To commentors:

Thanks for the thoughtful comments.

A letter to editor questioned the need for State Troopers to shoot to kill the unfortunate Nora Jean York rather than to disable.

Unfortunately, enforcement officers are understandably constrained not to become victims themselves. At some point, when a firearm-wielding person points a weapon, it must be assumed the weapon is loaded and will be discharged. Thus, officers are trained to shoot for the center of body-mass to have the best chance of making a hit and to have the best chance of disabling the person before they get shot themselves. And, yes, it usually results in killing because, in reality, that is the most certain means of disabling.

Attempting to shoot a gun out of someone’s hands is an artifact of old western movies where “cowboys“ like Roy Rogers and Gene Autry avoided offending innocent kids of those innocent times by never "killing" anyone, even bad guys.

But it takes only a finger-twitch to let loose a round and officers are understandably reluctant to let that happen. It’s even worse when the threatening assailant has a shotgun where random pellets from the scattered spray contained within a single round of buckshot (or even smaller pellets) can kill one or more persons. Thus the justification for overwhelming and killing force in this instance.

Again, without judgment, I offer what I know of how vaguely similar situations have been handled in smaller, more tightly-knit indigenous communities. In one of the Hopi Indian villages I knew in Arizona, a community “lockdown” against a hatchet-wielding madman was employed until the person calmed down hours later. My friends described how they sat behind locked doors for hours listening to the banging and ranting.

In some Native communities it is understandable that great patience and forbearance is applied rather than calling for intrusive outside law enforcement.

It has been the practice of Native peoples to treat the mentally disturbed with great care and compassion. South American indigenous tribes, I am told, are respectful of madness and will tolerate wildly irrational behavior.

According to the book, The Rivers Ran East, when a non-Native man driven mad by a diagnosis of cancer entered the Amazon jungle by leaping off a boat (to an almost certain death), the local Natives (very dangerous to outsiders at that time) not only left him alone with his ranting and raving but actually helped him survive and ultimately the jungle “doctors” cured his disease---as was the code among “Brujos” at that time. Bear in mind that the pharmacopeia of these “uncontacted” Natives was more advanced than our western medicines until about the early 1900s (per National Geographic). And some of the healing knowledge possessed by the “wild” tribes was lost soon after contact.

These tribes tolerated madness for three reasons---one was fear of "crazy" souls coming back to haunt them. The other was a recognition that harsh treatment would only make the person worse. And compassion.

These indigenous ways of dealing with madness may be too difficult within the context of our modern cultures and modern times. That’s why this was such a sad story.

Again, I appreciate the understanding and compassionate comments.

- RW

[Note: part five of the Climate Change series will appear soon.]

Anchorage Daily News 11-15-09: "Troopers kill armed Valley woman" - Nora Jean York, caretaker for an unidentified disabled veteran who often relied on a wheelchair, was shot by troopers after leveling a shotgun at them and was also packing a pistol. Apparent "suicide by cop."

Wandering the streets of New York City I learned early on how to recognize and deal with broken people. Deal with them as people. And carefully.

Those experiences came in handy when I got into social work by chance---I got along better with the “clients” than with my superiors in the social welfare agencies.

However, no special experience was necessary to recognize Nora as a broken people---it was obvious at first glance.

She said her name was “Nora” but it didn’t fit her ambiguous gender. I met her while she was trying to start a fire on a cold rainy day on the extensive wilderness property of some local friends.

Of course I noticed the automatic pistol strapped to her waist. I wasn’t worried---just took note of it.

My friends are often absent from their wonderful property and I keep an eye on things as I wander about.

“Are you a friend of the owner?” I asked the slender, sexually ambiguous person frantically working a hatchet to make kindling for a fire. There was a huge pile of kindling but she couldn’t seem to get the fire going.

“I’m a tenant,” she answered. I took her at her word---my friend has a large number of properties but my only focus is the wilderness area on Willow Creek Canyon.

Repeatedly she tried to light the huge pile of kindling using newspapers but without success.

Seeing the hopelessness of the fire-starting efforts I suggested she borrow some gasoline from a nearby container that the owner used to run a generator.

“No, no---I wouldn’t want to use Jason’s (not his real name) fuel.”

“I bet you’ll be glad to have this fire,” she added hopefully.

She was not dressed for the weather. I was. But I knew to be generally agreeable.

“Actually,” I pointed out, picking my words carefully, “I wasn’t planning on having a fire.”

We were near the bottom of Willow Creek Canyon and it was a long climb back up. Nora was wet and underdressed for the cold, rainy weather. Just blue jeans and a light jacket.

“What’s your dog’s name,“ she asked.

Animals do have a calming affect on most people---especially broken ones.

“Belinda!”

“Oh, that was my grandmother’s name,” said Nora. It was about the brightest, most animated moment of our brief conversation.

I was headed down to the creek and managed to gracefully end our encounter. She never did get that fire going but did leave a nice pile of kindling.

Later, when I spoke to her landlord, Jason, I learned that “Norton,” as he called her, was a pack of trouble. Jason was a Vietnam vet himself. Because Nora/Norton was the caretaker for a fellow veteran mostly relegated to a wheelchair, Jason had accepted her as a tenant. Now, Jason was totally disgusted with the situation. He told me that the pair was about to be evicted.

It’s easier to have compassion when you are not the landlord of a tenant who is nothing but trouble, looks in neighbor’s windows, picks fights, makes frequent complaints, has accumulated a huge pile of junk and generally acts up, acts weird and looks weird.

Apparently, on moving day, a number of truckloads were required to get the rented place emptied out but the move went without incident---much to Jason‘s relief.

It’s easier to have compassion as a social worker when visiting broken people who are welfare clients and you don’t have to stay there and live with them or spend time with them as their psychiatrist or counselor.

It’s easier to have compassion for broken people in the duration of a brief, chance meeting---knowing that you will never have to deal with this person again.

I have only a general idea of what Nora/Norton went through in her life. I can afford to feel compassion but I sure wish she wouldn’t have chosen “suicide by cop.” Policemen should never love killing people. Not even soldiers, ideally. That’s one reason why police agencies give time off to those officers who are forced to shoot another Human being to death in the line of duty.

Aside from a consciously-considered, physician-assisted suicide, killing one’s self is a sad, desperate and stupid act that often contains the element of final retribution against those who love you, those who know you and the society that you feel has wronged you. Suicide by cop seems cowardly. However, such an act must be driven by the same terrible feelings of desperately not wanting to be here but lacking the courage or clarity of mind to do the deed personally.

I know little more of Nora/Norton than I have outlined here. I have only a vague idea what went through Nora/Norton’s mind when she went berserk and, apparently deliberately, caused the Alaska State Troopers to gun her down. The only evidence I can see is that she was a broken people suffering from severe mental problems along with her physical ambiguities---that’s why I can afford to feel compassion for her but also for those State Troopers who were forced by duty into the role of unwillingly and actively assisting a suicide.

The ex-landlord was matter-of-fact in an Email: “Oh well, we all saw the writing on the wall.”

I can afford to feel compassion because I know that transgender people are more ostracized and misunderstood than homosexuals in this society---though their gender confusions arise even more obviously from genetic causes.

I know, from experience, that the broken people receive little compassion---and that is an understatement. I understand why---broken people cause difficulties and disturb the neat little constructs of our lives. Whatever small amount of compassion and understanding I can muster is little enough. I have no easy answers nor can I cast blame or make judgments. My own first impulse, from the moment I laid eyes on Nora/Norton, was to begin edging away.

Rudy Wittshirk