|
MindFreedom News
Release - 24 April 2009
http://www.mindfreedom.org
-
contact: office
541-345-9106 or
office@mindfreedom.org
-
more info:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/ray
-
-
May Day for Ray!
-
-
On Friday, 1 May
2009:
-
Protest to Be
Held in Minnesota State Capitol Rotunda to stop forced
-
electroshock of
Minnesota Resident.
-
-
MindFreedom
International announced that it will peacefully protest
-
the ongoing
forced electroshock of Ray Sandford, a 55-year-old
-
resident of
Columbia Heights, Minnesota. The protest will take place
-
inside the
Rotunda of the Minnesota State Capitol building in St.
-
Paul, Minnesota
on Friday, 1 May 2009, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
-
-
A news
conference will be held at 11 am.
-
-
A six-month
campaign to stop Sandford's electroshocks has gained
-
international
attention. Sandford has been shocked more than 40 times
-
on an outpatient
basis under a court order even though he and his
-
family have
clearly stated his desire not to be shocked. Sandford
-
lives in a
residential group home and is under the general
-
guardianship of
Lutheran Social Services.
-
-
"It's amazing
that a man who is supposedly being protected by
-
Minnesota
court-appointed guardians and who has been represented in
-
court hearings
by a Minnesota public defender is suffering this kind
-
of human rights
violation," said Al Galves, PhD, a member of the
-
MindFreedom
board of directors.
-
-
Friday's protest
will feature a number of speakers including:
-
-
** David Oaks,
Executive Director of MindFreedom from Oregon;
-
** Al Galves, a
retired psychologist from New Mexico;
-
** Louisa
Bouta, a long-time activist for psychiatric rights in
-
Minnesota;
-
** David
Culver, a disability advocate; and
-
** Daryl
Trones, a mental health advocate.
-
-
A public
speak-out will also be held.
-
-
Galves said that
electroshock -- also known as electroconvulsive
-
therapy or ECT
-- subjects the patient to as much as 600 volts of
-
electricity for
between one-half and four seconds. "It disables the
-
brain," Galves
said.
-
-
MindFreedom
International is an independent nonprofit coalition of
-
psychiatric
survivors and others who advocate for the increased
-
availability of
safe, humane and effective care for people who are
-
experiencing
psychiatric emergencies and who oppose involuntary
-
treatment.
MindFreedom can be contacted at
office@mindfreedom.org.
-
-
For more info on
the Ray Campaign see:
-
http://www.mindfreedom.org/ray
-
-
-
Action * Action
* Action
-
-
Ray Sandford's
psychiatrist, Dr. Dean K. Knudson, has announced he
-
intends to quit
as Ray's psychiatrist because of public pressure. But
-
Dr. Knudson has
still not been replaced, and Ray's next forced
-
electroshock is
still scheduled for mid-May.
-
-
You can
peacefully increase that public pressure now!
-
-
Please forward
this news release to all appropriate places on and off
-
Internet,
especially interested media, individuals and groups in
-
Minnesota.
-
-
Please print
out, copy and post, the flyer and news release for the
-
protest here:
-
A PDF of above
news release may be downloaded here:
-
http://www.mindfreedom.org/shield/ray/mfi-ray-sandford-news-20090501.pdf/view
-
-
or use this web
address:
http://tinyurl.com/ray-news-release
-
-
A PDF of protest
flyer with photo of Ray may be downloaded here:
-
http://www.mindfreedom.org/shield/ray/ray-sandford-mn-protest.pdf/view
-
-
or use this web
address:
http://tinyurl.com/ray-flyer
-
-
~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
-
Do you support
*Action* for human rights in mental health?
-
-
Then Support
MindFreedom International!
-
-
There are some
fine groups funded by the mental health system doing
-
great service
work such as peer support.
-
-
But what about
taking direct action for human rights in mental health?
-
-
What about
community orgnaizing?
-
-
That takes
independence!
-
-
MindFreedom
International is one of the very few 100-percent
-
independent
nonprofit organizations in the mental health advocacy
-
field, with zero
funding from the mental health system, governments,
-
drug companies
or religions.
-
-
So memberships
and donations from people like you are imperative for
-
MindFreedom
International's campaigns for human rights alternatives.
-
-
Join or donate
now:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate
-
-
Times are tough.
That makes it even more important that each and
-
every person
give what he or she can.
-
-
Benefits include
MindFreedom Journal, special web and e-mail
-
networking,
discount on
http://www.madmarket.org
purchases,
-
MindFreedom
Shield, member services office... and a nonviolent
-
revolution in
mental health.
-
-
Support voices
for choices in mental health!
-
-
Mind Your
Freedom!
-
-
Donate, join now
or renew early here:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate
-
-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
-
Please forward
this alert to all supportive people on and off the
-
Internet, now!
DENDRITE is a public Internet alert system about human
rights in psychiatry, sponsored by Support Coalition
International, sending out notices to thousands of concerned
people, many of whom take ACTION NOW!
|
|