I received an email castigating me for calling the death of Edith Rodriguez an “execution”. While the writer neglected to mention his/her background, I was accused of deceit and being unamerican. It also implied that I’m short, fat and incredibly ugly, suggesting that it’s someone who knows me.
So in an effort to be as precise as possible, I want to update my comment to make things absolutely clear: Edith Rodriguez was executed at the hands of LA County Public Safety Police.
Let us consider the nitty gritty: Ms. Rodriguez, at the time she first appeared in the ER, was alive. Ms. Rodriguez, was still alive as she lay on the floor vomiting blood. Vomiting blood whilst lying on the floor in the fetal position is a universal sign that something is wrong. Very wrong. The Public Safety Cops appear and observe this scene, carefully noting every detail because they are highly trained observers.
Human beings can engage in conduct in one of two ways. They can either perform an act, and thereby actively engage. Or they can fail to perform an act, and thereby passively engage. Both involve choices. Edith Rodriguez, as a direct consequence of the choice made here, is dead. She is every bit as dead as if a bullet was shot into her head. Although, it is arguably more cruel to simply stand there and allow the life to painfully ebb out of her body than to end her life quickly. Not that I am advocating for the latter.
And so Edith Rodriguez was executed. For anyone who still separates the nature of human volitional acts from the responsibility for the consequences of those acts, or whose blind love of police enables them to overlook the harsh reality of what happened to Edith Rodriguez, there are plenty of neo-con websites out there who will support and applaud your position that either cops can do no wrong or that hispanic surnamed individuals with warrants should be left to die. But not here.
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Hi, I’ve been reading on this incident and I am appalled by the level of callousness exhibited by the people involved. So far, the only punishment they’ve received has been “written and verbal counselling on their responsibilites.” In your professional opinion, is there any reason why they havent been chraged with some sort of felony, such as criminal negligence, reckless endangerment, or voluntary manslaughter? After all it is their responsibility to care for human life, and they egregiously (sp?)refused to do so. And their inactions resulted in the death of this woman. HOw can it not be considered a criminal act?
Rachel,
Tthe answer is as painful as it is obvious. Because they are the cops. If anyone else had done something to prevent a dying woman from receiving treatment, you bet your life that they would be prosecuted for murder. Instead, there will be excuses and explanations, justifications and rationales, but no indictment, prosecution or sentence. If you’re looking for reason or fairness, don’t waste your time.
To protect and serve. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, doesn’t it?
SHG
Hello to all,
I currently work as an “International Patient Advocate” for person afflicted with “Adhesion Related Disorder (ARD)” and though this disorder has not been confirmed as a condition that Edith Isabel Rodriguez had, in my opinion it very well could be. It is my intentions to secure Mrs. Rodriguez’s autopsy report which will offer to me a more comprehensive look into her prior medical/surgical history, which, if there is anything of a surgical nature existing in that history, will give credence to the probability that “post surgical peritoneal adhesions” were in fact a cause of her pain and multiple ER visits for pain. I can say with certainty that being on analgesics it is no wonder Edith had a bowel obstruction from constipation, which is a side affect of such a medication, and for a person who has a bowel compromised from adhesions, obstruction is a medical emergency which can trigger the results typical of what Edith Isabel Rodriguez experienced -death surrounded by ignorance and hostility within the medical arena.
The fault doesn’t only lie with the police. Several nurses watched this woman writhe on the floor for 45 minutes and did nothing. Eventually one called the police because her suffering was causing a “disturbance.”
The whole tragic incident was recorded on the hospital surveillance video, but the LA County Board of Supervisors won’t release it.
A triage nurse named Linda Ruttlen is being investigated by the state nursing board and the city is contemplating filing criminal charges. Maxine Waters, at a rally yesterday, said that Ruttlen thought Rodriguez was “faking pain.”
Hmmmm….was she faking the blood and vomit too?