The following remarks were delivered by ROC DSA Co-Chair Gregory Lebens-Higgins on Sept. 9, at a vigil for Gregory Kase hosted by the Center for Disability Rights in Rochester, and alongside allies including VOCAL-NY. Gregory Kase was shot and killed by Monroe County Sheriff deputies during a wellness check on August 9. Mr. Kase, who was deaf, was killed after responding to officer commands with “I can’t hear you.”
Gregory Kase should be alive right now. All of us, but particularly the disabled, should be able to depend on our community to provide health and support. A wellness check should not be a death sentence. Police were called to help Mr. Kase, but arrived all too ready to do harm. Officers arrived with guns drawn, and pulled the trigger in just 30 seconds.
We see this happen over, and over. We cannot just metabolize these incidents. A disproportionate amount of those killed by police have a disability. But with insufficient resources and a lack of alternatives, families are forced to make the difficult decision to call 911. They are asking for help, and we are letting them down.
It would help to have police trained in deescalation; who are knowledgeable in interacting with the disabled community. But we need to ask ourselves whether the system of policing – its them vs. us mentality, its militarized approach – can be reformed. This incident is symptomatic of how many people are treated by police, particularly vulnerable communities.
We need to provide resources for the disabled community to have the help and support they need, and for appropriate crisis interventions. Hot-headed cops with guns should never be the go-to intervention.
Gregory Kase should be alive right now, but let’s keep his memory alive, and make his life impactful even in death, by making this the moment we say “No More.” We are proud to partner with the disability rights movement to create the conditions for a better world with dignity for all.