No, I’m not drunk, I’m autistic

Brian Field

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In the realm of the grossly inappropriate we rarely think of our neighbors to the north; we here in the States typically consider Canada as a more placid and respectful place.

In breaking with that halcyon stereotype, albeit a positive one, is a gaffe that sends one’s jaw dropping. Dane Spurrell, an 18-year old from Mt. Pearl (that’s in Newfoundland) was arrested and jailed April 18, because police assumed he was drunk. Turns out he wasn’t, but he is diagnosed with autism. When his mother reported he son missing and contacted the police, they reported he’d been jailed.

What’s worse, while the police chief admitted they were wrong, he added that "It's not uncommon, actually, for people, depending on the level of autism, sometimes to be confused with somebody who may be under the influence of a substance.”

Newfoundland and Labrador's Autism Society calls the episode “appalling.”

Ironically, just a week prior to Spurrell’s accidental lock up, the police force had contacted the Autism Society to help train the officers in autism awareness.

Timing is everything!