely never meet and people recognize you when you're out doing your errands.  That's exactly what happened to Brenda Hardiman when it became evident that she needed to dig her heels in the ground and protect her adult child, Nichele's, rights.

Brenda and Nichele

Sometimes a fight like this can seem like it's you against the system, then you go public, and other parents start stepping forward asking you for help.  One after another  people start calling, desperate to find someone to listen to their story, someone to stand up for them, to tell them what to do next.  

What is their fight?

"stop criminalizing people with special needs"

In Nova Scotia, if you live in a small options home, or just about any other setting supported by the Department of Community Services, and you have an outburst that may involve hitting, shoe throwing, biting etc. the police are called.  You are charged and put on probation or face jail.  Often times when you have special need such as a brain injury, intellectual disability or any other of the many issues that require you to live in care, behaviour is a part of the picture.  The real question for Nova Scotians is - Do we want to treat our most vulnerable people like this or do we want to protect them?  This is Amanda's story - 

Amanda is a beautiful young woman of 34 years. She is diagnosed with bipolar, epilepsy and is at a cognitive level of a five to eight year old child. She experiences periodic episodes of aggressive behavior which has resulted in numerous police interventions, criminal charges and convictions and probation. Amanda has an intellectual disability and health issues; she is not a criminal and should not be treated as one.

Brenda Hardiman, after answering calls from parents that have no where else to go, has founded Advocating Parents of Nova Scotia (APNS). 

This Sunday  02.02.2014 APNS is spearheading a Peaceful Demonstration  in support of Amanda Murphy.  On February 6th, 2014 Amanda, with cognitive function of a 5-8 year old, will be sentenced for acting out in her small option home.  She could go to jail.  Would we put an 8 year old in jail?  Citizens of Nova Scotia should not stand for this.  Let our leaders, the leaders we hired in the last election, know that this is not acceptable.  Our leaders are some of the best innovative thinkers out there.  They can come up with compassionate and acceptable ways to serve this population.

**UPDATED LOCATIONS!**

ADDED JANUARY 28. 2014

AMHERST
1:10 pm Meet at Bridge Adult Service Centre
16 Station Street, Amherst, NS
Parking lot next to Moore's Recreation
1:25 pm Walking procession to Amherst Justice Centre, 16 Church Street, Amherst,
1:30 -2pm Demonstration of Support


NEW MINAS
1:30 pm Meet at the old Civic Centre, (across from Canadian Tire at the lights) 
1:30-2 pm Walking procession to the RCMP detatchment on Jones Road.

ATTEND A DEMONSTRATION NEAR YOU

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

Share this with your friends on Facebook or tweet it to the world.

Let's let our leaders know that criminalizing people with special needs is not what Nova Scotians stand for.

02.02.2014