Antoinette Tuff

[Steely]

I hope that all of you are able to listen to the 911 call between Antoinette Tuff and the police. I don't normally ask any one to listen to a 911 call, as they are normally fear provoking and horrifying. However this woman's courage, love, and tenacity talked a mentally ill man down from taking the lives of many children.
She asked the police to back off, repeatedly, and they listened. She told the kid, she loved him, even though she had never met him. He admitted that he was mentally ill, had not taken his medication, and should have gone to the hospital.
What if....just what if....there were more Antoinette's in the world?
Would all of the senseless killings have to happen...if just one person cared enough to step in and intervene?

 

[Kathy813]

Steely, she is being lauded as a hero by the local media as are the police and other school officials.

Sadly, they said this morning that the shooter's run ins with the law began 6 months ago when he lost his medicare coverage and couldn't afford his medications.

~Kathy

 

[Steely]

Thank you Kathy....I will definitely do that.
As for the medicare coverage, wow I didn't know. Adds even more angst to this story. Where did you see the article about medicare?

 

[DDD]

I think the woman was a Warrior Mom. Compassion, encouragement, understanding, soft voice,...awesome! Truly, I do not understand how so many Americans don't "get" the need for health care. Since I'm not a rocket scientist I surely don't know all the pros and cons of an inclusive insurance system but...any system that is inclusive has to be better than what we have. At least the young man will get medications now...sigh! DDD

 

[Kathy813]

Steely, I first heard about the medicare running out on our local television news channel and it was also in our newspaper (Atlanta Journal & Constitution) today. I went to find an online link at the AJC but it would only let subscribers view the article. So I googled it and found this news story at http://magicbaltimore.com/3392438/antoinette-tuff-school-employee-talks-down-would-be-gun-man/. Here is the paragraph that mentions medicare and his medications running out. I am sure you an find more articles if you took the time to search.

When Michael Brandon Hill, entered the school he was bent on killing as many people as he could. Diagnosed with a mental illness, Hill had stop taking his medicine after his mother had died and his medicare ran out. Hill entered the school with a assault weapon and nearly 500 rounds of ammunition. When he approached Tuff he ordered her to get on the school intercom to tell everybody 'he wasn't playing.' He also pushed her to call a local news station because 'he was gonna end his life and take all the cops and everybody with him.

The newspaper and television stations have been digging into the shooter's background and he has a troubled history and been on and off of medications for years. He was even in a juvenile detention facility but they said ironically it was one of his more stable periods because he was getting his medications. He didn't have a stable family life either. His dad left them years ago and his mother spent time in jail. Obviously, he didn't have many advocates for getting proper treatment for his mental health issues.

I read for the first time today what the bookkeeper actually said and did during the crisis and I have to say that I am in awe of this woman. I know that I wouldn't have been able to handle the situation like she did.

The school where this happened was on the south side of Atlanta in a different school district than the one that I teach in. It still hit too close to home for comfort.

~Kathy

 

[InsaneCdn]

I surely don't know all the pros and cons of an inclusive insurance system but...any system that is inclusive has to be better than what we have.

DDD.... we HAVE a more "inclusive" system here and... medications are STILL an issue. If you're stable and have nothing, then medications are covered. Not stable? no help here either.

 

[DammitJanet]

Sadly no one ever thought to get the kid on medicaid because that wouldnt have been cut off when he got out of school. They could have gone to social services and applied for him for it to start when medicare ended. So sad.

I am in complete awe of this woman. She is a true hero. I loved how she told him she loved him as they went out the door. Im sure he really didnt feel have any love in his life considering his background. I also cringed when they started talking about bipolar but they seemed to have done it fairly well in the stories I have heard and read. At least we arent all lunatics running around killing people.