CRIME IN AMERICA

Google Images 2015

  Crime in America

     Having recently read an article by a woman, who was systematically terrorized, stalked, drugged and then raped in a small town conspiracy.  I felt an urgency to share her story.

She asserts her parents made enemies with a group of gangsters by suing one of the organizations in the town after misrepresentation in a regular legal business service. 

     I was taken aback by her story as you see no one was ever held accountable for the crimes committed against this church going mother, who was both well liked and valued in her community, she ran a social welfare business that had benefitted many. 

     I was looking for a psychological situation that involved the conspiracy of a group of people who banded together out of fear, for a possible Thesis topic.  So many of the topics in Psychology are well worn and trite.  Not to mention boring and outdated!

I’d seen many stories on TV about; good people driven to do bad things out of fear.

However, I have never heard of anything like this before.

It has taken this woman years to speak of the crimes committed against her and her immediate family and friends.   Out of her own fears that what occurred could reoccur, she relates,” they stalked me at my job and home, using tactics like, walking past me and saying, “Run.”  Or Quit" failures in computer operations, business budgets went missing, pornography pictures flashed on the computer screen, constant freezing, and the DVD drawer popping in and out by itself" "the bank wouldn't cash my checks for no reason at all and my account would go arrears on a regular basis as money actually dissapeared!"
Once a pool life guard approached her in the dressing room after a crime of great proportion had occurred in town that had everyone buzzing and said,” They will kill you just for the fun of it.”  The panicked lifeguard left her standing dripping wet, half naked, frozen to the cold tile floor. Petrified! “I felt like my heart would pump out of my skin and my body go weak. All rational left me.”

 One can only imagine what went on in this poor victim’s head.  She had a family to raise, a reputation to defend, and a job that fed her family and provided them shelter. 

The story goes on, Then one day, I was drugged."  She remembers having food and coffee in various places about the area that day.  That evening she collapsed in a deep sleep having bizarre dreams about someone in her room, and someone on top of her.  She awoke with a pounding head, “I thought maybe I had been food poisoned but I had not thrown up,” I found bruises and abrasions on myself, and even on my inner thighs. “ She said, “I knew then I had been drugged and although my mind could not conceive such a thing, raped.”

Being a Behavioral Health Professional myself I understand the ramifications of fear.  It makes a normal, mentally healthy person act irrationally. She claims,” I should have gone to the police right away, and the FBI. 
But I was afraid, I was afraid for my family, friends and myself.” 

The Victim continues, “My parents moved away and continued their lawsuit from afar yet I stayed not knowing what to do, I knew I had somehow become involved with bad people that continually threaten and terrorized me. “

“ Finally she closed her business and gained a position in another state and moved her family.  “However, it did not end there.  The electronic harassment continued, the whispering and outright innuendos continued and began a new life in my new community. Mostly at my work and place of residence. “ She continues,  “one time a man approached me walking briskly on the street. I thought he looked like he was approaching me and wanted to speak to me. I headed right for him and began to speak, but at that moment he veered off to the left. As he walked away I saw the butt of a gun concealed in a newspaper he had under his arm, shocked and dismayed they had found me in my new life, I sat in my car and cried, then I wrote a letter to the FBI. At least I had someone to tell now.”  The paragraph ends. 

My heart goes out to this person. As a health professional I know the human need for association and contact, support and concern is necessary to everyone.  We are not made to be alone.  Yet, this woman was alone, not able to utter a word to anyone.

I have plans to write to the magazine (a professional Journal), I want to commend her bravery. fortitude and sense of justice.  We all need to take this kind of a stand against those who lessen our lives by their subtle crimes that place fear into the hearts of normal law abiding citizens.   I realize that what she suffered through has not been resolved and she is probably in some sort of witness protection program.  I also understand her inability to trust others, make relationships and have peace with something that will probably always remain unresolved. 

The things that were precious and priceless that were lost to this woman enduring such a tragic experience: Loss of professional respect at her work, suspicion due to rumors, Having to move away, uproot her family, change her lifestyle, financial issues, loss of relationships,  and having her sanity questioned. Constantly living under the fear of something violent and irrational, unseen and uncontrollable, possibly happening.  Feelings of helplessness for reasons that she could not control nor mediate, were overwhelming. 

 These unresolved feelings lead her to want to commit suicide.  The loss of privacy and the bullying that took place all by itself alone could ruin someones life!    Not to mention the after effects of being stalked, terrorized and then raped! 

I sense a great strength in her, she at one point says, “I am not afraid anymore, it was the fear that kept me helpless and they counted on that.”  To be terrorized you have to be afraid.  I know if it were ever to happen again I would take my gun and use it. “ 

Further, “

“I also practice telling, I call the police when anything weird occurs, I involve others and that way I do not feel alone or like it is my fault. “ 

She relates that it is her faith that helped her survive, and the, “thought that in the end we all pass away, however, I will be rewarded in heaven whereas these people who conspired to harm me and my family will burn in hell.” 

True…

Yet for the sake of my own purposes, reviewing the intricate psychological damages that are overlooked when a crime or crimes are committed.   I am aghast at the way the victim is treated, suspected and blamed by the very ones that are installed to help. Pull the veil off your eyes!  The system is corrupted or at the very least judgmental, and completely outdated.   
I watch the TV too, is it the only the good judges who have a TV show?  Perhaps it is at the catch and release level?  Perhaps, the vast sophistication of crime is lost on our clay-footed saviors with a sidearm?  Or maybe it is at the level that this victim experienced: a community who was too fearful to speak out and do the right thing.  Personally I think this probably happens more than we know. 

I have a word for anyone reading who has clammed up after being raped, threatened, terrorized, abused, faced blackmail or had anything happen to them that made them afraid or confused.  Tell someone…  Keep telling until you find someone who will listen.  There is power in many witnesses even if it is only one other.  This woman regretted being silent.  After she started to talk many came out with their experiences, perhaps unlike hers but as she relates, “ I was a catalyst for others,” “I was the Brave One.”  

As a Health Professional I must unify this position, someone has to be.  Bad people do bad things. Their motivations are not fascinating, or complicated, you will find them amongst the negative aspects of personality as selfishness, foolishness and stupidity. We are always amazed by the guile of a criminal however, its not bravery. Bravery is selflessness. Bravery is a character quality not a deficit.   The brave are heroes not criminals   Bravery is an altogether different character quality.  

Criminals are a muddle of dysfunctionality, insanity and a huge inability to do any self-reflection; they blame everyone else for their lack of ability to live within the norms of our society.  Many of the notorious criminals of the past: killers, thieves,  and gangsters were developmentally disabled. 

The Lack of proper parenting, guidelines and rules that are essential to children to develop desirable character qualities are lacking in those who make the decisions to defraud and hurt others. 

The only reason criminals  have friends is: they like a child that has had to move around a lot gravitate to those that are readily available, (birds of a feather flock together) they befriend others like them which society has rejected due to their predatory and unacceptable behaviors. Or they bully people around them and they comply out of fear.  

 My best advice considering this experience, (and here’s your  “on the couch moment.” Your assignment for the week, "Write this down")

‘Ask yourself, “What would I have done in this woman’s situation?"
When you are finished hand your papers to the left and a monitor will pick them up.  Hand in your number #2 pencil at the door, you are dismissed.  

Resources

https://mainweb-v.musc.edu/vawprevention/research/mentalimpact.shtml

http://www.livescience.com/13083-criminals-brain-neuroscience-ethics.html

http://healthpsychology.org/emotional-effects-of-terror/

http://www.plim.org/fear.html

https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/vc_majorthefts/gangs

http://mcwell.nd.edu/your-well-being/physical-well-being/drugs/rohypnol-flunitrazepam/

AMERICA, THE HOME OF THE SICK

(Google Images, 2015) http://pgionfriddo.blogspot.com/2010/12/mental-illness-epidemic.html

   

          In my profession I meet a lot of people. Often I leave the latest exchange I had with some with a lasting impression or final statement lingering in my mind. I rethink the encounter and realize that something is wrong with that person. Then I realized that just about every person I have met in the last few years is dysfunctional in some way. They are on medications, have depression, ADD, ADHD, Bi-Polar, or are struggling with some form of mental illness that for the large part goes untreated.  That is a good thing in a way because who wants to live on pills? Ask any truly mentally ill person about their meds.  Most hate them.   

     We have come to make excuses within our culture for one another by merely stating a reason for their behavior.  I often hear,"they are a Vet, They are a Vietnam Vet, They are Bi-polar, Schizophrenic, have ADD, PTSD and so on. I feel my head nodding on the other end of the telephone to the descriptions.  I too am indoctrinated.  
     Once I was having a conversation with my former Pastor and upon parting he ended our conversation by saying,"aren't we all a bit dysfunctional?"  I have thought about that statement for years, at that time I was too young to understand what he meant. 
I was not a Counselor yet. And, I thought at the time: everyone I knew was normal.     I laugh now at how stupid I was.  
Of course he was right. However, it has gone way beyond dysfunction in my opinion. Take it or leave it.  
     Everyone I know these days is on some sort of mediation.  I read the labels and sometimes the inserts and my heart goes cold at the statement under "risks," taking this medication can result in death."  The commercials the drug companies run on TV quickly run through the health hazards as if death is an acceptable consequence compared  to unhappy negative feelings, acid reflux, loss of sexual desire, and going pee too often.  

Now I am not saying yeah or nay.  I am just saying that when death is a side effect of a drug I am not taking it! 

After reading the Alternet article byBelén Fernández http://www.alternet.org/howamerica-breeds-mental-illness-birth-until-death
I am convinced more than ever I am a part of a culture of mental illness, real or imagined.  
     Its been years since I have had someone normal in my life.  Ha, Ha, that's basically because I am a Behavioral Health Professional and specialize in dealing with people who have mental health issues.  
But seriously, I do not even have a friend that is dealing with a full deck.  
     They at some point become obsessed with some irrational fear or behavior, alter their lives to accommodate someone they sense is aligning themselves to hurt them in some way.   Innocent victims are usually coworkers, neighbors and people within their communities.  I had one of my dear friends go on and on about a younger co-worker that  is thoughtfully planning to take her job away from her, I  had to just say after an hour long rendition of perceive ideas about this poor girl."she's just young and doesn't know any better."
     Yet, here are times you cannot explain away premonitions, I had a supervisor watch me and say strange things to me for almost 6 months before I was let go because of his perceptions. When I was let go, he could not even state one thing I had done wrong.  This cloistered business manager who I saw talking to himself back in a corner shop. 
     I knew it was coming because I felt he was not a stable individual. I observed he was letting his delusions rob him of  the reality of the situation.  When I was finally called into the office and they said,"Its not working out, I  had to laugh."   However, in retrospect it is sad, that truly dysfunctional people can be in charge of an organization and make decisions that effect the lives of others. 
         I feel assured in this dynamic as recently my own mother experienced the same thing.  Her Supervisor, whom she sensed was dysfunctional  called her in and let her go, for nothing.   I tried to comfort her by sharing the same above experience with her.  That you can do your best and work hard for these people and hit all the nines and they conspire with their imaginary thoughts, develop some sort of paranoia, suspect you of something, or simply misread you.  In the solid world of sanity we can see many factors at work, insecurity, jealousy, gossip, competition,  and of course our winner, winner chicken dinner: Mental illness at work. 
          Who in their right mind fires someone who can make them a million dollars that they do not even have to train?  Not Me!  Their is an old saying that fits this scenario that many of you will remember, "He cut his nose off to spite his own face! 
         I got fired, I think, because I suggested for the sake of safety, and a possible lawsuit, a rack be moved (that was placed too far out into the room) that was causing people to trip. Upon calling it to the supervisors attention she said,"oh, its always been the way, its fine." I watched another individual trip even as she was turning to leave our discussion!  
       I lost my job that day. Incorrect perceptions, mental illness, insecurity, paranoia, who knows?  Or maybe it is something simple :a lack of management skills, conflict of interest, relationship problems that were not left at home, poor diet, lack of exercise, lack of coping skills, improper personality balance, lack of integrity, inexperience, delusions  or medications that could at any moment cause death!