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As part of a nationwide Day of Mourning, disability rights advocates in the Edison area will be holding a vigil on Wednesday, March 1, to honor the lives of disabled people murdered by their families and caretakers.
More than 50 such murders have been reported in the United States in the last five years, over 20 in the last year alone. The total number of killings is likely higher than the amount which are reported in news media, said Carole Tonks, executive director of the Alliance Center for Independence, in a news release.
The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, Not Dead Yet, and the National Council on Independent Living held the first Day of Mourning in 2012 as a response to the murder of George Hodgins, a 22-year-old autistic man from California, by his mother. Day of Mourning is a national event, with around 15 participating cities each year. Little public attention is paid to the disabled victims of these violent acts. Media coverage and public discourse about such killings frequently justifies them as “understandable” and sometimes “merciful,” rather than appropriately condemning these crimes and those who commit them.