Power of the Pen: As to ongoing communication with media.

The following is an excerpt from recent correspondence between myself and one specific media source, as the grossly substandard conditions at The Arizona State Hospital continue to gain attention from such sources. The fact is, this issue has only been reported in local to Phoenix media, for the most part, as illustrated in yesterday's story, published and aired via Phoenix area ABC CH. 15 (see: "Feds return to state mental hospital after failed inspection). But that is about to change. The following relates to the May, 2011, escape of ASH patient Jesus Murietta, and the fact that my good faith and lawful efforts to bring public awareness of his presence in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area were retaliated against once ASH administrators became aware of my efforts in the context. The document itself has been shared by all aspects of my current network over the last 48 hours, and has acquired very satisfying response. Rat Bastards beware.      

"I did as a matter of documented fact report that escape to AZ Republic reporter JJ Hensley about 5 days after it occurred, from there in ASH, and when he contacted Hospital admin., they patently denied that (any) escapes had occurred. There was in fact no duly hired supervisor at ASH at that time, and I know for a fact that current ASH CEO Donna Noriega was centrally involved, as was ASH's on-site primary legal counsel, Joel Rudd, and the then acting Chief Medical Officer at ASH, Dr. Steven Dingle,; and any other ASH staff aware of this issue as it evolved (and who nonetheless refused to share these facts with the public, in spite of their awareness in the context), for as it was expressed a full half century ago by Martin Luther King, Jr., when speaking out in defiance of abject racist practices, discriminations, and graphic violence against African American and other like Americans of color:

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.... Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity".

On the basis of that fact that ASH administration flatly lied about the occurrence of the actual escape when they were asked about it, and Hensley's inability to confirm my report at the time, he had to let it go- as a source I was, after all, a mentally ill man undergoing "treatment" at ASH.... When I heard about the murder of Ms. Mott 90 or so days later, and saw Murietta's photo in the Republic, I recontacted Hensley and literally stated "Hey, remember the guy I told you had escaped from ASH last May? You know, the escape that ASH denied? Well, he's on the cover of your paper today!" Following that call, Hensley came to interview me at ASH on two separate occasions,  and the information that I shared with him in those meetings were the meat of  his Sept. 29, 2011, four page feature story that he published once he was able to confirm all elements of my shared data (see: "Victim's Family Questions Why Man Was Free", by JJ Hensley, Arizona Republic newspaper). Likewise, once ASH admin. realized that I had provided Hensley with this information, I was systematically retaliated against by my primary attending psychiatrist, Dr. Pervaiz Akhter, in clear complicity with then ASH chief medical officer, Dr. Steven Dingle, and none other than Cory Nelson himself. I was in fact transferred from the most reasonably "safe" unit on the civil side of ASH (Palo Verde east unit, where as per my est. behavioral characteristics and assoc. care needs I had been placed as per the direct referral of my Tucson doctor, David Stoker, of Univ. of AZ Medical Center south campus) to the most violent (Desert Sage east unit). This retaliation was most definitely imparted upon me in reaction to my having exercised my right (on  a number of occasions to that point in my 13 months at ASH) to openly report the rampant presence of patient abuse etc., which is in graphic violation of state and federal law, and which I strongly contend represents discrimination in all senses,  inc. the American's With Disabilities Act. I do have all assoc. documentations of these sorts of these matters, for I did file related grievance reports and a number of correspondences with state and federal agencies, and kept all copies of materials given to me while I was there at ASH, while also maintaining very detailed notes of my daily experiences. etc. And I am certain that one in your position can easily verify what I am sharing with you, be it through contacting Hensley, Dr. David Stoker, etc; as well as a former AZ/BHS human rights advocate  who attempted to act on my behalf on several occasions while I was at ASH, is 100% aware with my experiences in the context of said retaliation, and who is now in a doctorate program at ASU (we have remained in direct contact, and he has always expressed a willingness to contribute to my work, a really outstanding young man of stellar character and uber-compotency in terms of experience and expertise). I also have all records of my various communications with representatives of the US Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, the Joint Commission, and other like entities whom I did request the assistance of while I was an ASH patient. If there is anything I can offer to help that process, just let me know."

IN CLOSING: Sometime in the latter few months of my time of as a patient in The Arizona State Hospital, I made the following comment to an staff behavioral health technician named Luke: "I am going to rip this Hospital a new asshole once I get out of here...." Crude, to say the least, but I had by then accrued so much awareness (and related evidential material) of the grossly unlawful misconduct of virtually every senior clinical and administrative staff that I was- to put it mildly- downright disgusted to my core, and this only stands as an example of my own "worst" behavior as an ASH patient. Luke, if you are reading this, I do apologize for my foment and language at the time (Luke is in fact one of the better techs that I encountered at ASH, one of several- and they know exactly who they are). But it also need be said that I had by that point in time developed the distinct intent to do all that I can in order to address these issues and bring the wrongdoing of ASH staff to an end, once and for all, and at times could barely contain my deepest frustrations in this sense. Herein, as this blog and my related efforts show, clear evidence in support of the fact that any American willing and able to exercise their voice, including in a manner that directly reflects the American ideal- power of the pen personified- can make a difference in relation to any conscientious action(s) that can contribute to improving our national health and well being. 

paoloreed@gmail.com