Alcohol and Addiction
The Kelly Thomas murder case charged three officers of the Fullerton Police Department for the beating and murder of schizophrenic homeless man Kelly Thomas., He was brutally battered for roughy ten minutes leaving him unconscious and unrecognizable left to die in a hospital bed moments tater. I became an activist, political writer and fine artist observing the case. During this time I was asked to auction off my art at a police charity event. There was much talk about Kelly Thomas in negative ways. One high ranking officer in the homeless department sat down with me at the bar to hear my concerns about homelessness and mental illness in the city. I told him the police needed more education on mental illness and he said after the beating they were made to watch a two hour crash course movie on how to handle it. That’s the minimal results we get after a brutal police murder. I also told him we needed a mental health clinic in Fullerton for all the untreated homeless and low income housing residents suffering mental illnesses who weren't getting help. He then mentioned having sixty run ins with Kelly Thomas himself. I thought, you’re telling me you have sixty encounters with a schizophrenic man and you don’t know anything was wrong with him? He then asked me about drug abuse telling me that he will arrest homeless who have marijuana, but not for public drunkenness. His reasoning was that marijuana was an evil drug that drives people into a dangerous drug induced psychosis, a very old belief. But as he was telling me about the evils of pot I watched him down three stiff bourbons. I don’t think he knew who he was talking to. I guess marijuana drives people insane to do bad things, but drunk driving and severe alcoholism don’t? I Had to stop writing the book because between the police and the activists, it was becoming a circus.