Deaf man with cerebral palsy pursuing legal action against Dayton police
A deaf man with cerebral palsy, Jack Runser, is taking legal action against the Dayton (Ohio) Police Department over how they treated him during an arrest on November 8, 2020.
Jack Runser: My name is Jack Runser.
Alex: Runser said it was a hot day, he had just finished mowing his lawn, and he decided to walk 1.5 miles from his home to a Dollar General to buy coffee grounds because he ran out of it at home. He had $10 in cash and a mask in his pocket.
Jack Runser: All I had was a $10 bill and a mask in my pocket.
Alex: Runser walked down S. Gettysburg Ave, which is a four-lane road with a grassy median in the middle, and had to walk on the grassy median for a portion of the way since there were no sidewalks or it only had a sidewalk on one side.
Dayton Daily News explained that a passing motorist called 911 to report that a man who might have disabilities was walking on the grassy median and wanted someone to make sure he was okay.
Two Dayton police officers went to the Dollar General parking lot. When Runser got there, the officers tried to speak to Runser from behind masks, but Runser didn’t realize they were talking to him. He said he knew he did nothing wrong and thought the officers were there for another reason.
Jack Runser: The police officers showed up. I did not think they were there for me! I didn’t do anything wrong.
Alex: The officers asked him for ID, but he said he didn’t have it on him.
The officers said in a report that they thought Runser might be high on meth and decided to handcuff him and place him in the back of their police car.
Runser went through terrible pain in the back of the police car because his body moved involuntarily from cerebral palsy, but the handcuffs restricted his arms.
Here is a police video of Runser in the back of a police car from the Dayton Daily News. I have to warn that it is distressing to watch.
[Video clip] Credit: Dayton Daily News
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Runser was taken to a hospital for evaluation and would have been stuck there for 72 hours. Fortunately, a hospital staffer recognized him as a deaf person.
Jack Runser: I was very lucky that one of the hospital staffers recognized me.
Alex: He was released from custody and a doctor offered to cover his ride back home. Runser said his wrist was fractured and he has permanent injuries.
He said his neighbor happened to be a police officer as well, and that the neighbor was angry about what he had to go through.
Runser filed a complaint. An internal investigation by Dayton Police found no misconduct. Runser filed an appeal to the Citizens’ Appeals Board hearing, who unanimously said they disagreed with the police department’s finding that there was no misconduct.
WHIO 7 News reported that the Dayton Unit NAACP has taken Runser on as a client to fight for justice.
Jack Runser: I will file a lawsuit for violations of civil rights and for the officers’ behavior and conduct.
Alex: Thank you for your time, Jack Runser.
Runser used to be a bodybuilder and is originally from Alaska. He said in a poem that the only limits there are are the ones that you set in your mind.
https://www.cerebralpalsy.org/inspiration/athletes/jack-runser