Comptroller DiNapoli’s audit of NY agency shines light on the wide-scale criminal cover-ups of thousands of reported crimes and deaths of the disabled

DELMAR, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, March 14, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- BuzzFeed News just released an additional story titled, “Scathing Report Faults NY Agency That Protects People With Disabilities” https://www.buzzfeed.com/benhattem/scathing-report-says-ny-agency-is-failing-people-with-disabi?utm_term=.qby0qWykj#.lc7GpPlg6 following the AP News story titled, “NY agency for the disabled stonewalled” http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/apnewsbreak-audit-ny-investigators-disabled-stonewall-45948071. Both of these reputable news pieces further expose a pattern of concealing documents and evidence of staggering numbers of crimes, including criminally negligent deaths that were purposefully kept from local police, County elected District Attorney’s and even Medical Examiners. The State agency wrongfully titled the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs was renamed and relocated by Governor Cuomo to give an appearance of reform only, following the award winning New York Times “Abused & Used” investigative reporting series which was a runner up for a Pulitzer Prize http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/nyregion/abused-and-used-series-page.html?_r=0 . Instead of moving to take dramatic actions to stop and prevent the rampant physical and sexual abuse and deaths occurring within State and private mental health agencies and group homes, Governor Cuomo worked with negligent provider agencies to conceal almost everything.
New York State was already exposed decades ago on a national level for their horrendous and grossly negligent care of the disabled which led to countless deaths at Willowbrook State Institution https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4oh12z_willowbrook-the-last-great-disgrace-full-documentary_news . Instead of finally moving to genuinely take significant actions to ensure that many basic safety and abuse prevention measures that were never put in place previously to protect the disabled, Governor Cuomo tragically downplayed what was really going on behind closed doors in his extremely dangerous and deadly facilities. To give a clear picture of what is going on to date in New York State; over 7,000 calls are going into Cuomo’s Abuse Hotline for the Disabled every month. State records reveal that close to 5,000 deaths are reported annually and most of these cases never are reported to local authorities or ever criminally investigated. Almost all sexual assault and rape cases as well as criminally negligent deaths disappear internally. The cover-ups are massive in scope.
Federal law, US Code 42 Section 15009, requires that both State and federal money only goes to programs that are free from abuse and neglect, free from human rights violations and free from financial exploitation, yet all three violations continue in staggering scope. Governor Cuomo could have six years ago and every year since the NY Times “Abused & Used” series moved to ensure that both State and federal funds totaling in the billions annually would actually be used to provide safe care and services, but he did not. Almost every plea of mine to protect upwards of 1,000,000 people with disabilities in New York State, as the father of a child killed within this extremely dangerous and deadly system has gone ignored. It is as if people with disabilities are not considered equal members of our society or equally valuable New York State residents and are considered unworthy of 911 emergency first responder medical and police assistance and services and unworthy of the same equal protection of laws in place for everyone else. What continues throughout New York State is without question discrimination in civil rights.
The Justice Center is not a Justice Center, it is a whitewash cover-up entity. The Justice Center is not protecting people with disabilities from abuse, but is regularly covering up most reported cases, it is operating illegally and it must be defunded and shut down now. All alleged crimes against the disabled should be going directly to 911 call centers throughout New York State, which I have been advocating for the last ten years since my son Jonathan was killed by his caregivers in 2007. People with disabilities must be treated equally and provided the same immediate 911 emergency first responder medical and police services that everyone else receives; it is deadly discrimination to circumvent 911. Due to the staggering scope of crimes and deaths involved, federal criminal investigations have been requested. The ongoing obstruction of justice and Medicaid fraud revealed through State documents obtained through FOIL pervades this rogue and lawless entity.
My son Jonathan’s story and testimony speaks loud and clear today for RIGHTEOUSNESS and screams for major reforms to finally end decades of horrific and deadly discrimination and unequal treatment of our most vulnerable. Jonathan was killed by his caregivers while living in State residential facility called OD Heck Developmental Center. Jonathan was suffocated to death. Jonathan had autism, he was developmentally disabled and non-verbal and only 13 years old. The good news through all the horrors is that Jonathan is in heaven now and no one is ever going to harm him again, but he is tremendously missed. It is Jonathan’s friends still here that are in extreme danger that must be protected. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/06/nyregion/boys-death-highlights-crisis-in-homes-for-disabled.html and https://www.nytimes.com/video/nyregion/100000000849083/a-failure-to-protect.html.
The wide-scale discrimination and horrors must be stopped. No longer can the disabled be treated as a lesser valuable group of people and denied their basic rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and be denied 911 emergency services and assistance. Preventing our most vulnerable from receiving immediate emergency police assistance is denying this special group of people their equal right to equal protection of laws which also denies them justice. This is dead wrong and it is discrimination in civil rights. Stand with us for “equal rights” and “civil rights” for people with disabilities in New York State and throughout our great country by signing our petition at www.jonathancareyfoundation.org. No longer can 911 be bypassed. 911 call systems must be immediately called by all mandated reporters regarding all physical and sexual abuse, gross negligence of care, significant and suspicious injuries and when a person with a disability is in medical distress or has stopped breathing. http://jonathancareyfoundation.org/donate/

Michael Carey
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The incredible life and tragic preventable death of Jonathan Carey, who was disabled, had autism, was non-verbal & only 13 when he was killed by his caregivers