I’ve never felt so disgusted, angry, and infuriated. I stumbled upon a video I can’t shake off, showing the frustrating moments leading up to the death of Isaiah Trammel, a 19-year-old with autism, in a jail cell. Despite being transported to a hospital after spending 10 agonizing hours in custody, he died three days later.
This incident isn’t just sad; it’s enraging — a glaring example of our system’s failure to protect those who most need it.
This story screams for a documentary to shine a light on our failing systems — how people with mental health issues like autism are mishandled, and why this education should be mandatory in schools.
Understanding Autism:
Autism is a neurological and developmental disorder affecting communication, behavior, and social interaction. Loud noises, bright lights, or physical touch can be overwhelming for someone with autism, far more than it would be for the average person.
What Happened to Isaiah:
Isaiah, proud of living on his own, faced a noise complaint from a neighbor, which brought the police to his door. They arrested him over a resolved issue — a previous wellness check that had already been cleared by the court. Yet, he still ended up in jail.
Jail is tough for anyone, but for Isaiah, who processed things differently, it was overwhelming and terrifying. He needed his medication, a phone call to his mom, and other calming interventions. Despite his attempts to explain his situation, including his ADHD and autism, he was met with disdain and was called embarrassing and a crybaby.
It’s clear that the police and medical professionals lacked the training to recognize and respond appropriately to someone with autism. Their failure to adapt their approach led to this preventable tragedy. If just one person had listened to Isaiah empathetically, this could have been avoided.
The basic human decency was nowhere to be found. If they had seen him as their child or someone they knew, the outcome would have been different. The way he was treated — dehumanized for 10 hours — is nothing short of cruel.
Those who watched him suffer and mocked him are responsible. They should be held accountable as their actions, or lack thereof, contributed to his death. “I was just doing my job” is a pathetic excuse for such heartlessness.
As someone in customer service, I believe our role is to improve situations, not worsen them.
I want to express my deepest apologies to Isaiah’s family and to any other families horrified by this ordeal.
Can you believe they ruled this out as a suicide?
Isaiah Trammel’s story must catalyze change in our emergency response systems. We need to demand training for all personnel on handling cases involving special needs and advocate for protocols that ensure everyone’s safety and dignity, especially the most vulnerable.
