Shocking: Over 1/3 of people shot and killed by police are disabled - WHY?

http://www.alternet.org/numbers-are-shocking-over-third-killings-police-are-disabled-people?akid=14070.294211.73FQ_Y&rd=1&src=newsletter1052708&t=10

When Eric Garner was choked to death by police, his race, and the longstanding issue of police violence in African-American communities, was highlighted in news reports. His last words, "I can't breathe," became a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement. But other aspects of his death were largely ignored in the press. Garner had asthma and a heart condition. Like one third to one half of all those killed by police, he was disabled.

"Disability is the missing word in media coverage of police violence," David Perry and Lawrence Carter-Long write in a new white paper on disability and policing from the Ruderman Family Foundation. Most of the high-profile cases of police violence between 2013 and 2015 involved individuals with disabilities. Sandra Bland, who Texas authorities claim committed suicide while in their custody, was denied access to her anti-epilepsy drug Keppra, which can lead to depression when suddenly withdrawn. Freddie Gray, who died in police custody in Baltimore, was a victim of childhood lead poisoning.