I could tell you to take a look at this diary, The Intrusion On A Mentally Ill Individual's Fourth Amendment Rights Is Substantial..., which documents the Federal Government's smackdown of the Portland, Oregon police department's record of shooting the mentally ill.

I could ask you to recall the horrible tale of Kelly Thomas, a mentally ill, homeless man, beaten to death by six policeman.



In court Monday, people gasped, screamed and some cried as they watched a video of the beating, which was captured on a security camera at a Fullerton bus station.

For example, during our investigation a patrol officer stated that his job was "to put people in jail, not to provide social services."

We could discuss the national disgrace that is many police departments which cannot or will not deal rationally with the mentally ill. From the Portland report:Or I could just ask for a moment of silence for Brian Clauch, dead of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and a police officer who could not tell a pen from a gun.