Vigil for Psychiatric-Homicide Victim Spurs Calls for Justice

 
Sacramento, CA
Friday December 5, 2008, 6:00-8:00pm
California State Capitol - West steps
 
Family members and members of Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) held a Candlelight Vigil on the west steps of the California State Capitol in memory of psychiatric-homicide victim Ramona Knapp, who died on Dec. 5, 2005 at the hands of Sierra Vista Hospital staff. 

Shirley Austin, Executive Director of CCHR of California, speaks at Candle Light Vigil on California Capitol West Steps

Knapp worked at a social service center serving Sacramento's homeless and was well known for her compassion and outgoing nature. According to the Sacramento Bee, in December 2005, Ramona Knapp, 51 of Elk Grove, was left fatally brain damaged after hospital workers restrained her, pinning her to the floor.  She was held facedown on the floor by a hospital staff member leaning on her back for nearly 5 minutes, while another technician held her feet. When she was lifted onto the bed, they discovered she had stopped breathing.  She died the next day.  The Sacramento County coroner deemed Knapp's death a homicide due to "restraint asphyxia".  Amazingly no charges were brought.
 
Attended by hundreds of concerned citizens, The Citizens Commission on Human Rights is calling for accountability on the part of Sierra Vista Hospital staff. Executive Director of CCHR Sacramento Shirley Austin stated, "The death of Ramona Knapp was tragic. Here was a woman in a hospital ostensibly there to help people, but instead, died from being abused and brutalized by psychiatric hospital staff. To add insult to injury, the family has had to endure not only the loss of their loved one, but the most outrageous justifications from hospital staff for what occurred. With a coroner finding of homicide and no arrest of the known perpetrator, we are only left one conclusion -- that authorities and hospital feel wholly justified in staff actions and thus Ramona Knapp somehow deserved to die. This is a gross injustice and deserves full attention from all freedom loving people,” added Austin.
 
Austin stresses that this is not an isolated incident.  "People need to know that deaths associated with psychiatric restraints and abuse have been known about and exposed by CCHR for years.” This is also evidenced by the passing of Senate Bill 130 by Senator Wes Chesbro in 2003, which imposed restrictions on the use of seclusion and/or restraint of psychiatric patients, thus underscoring an ongoing problem of abuse in the mental health industry.
 
Austin succinctly put it this way, “Put yourself in the position of the family of Ramona Knapp, knowing that the person who killed your daughter, sister, mother, grandmother was also known by the police and was never arrested or held accountable for that crime, and you will get the point. No one should be allowed to get away with murder.”

 

 

Vigil for Psychiatric-Homicide Victim Spurs Calls for Justice

 
Sacramento, CA
Friday December 5, 2008, 6:00-8:00pm
California State Capitol - West steps
 
Family members and members of Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) held a Candlelight Vigil on the west steps of the California State Capitol in memory of psychiatric-homicide victim Ramona Knapp, who died on Dec. 5, 2005 at the hands of Sierra Vista Hospital staff. 

Shirley Austin, Executive Director of CCHR of California, speaks at Candle Light Vigil on California Capitol West Steps

Knapp worked at a social service center serving Sacramento's homeless and was well known for her compassion and outgoing nature. According to the Sacramento Bee, in December 2005, Ramona Knapp, 51 of Elk Grove, was left fatally brain damaged after hospital workers restrained her, pinning her to the floor.  She was held facedown on the floor by a hospital staff member leaning on her back for nearly 5 minutes, while another technician held her feet. When she was lifted onto the bed, they discovered she had stopped breathing.  She died the next day.  The Sacramento County coroner deemed Knapp's death a homicide due to "restraint asphyxia".  Amazingly no charges were brought.
 
Attended by hundreds of concerned citizens, The Citizens Commission on Human Rights is calling for accountability on the part of Sierra Vista Hospital staff. Executive Director of CCHR Sacramento Shirley Austin stated, "The death of Ramona Knapp was tragic. Here was a woman in a hospital ostensibly there to help people, but instead, died from being abused and brutalized by psychiatric hospital staff. To add insult to injury, the family has had to endure not only the loss of their loved one, but the most outrageous justifications from hospital staff for what occurred. With a coroner finding of homicide and no arrest of the known perpetrator, we are only left one conclusion -- that authorities and hospital feel wholly justified in staff actions and thus Ramona Knapp somehow deserved to die. This is a gross injustice and deserves full attention from all freedom loving people,” added Austin.
 
Austin stresses that this is not an isolated incident.  "People need to know that deaths associated with psychiatric restraints and abuse have been known about and exposed by CCHR for years.” This is also evidenced by the passing of Senate Bill 130 by Senator Wes Chesbro in 2003, which imposed restrictions on the use of seclusion and/or restraint of psychiatric patients, thus underscoring an ongoing problem of abuse in the mental health industry.
 
Austin succinctly put it this way, “Put yourself in the position of the family of Ramona Knapp, knowing that the person who killed your daughter, sister, mother, grandmother was also known by the police and was never arrested or held accountable for that crime, and you will get the point. No one should be allowed to get away with murder.”