George's Note:
After hearing me on syndicated
columnist Bobby Rodrigo's radio show, I Take Liberty With My Coffee
(LINK), Alvina S. Harris sent me this email that she gave me permission to blog.
I've taken the liberty of editing it slightly.
Hi George,
On 12/13/13, my 36-year-old mentally
ill daughter, Shanike Miller, was in jail in Leon County Shands Hospital
Months later after I got
autopsy report, that's when I found out about all the psych drugs they were giving
my mentally ill daughter, who according to their nurse's notes, "was
hearing voices" in her cell, but they deemed her stable enough to consent
to drugs that could possibly cause death. I’ve asked the Department of Justice
to investigate and so has Senator Bill Nelson. 2 ½ years later, I still have
no answers or justice for my daughter. I was very very close to my daughter, I
talked to her all the time, she was loved by many, many, many people. If
something like this could happen to my daughter and get covered up, imagine
what is happening to all the other homeless people or people who have no
families looking out for them.
My daughter was mentally
ill, she repeatedly came into contact with the police, we always bailed her
out. I was afraid the police were going to hurt my daughter while arresting her
because of her mental illness and her aggressiveness while she was manic, so I
decided not to bail her out. I thought she’d be safe in jail until we could get
her into a hospital. I never thought in a million years something like this
could happen to my daughter—I thought I was keeping her safe. On December 6,
2013, a psychiatrist, Dr. Leland, evaluated my daughter and his report to the
public defender was to have her hospitalized. The public defender said she
never saw the report; 10 days later my daughter is medically injured
by Corizon Health doctors and dies a week and half later.
Finally, my mentally ill daughter,
Shanike Miller, was given the death sentence for stealing out of
CVS by Leon County Jail and Corizon Health—and it was sanctioned by Governor
Rick Scott because no one has been punished and there has been no justice for my daughter.
Alvina S. Harris
George's Note:
Here is a follow-up email from Alvina that provides more clarity into the no-win decisions parents often face in dealing with their mentally ill children. I tracked down this propaganda directly from Corizon's website:
Alvina - Yes you may (blog my email). I
want my daughter’s story told, I want justice for my daughter. I’ve been in a
deep depression since my daughter died and every day I feel so much guilt and
shame—I let my daughter down. Yes, she was 36, an adult and my only child,
but I still felt very responsible for her. I still feel responsible for her
even though she’s not here anymore. The last few conversations I had with my
daughter while she was in jail were about her going into a hospital to get
stabilized. She asked, "Mom, do you really think I need to go into a
mental hospital?" I said, "Yes Nikkie, you do, trust me, I love
you, you need help and I will be there making sure you’re OK."
Thursday, December 13, 2013,
I told my daughter I was coming to see her the following weekend. I was going
to bail her out and get her other warrants lifted—she had a few due to
stealing. One week later, Thursday, December 19, 2013, the Leon County
Sheriff called me and told me my daughter was in the hospital. My husband and I
rushed to Tallahassee from Ft.
Lauderdale , then to Shands Hospital
People want to dispute the
“Black Lives Matter” and “All Lives Matter” slogans. Well, “Mentally
Ill Lives Matter;” no color or race is involved as mental illness does not
discriminate. Mentally ill people are the most vulnerable and most times
can’t speak for themselves.
My mentally ill 36-year-old
daughter was given a death sentence by Leon County Jail and Corizon Health and
sanctioned by Governor Rick Scott. I’m going to keep saying that because it’s
what I believe.