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Sunday, April 27, 2008 - 2:56amSanction this postReply
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I have had an ongoing casual acquaintance with an Ayn Rand fan in Melbourne, Florida whom I met via the local Libertarian Party years ago before I quit that questionable organization.  His name is Ric Roberts.  I have been exchanging e-mails with him the last few months attempting to understand his situation and to give him the benefit of the doubt whenever possible.  I have already warned him that his story sounds preposterous on its face and that he should exhaust other venues for restitution before making appeals here, but promised I would share his story if all else failed.

He admits to being schizophrenic and taking medications for his disorder but swears up and down that he can substantiate his claims.  In his words, "the TV set, the drug residues, the witnesses to the catheter abuse, the nurse at State who explicitly said 'maybe you should run,' and my academic, athletic, and musical honors, on top of the Wake Forest degree and leadership experience" all substantiate his claims, so RoR readers "won't think I'm delusional.  Go ahead and post!"

So I am keeping my promise and posting the story of Ric Roberts in Melbourne, Florida in case anyone has the ability and willingness to lend a hand.  You can contact him directly at ric dot roberts at hotmail dot com if you so desire.  Here you go.

FELLOW OBJECTIVISTS!  I NEED YOUR HELP!!

 
Following 9-11, I was terribly poisoned by my parents.  I wound up in a mental hospital, where they didn't give me any evident treatment for the poisoning.  They eventually took my blood.  I didn't eat their food for days, but eventually fell-into their routine.  I also made a lot of noise about the poisoning.

 

When I was released, my parents electroshocked me with what must have been government equipment - a special TV set in the guest room.  I put up with it off and on for several days, but eventually moved it out to the garage.  It is now in safe keeping at my sister's house.

 

I tried to visit a former therapist whom I had stopped seeing in favor of a more-local doctor - without an appointment a fair distance away, but he called the police and they escorted me out.  I then made a bit of a public scene, and they committed me to Wuesthoff Hospital in Rockledge. At the hospital, they strapped me in, held me down, and abused me with a catheter.  It made a loud banging sound, and I was yelling, so the other patients on the wing definitely heard.

 

Later, a nurse tried to kill me with fast-acting poison that I cheeked between my teeth and gums because I didn't trust it.  I nearly dropped to the floor, as the pill diffused through my gums before I quickly spit it out.  Before I spit it out, the nurse turned and darted away.  I stood, dazed, feeling the effects through my entire body.  I was standing alone in the TV room, gathered my thoughts, and went into the dayroom, where I made a speech to the rest of the patients, trying to be as calm, responsible, and effective as possible.

 

To punish me, and to cover them, the hospital had me committed to the State Hospital, where I spent about a year.  They gassed me several times.  The first time, my muscles swelled-up and I quickly ran from the room to the Nurse's Station.  I had to be treated.  The second time, the gas nearly knocked me out as I fled from the room, falling on the floor and splitting my brow, requiring stitches.  Later, I got a case of Chicken Pox, and had to be hospitalized for that too.  Luckily, I landed a job there, and was elected Ward President, to represent the other patients at facility meetings.  Not later, I was released.

 

Now I am in the care of the Brevard County Fact Team, a mental health organization.  Recently, they had me committed again, and I was nearly poisoned at the drinking fountain.

 

I have the TV Set, the jeans pocket with the drug residue, and a paper towel with the drug residue from the fountain.

 

I have been looking for legal representation for YEARS, with no results yet.  I have searched high and low, with individual law offices, referral organizations, my local, state, and national LP offices, and numerous civil rights organizations.  The civil rights organizations have all said that the case has validity, but they are just declining to actually take the case.

 

So, I am turning to the RoR network, in hopes that we can tap into a network that can provide legal representation.  I humbly request that the network come to my assistance, and win the caseload, if not all, then at least some of it.

 

Thank you and I hope you can help!

 

Ric Roberts

Melbourne, Florida


 


Post 1

Sunday, April 27, 2008 - 5:57amSanction this postReply
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I feel so bad for this guy, but not for the reason he hopes.

For better understanding, I'd need to hear his parents' side of the story.


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Sunday, April 27, 2008 - 10:00amSanction this postReply
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The hard evidence could easily be fabricated. The rest is anecdotal from an unreliable witness. This is not a winnable case....UNLESS he can find documentation or witnesses willing to testify to various attacks. Then he has a chance, but it's still slim.

I don't know whom he's tried to contact for legal counsel, but he should (a) try legal aid services; if they can't help, they'll give him leads http://lawyers.justia.com/practice/criminal-law/state/florida/city/Melbourne/ , and (b) contact the Florida Bar. State bars tend to have services for the down and out.

But I suggest he abandon the case, as it's not a strong one for him. I would advise him instead to stay as mentally healthy as possible. That will keep away from the institutions where I cites abuse. I would also advise him to interact with his parents in such a way as to avoid possible further attacks.

Jordan


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Sunday, April 27, 2008 - 10:00amSanction this postReply
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The hard evidence could easily be fabricated. The rest is anecdotal from an unreliable witness. This is not a winnable case....UNLESS he can find documentation or witnesses willing to testify to various attacks. Then he has a chance, but it's still slim.

I don't know whom he's tried to contact for legal counsel, but he should (a) try legal aid services; if they can't help, they'll give him leads http://lawyers.justia.com/practice/criminal-law/state/florida/city/Melbourne/ , and (b) contact the Florida Bar. State bars tend to have services for the down and out.

But I suggest he abandon the case, as it's not a strong one for him. I would advise him instead to stay as mentally healthy as possible. That will keep away from the institutions where he cites abuse. I would also advise him to interact with his parents in such a way as to avoid possible further attacks.

Jordan


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Sunday, April 27, 2008 - 10:19amSanction this postReply
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Sounds about right for a person with schizophrenia, for which I have personal experience with (a relative of mine). The best thing you can do is find a relative of his that still cares about him, and let the relative know that he needs to get back into a shared living or mental hospital while the doctor finds him a new medication that he can take regularly.

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Sunday, April 27, 2008 - 2:41pmSanction this postReply
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Hi Ric.

I'm sorry to hear that your life has been such an incredibly distressing experience. If everything that you say is true, then you are being victimized -- there can be no doubt left in that.

However, getting help in this world can be tough. One thing that's necessary for folks to get help in this world is for them to make their case clear to others. Just like it's possible -- if what you've said can be shown true -- that there's no doubt left that you've been victimized; so, too, it may be possible to leave no reasonable doubt left about the truth of what it is that you are saying. It has got to be made clear.

Clarity involves more than just obvious pain (such as when folks break-down and sob; or get riled-up and yell). Clarity involves being able to make your case. There will be pitfalls. Some of the pitfalls for you will include how similar your case sounds to the myriad cases already presented by folks who suffer from schizophrenic conditions.

In order for you to get any kind of redress, you will have to go through the kind of thought necessary to differentiate your case from those similar to you. This is a hoop to jump through which cannot be avoided. It stems from the same and necessary kind of prejudice taken toward other potential victims.

Jews, for instance, can't just say that they are Jewish and then expect reparations from the Holocaust. They have to differentiate themselves somehow. Perhaps they have evidence that they spent time in a concentration camp. something on that order is required. Otherwise, I (or anyone) could make the statement that I'm Jewish -- and get some kind of reparation.

Our system has to be protected from this kind of a potential break-down (where everyone claims some redress for something -- and there's no one left to fulfill their redress!) -- and that protection necessarily takes the form of prejudice-until-differentiation.

Folks with schizophrenic conditions have it especially tough, because there have already been so many of them crying wolf. Here's an example of how you can make progress toward redress. Here's your opening statement, followed by advice:

=========
Following 9-11, I was terribly poisoned by my parents. I wound up in a mental hospital, where they didn't give me any evident treatment for the poisoning. They eventually took my blood.
=========

Evidence of your parent's poisoning would be required in order to make little room for reasonable doubt here. For instance, a blood draw from the mental hospital could be used in order to detect the poison in your blood.

That's how you could make progress, Ric, by following advice which takes into account what it is that is required for someone to make the case for something.

Ed

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