Getting spoken to by Private Security and Police about Inappropriate Language means talking to Professionals and asking for Doctors Notes!

 

By Kendall Worth!

 

 

 

Over time I have written extensively about body language and harassment about it. It is not an issue for everyone on Income Assistance but is something a significant portion of AI recipients have to put up with. One of my recent posts was about one solution to this issue – get rid of No Loitering Policies. This article in the now defunct Nova Scotia Advocate describes, in detail, the behaviors I am speaking about. There continues to be a huge misunderstanding within the financially-better-off-community about why people living in poverty, with mental health issues, are in public, some days -- fidgeting, or described as behaving like they are intoxicated even though they are not drinking, or swearing due to tortures or other mental health issues. 

 

In this post I will bring you an update on how it is going, for 3 people, previously interviewed trying to get notes from physicians or mental health professionals, to ask private security to not harass them due to mental health issues. I am using the same “fake names” I used for them in the past. In a nutshell, professionals like Doctors psychiatrists, psychologists, Social Workers, and Counselors do not feeling comfortable writing medical notes to be given to Police Officers and Law Enforcement who do not understand mental health issues and generally make them worse for most people. In this open letter I point out what security guards and other Law enforcement need to understand regarding this issue.

 

JLF who I reported on in this post, recently told me, that, after an incident a few months ago where he was spoken to by a security guard for fidgeting and staring, while just minding his own business, that he cannot take any more of this. As a result he had a prolonged discussion with his regular doctor and psychiatrists about getting this letter. 

 

The thing is in JLF’s case, in one public building he is known to the Security Guards. In an incident a few months ago, he got got told that they are tired of having to speak to him about his behavior, while JLF feels he is just sitting quietly minding his own business. When he directly explains to the Security Guards that speaking to him to him as if he is a problem while he’s minding his own business, is affecting his mental health, they tell him that the people are within their right to complain about this behavior and their job is to follow up.  

 

When JLF tried to get a medical letter from his regular doctor or psychiatrist to accompany his complaint his complaint to the bosses of the Security Company, instead, both professionals began questioning JLF with things like:

• How do we know that you are not lying to us about things? How do we know how you actually seem or are performing behaviours that make people uncomfortable? After all as the professionals, we are not present, when this happens.

• Is it possible that the specific public building you are in at the exact time this is happening has a No Loitering Policy? I talked about No loitering Policies previously, in this post. Both professionals suggested to JLF that private security are just doing their job to enforce the policy. 

   

   Over all his health care professionals are telling him that a better solution is for the Counsellor he goes to for anxiety and depression to work with him to figure out ways that can avoid this happening again.

  JLF is not alone in being refused letters from their medical professionals about this issue. Dan who I reported on, in  This post and Joe who I reported on in This post, have mot had success with their health professionals either. They refuse to write letters for much the same reasons as JLF’s doctors. They are sympathetic and understand that the experience does impact their mental health, but they suggest trying to avoid the experience or learn to change behaviors. The professionals have one more reason for not wanting to write letters and that is fear that the people being stared at and complaining, are young women who have reason to fear being inappropriately stared at, by strangers. 

   

  In fact Joe on one recent day told a the security guard right ot thier face, that he did not have a right to harass him because he was not a mental health professional. The guard responded:

  
  

  Look Buddy, you are right – I am not a professionals like doctors psychiatrists, psychologists, Social Workers, and Counselors. You see me wear this uniform which means I am not employed as any of those type of professionals. But, when I get complaints about your behavior, and that you are making others uncomfortable, it is my job to address this.

  
  

  There are two other reasons Medical Professionals are giving for not writing these type of medical notes.

  #1 How do we know, you really were not drinking when these complaints happened?

  #2 And asking as part of the complaint -- the people complaining are saying you are masturbating? If not what were you doing that made security have to speak to you? b

  
  

  The professionals are advising during these conversations, that because there are laws against public intoxication, and laws saying you can get charged for masturbating, are more reasons why they do not feel comfortable writing these medical notes asking Security Guards to leave these Income Assistance recipients, with Mental Health Issues, alone.