Victor Perez was a 17-year-old nonspeaking autistic, Latino child with intellectual disability and cerebral palsy. On the night of April 5th, police were called to his house in Pocatello, Idaho and saw Victor in the front yard, holding a knife. A disturbing video of the shooting shows police officers approaching the fenced yard with guns already drawn. Within 20 seconds of arriving, and in spite of the fence between them and Victor, police shot Victor 9 times. Victor was sent to the hospital in critical condition, where doctors had to amputate one of his legs because of his injuries. Over this past weekend, Victor’s family announced that tests had shown he had no brain activity, and he was taken off of life support and passed away. Our hearts are with Victor’s family, community, and all who are reeling in the wake of this tragedy.
In spite of how quickly police opened fire and the fact that there was a barrier between them and Victor, Pocatello’s police chief insists that “the threat [to the police officers] was immediate” and justified their shooting. Victor Perez’ local community has been protesting at the police station, calling attention to the fact that Pocatello police officers did not attempt to use de-escalation techniques or less-lethal weapons when approaching Victor, or even back up from the fence.
ASAN has long maintained that the culture of policing makes police a threat to disabled people in the US, especially disabled people of color like Victor Perez. It teaches police officers to immediately take control of any situation using lethal force. Disabled people may not be able to immediately comply with police demands. As we see in this case, police can respond even to a delay in obeying an order with deadly violence. Too often, police see any person acting unusually as a danger to them and the public. This is why “autism trainings” for police officers are not the solution to police violence against autistic people; an hour of learning about autism cannot overcome months of training that teaches police that in uncertain situations, the first thing they should do is escalate force to exert control. There have been cases where police who have been through autism-specific trainings still went on to shoot and kill autistic people they were called to help.
Instead of relying only on police training as a band-aid solution, we must address police violence through multiple systemic changes. We need to hold police accountable through community oversight, and by removing qualified immunity, which makes it difficult or impossible for victims of police violence to sue when their rights are violated. We need to reduce police officers’ ability to do harm — for example, by taking weapons of war away from police departments. We need to promote non-police alternatives such as crisis intervention teams made up of medics, counselors or social workers, including by providing the funding necessary to make these approaches effective. We need federal, state, and local governments to spend fewer community tax dollars on police budgets and more on programs that support our communities’ mental and physical health. We must address the white supremacy at the root of police violence. And we must change the culture of policing and policies around use of force so that they no longer encourage police to shoot first and ask questions later.
We also urge the general public to think twice before calling the police, especially on a disabled person of color. Victor Perez’ family did not call the police, and maintain that they could have worked through the situation without police intervention. A neighbor who saw Victor with a knife in his front yard called the police, leading to disastrous consequences. There are so many ways to deal with conflicts without risking anyone’s life or health by calling the cops. You can start by learning more about alternatives to policing, and by getting to know your neighbors, community, and local resources.