Was autistic teen assaulted by TSA worker?

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according to this article he was

http://www.examiner.com/crime-in-norfolk/was-autistic-teen-assaulted-by-tsa-worker


An assault is defined as “an intentional act by one person that creates an apprehension in another of an imminent harmful or offensive contact.”

Amy Gilmore, the mother of a local autistic teenager is angry after her son received a full body search by TSA agents that she says, went too far.

Last week, 19-year-old Drew, along with his family were headed to Disneyworld on a Make-A-Wish trip, he set off an alarm in the security screening area at Newport News -Williamsburg International Airport.

The titanium rods implanted in his spine set off the alarm.

Though Gilmore tried to explain her son’s medical condition and even presented the TSA agents with a card which explained the position of the rods, the workers still subjected the disabled teen to an invasive body search.

Gilmore told WVEC 13NEWS: “We had to hold his arms out. He went down with the back of his hands through his bottom around to the front and up through his groin area.”

*Reporter’s note: It is difficult for anyone to understand the need for or even the legality of such offensive contact, let alone for someone with autism.

Imagine this disabled young man’s fear as he was being groped by a stranger with his parents looking on.

How much longer will the flying public tolerate government-sanctioned assaults on their children?
( video interview at the link)

http://www.examiner.com/crime-in-norfolk/was-autistic-teen-assaulted-by-tsa-worker

wait....what do titanium rods have to do with autism??

all people with autism have titanium rods. . .

oh wait.

The rods were probably put in for a different medical condition. People with ASD can have more than one condition.

It just proves that TSA agents have no clue and simply do not care about passengers with medical conditions.

Classic case of paperclipping, the TSA agent did routine check - it wasn't puposely aimed at the kid having autism. Besides, autism isn't THAT widely known.

I can understand it could be uncomfortable for the kid, but no need to make a story about it.

Imagine someone can go past the metal detector although he bleeped plus has some papers to suggest a medical condition with a titanium rod. No patdown, but does have a weapon on him goes on undetected.

Waste-of-time article, good for autism awareness.

A wand would have proved the rods. The pat down was excessive.

While Wallourdes has a point, I'd be more inclined to believe Mudboy. If they still used wands, they could have done a full swipe and it would have only set off in the spine, where the rods were. Heck, they could have had his parents lift up his shirt (because I'm assuming he trusts them), looked, seen that there was no weapon there, and voila! Story proved. The big question to me is did this cause the kid to have a meltdown. If it did, that's definitely cause for a lawsuit.

Autism's irrelevant actually, the TSA pat-downs are pissing everyone off, regardless of their condition(s).

They use those wands here as a secondary sweep after the big scanner in all manner of places. Why exactly are these TSA agents not using them? They clearly work.

I think there is a need to make a story about it. At some point probably in the near future, an autistic would-be passenger is going to have a melt-down when this happens. You saw what happened to the guy who said, "if you touch my junk, I'll have you arrested". Then things are going to get very ugly very fast and probably tasering, handcuffing and arresting of the autistic would-be passenger will happen.

If TSA doesn't know anything about autism and meltdowns, they need to learn...fast. Because this will happen. It didn't happen this time thank God but it will.

The TSA has got to learn how to do this in a less invasive manner (the wands, for instance). It isn't just autistic meltdowns they are certain to trigger in the near future They are also certain to trigger traumatic rape flashbacks for rape victims. Dismissing these concerns with "well they chose to fly" is unfair. They really are treating people like criminals because they are showing a Department of Corrections lack of concern for how this makes people feel. When somebody goes to jail, searches like this are part of the routine and how it makes the prisoner feel is considered irrelevent because, after all, they chose to commit a crime. Now people who choose to fly rather than drive are being treated with a similar lack of concern. They are acting as though everybody actually is a terrorist (and therefore worthy of a jailhouse lack-of-concern search) until they prove they aren't. Some sensitivity on the part of the TSA about how horrible this is for a lot of people would go a long way to alleviating that. But no. They act as though people deserve whatever distress this causes because it hasn't yet been proven that they aren't a terrorist so it's ok to treat them like they are already in Guantanamo Bay.

My prediction: in the near future there will be a flashpoint incident which causes so much public outrage that the TSA will be forced to change its tactics. Even such a minor change as acknowledging that this is distressing for people and trying to be as non-invasive and polite as possible might prevent a flashpoint incident. But if they continue to act as though being bothered by this is in itself a criminal act, something ugly will happen.

Didn't you know? Disabled teenagers are always terrorists.

No need to get paranoid, alternative to the invasive patdown is a full body scanner, but that got a lot of complaints concerning health and privacy.
Also the whole thing started in the first place because of the 9/11 incident, in some way the USA is in 'Martial Law'-light only without the military actively present.

Some day the s**t will hit the fan, but until that day comes write friendly letters of feedback and complaint - start a dialog and for love of it all don't go public unless you really can't do it in another way.

Cheerfully,
Wallourdes

Apparently that is the case.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqCuCm5FPjE

TSA Terrorize A Disabled 4 Year Old Boy By Removing His Leg Braces, Then Forcing Him To Walk

The problem is that the TSA workers are low paid minions who really don't care. A starting position at the TSA is part time at a pay of about $25000/yr and available to anyone with a HS education. You can do all the education you want but when you get to the field, you are just going to go through the motions.

Also, most jobs of this ilk do not want people who can think. They want people who are willing to follow orders without any questioning on why they are doing this and using common sense. This is a similar position to that of a school bus driver.

WOW thanks for posting that. I had no clue that TSA was that dumb. My 5 year old cousin wears leg braces as well. He has spina bifida. So that means my little cousin can't vacation like normal kids can of his age? I didn't get the end of the clip. Are the 4 year old's parents going to sue TSA? This kid should go to Disneyworld just like any other kid does. That's why until TSA opens their eyes and stops this stupid thing that they are doing I'm only traveling by car around the East Coast.