Fruits of the Poisonous Tree

I’m sure many of you have seen the many “ALSA Ice Bucket Challenge” videos all over social media.  They have spread information for the cause of a cure for ALS (aka Lou Gehrig’s disease) and made viewers laugh (I especially like the ones made by Tara Strong and Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche) However, they have also inspired a cruel act.
A few weeks ago, a group of teens in Cleveland, Ohio coerced an autistic boy into participating in an “ice bucket challenge”. The boy soon discovered that the bucket did not contain ice or water. Instead, the bucket contained feces, urine, and spit. The teens then made one big mistake: they uploaded this to Instagram, where few, if any, mature people laughed. The boys have their names withheld and are now most likely doing community service.
I am angry about this, but not because the boy was autistic. Before I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, I spent years in Special Education classes. From the students in these classes, I learned that they deserve respect and dignity. This act showed neither respect nor dignity. Some have called it a prank. No, a prank is a cream pie to the face. This was a well-crafted, meticulous assault. It is the fruit of the same tree as parents like Kelli Stapleton who abused and nearly murdered her autistic daughter, Issy Stapleton (she later plea bargained the charges to abuse rather than first degree murder). It is the same hatred that allows quacks like Jim Humble and Kerri Rivera to promote their Miracle Mineral Supplement “cure” for autism (which is actually chlorine dioxide, a bleaching agent. I wish I made that up. Yes, they are promoting making your child swallow bleach or giving them enemas with the stuff). These are acts of hatred, yet they can not be prosecuted as hate crimes because hate crimes are only limited to races and religions. These are examples of ableism, social prejudice against those with disabilities. They should not be tolerated.

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