A Narrated Review on the Prevalence of Police Violence in the Disability Community

Abstract

It was September 10, 2011 when Gilberto Powell was beaten within an inch of his life by police officers in Richmond Heights, Florida. Just 22 years old, Powell had Down Syndrome and was utilizing a medical colostomy bag. As he was walking, police stopped him under the suspicion the bulge from his colostomy bag was a gun. Startled and confused, Powell resisted the officers’ pat down and was then beaten severely before his father was able to intervene. The police officers later revealed they were “unaware” that Powell even had Down Syndrome (“Michelle Cusseaux”, n.d.). Gilberto Powell is just one of many individuals who identify with the Disability community and whose life has been dramatically changed due to police violence. In reality, there are countless stories very similar to Powell’s. A recent study found that up to half of those killed through acts of police violence identify with the Disability community. In addition, many well-known cases of police brutality involved a member of the Disability community (Perry & Carter-Long, 2016 as cited in Mueller et al., 2019). Many law enforcement agencies are ill-equipped and not fully educated on how to interact with those in the Disability community during high-stress scenarios (Engelman & Deardorff, 2016 and Salerno-Ferraro & Schuller, 2020). In combination, these topics bring up a much-needed conversation regarding how police violence disproportionately affects the Disability community. The purpose of this literature review is to: 1) recount experiences of police violence from those in the Disability community, 2) investigate what type of disability-related educational services or programs are offered or required in law enforcement agencies, and 3) discuss the implications of these findings. The overall goal of this review is to promote general disability visibility while also emphasizing the need for new and improved police training and programing on the Disability community in order to ensure the safety and well-being of those within it.