Words of the Silent - David's Story

Laughter filled the air along with the crisp wind of the Autumn Pennsylvania breeze. David swings alongside his sister, Anna. He stands on the swing to do a trick when the swing breaks off the hinges, and he flies into the bushes. The laughter builds as he jets to his feet with his arms above his head in the victory of not breaking a bone. He hears the concerned voices come from the house as he quickly “fixes” the swing and yells, “Nothing!” The next day, his three younger cousins visit, and unknowingly, Alexis picks the same “fixed” swing. It breaks instantly. He stops what he’s doing and gasps in shock. “Mom! Lex broke the swing!” Guilt and shame claimed Alexis’ face as the rest of the young children broke out in laughter.

Canned tuna fish mixed with undrained pasta noodles filled the air of a small, cramped kitchen. It was chick flick movie night with his “step” mom, and David insisted on helping with dinner. She failed to instruct that noodles are meant to be drained before mixing anything into it. That night, they watched their favorite movie, Titanic, as they ate soupy tuna helper, and their stomachs sank along with the ship that night.

Darkness covered every inch of the dome-like structure. The glow of vests and laser weapons were the only visible things to see through black haze. David sprawled high above the other players along the suspension bridge and shot at their glowing targets. He snuck past every kid and adult there to get the highest score. Meanwhile, his “step” mom held her own and kept up with the leaderboard. His dad, on the other hand… got shot by the first kid that ran by him.

What you see above are only flashes of who David was. This is what he meant to his loved ones. The memories that they hold onto so tightly and fondly. Sadly, memories are all they have of him now, without the gift to make more. Twenty-two years is the amount of time his dad had with him, his “step” mom, eleven, and his sister, ten. The rest of his friends and family, even less.

A warm hug. Contagious laugh. Mischievous smile. Outgoing. Energetic. Goofball. Music addict. Artist. Family driven. Food lover. Committed. Passionate. A keen eye for beautiful pictures. Always there for you, even when he couldn’t be there for himself.

This is a list of only a few words that David Giliberti’s family and friends use to describe him. When David turned twenty-one, these words were covered in black tar that suffocated David’s personality as it was taken over by bipolar and schizophrenia disorders.

For a little over a year, David struggled with voices pounding in his head, mood swings, and depression. He was admitted into psychiatric hospital after psychiatric hospital, in and out of therapy sessions, and given drugs that only helped with the bipolar diagnosis but made the voices of schizophrenia louder.

He was mentally suffering in pain. The voices in his head told him things that didn’t make any sense, but if he didn’t listen, people he loved would get hurt. He was lost, scared, and in denial that it was happening all at the same time, every day for over a year.

David Patrick Giliberti had just graduated college with his degree in Graphic Design, had contracts for his designs, and was on his way to work for a magazine company.

On December 21, 2013, David called the police for help. When the police officer arrived at the residence, he put his hands on David, forcing him to sit down. When David refused, the officer repeatedly tasered and beat him. Once David got away, he retrieved a knife from the kitchen out of fear. As he came back into view, the officer shot widely throughout the room, landing six bullets into David’s chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to The Washington Post, “More than 1 in 5 people fatally shot by police have mental illnesses.” David is not the only case out there; he’s just one of the many who have been silenced.

An article released by NBC News in 2021 talks about multiple cases where young men with mental illness (or their families) called the police for help and ended up dead in front of their loved ones at the officers’ hands.

One case in particular mentioned in this article was about a young man, Angelo Quinto, who was experiencing a paranoia episode when his mother called 911 for an ambulance to take him to the hospital. When the officers arrived, Angelo was in his mother’s lap as she was trying to soothe him. The officer confiscated Angelo from his mother’s grasp, laid him on the floor on his stomach, and grabbed his leg, pulling it behind him. Meanwhile, another officer kneels on Angelo’s neck for a constant four minutes until he “became lifeless.” He was taken to the hospital, where they pronounced him dead.

In another instance, at the beginning of this year in January, the Los Angeles Times reported three killings in the same week by police offers against people with mental illness. One was tasered to death, and the other two were shot to death.

What is the most common scenario in these types of cases? 1) Most of the officers are going into the person’s home/environment unprepared. And not because they were not told of the situation. All the officers in the cases mentioned above were informed of the condition of the person in need. 2) No mental health worker or care unit was on the scene.

There has been an argument that health workers/social workers must be at the scene when a person has a mental health crisis. Where this is true, police officers are called “first responders” for a reason. They are typically the first to arrive and should be the first to help. If they are given the proper training, officers know how to deal with anyone in any type of distress. There is a training course police officers can partake in for “Interactions in a Diverse Society.” However, it is optional in most states. This does not help all the Davids, Angelos, and the others who have been swept under the rug by wrongful death because they cannot communicate what is happening inside them.

The average student's biggest worry after graduating college is to find a job, along with all the other obstacle courses life throws at them. Take a moment to imagine that while you are thrown into the reality world of adulthood, you are diagnosed with not only bipolar but schizophrenia. You are admitted into psychiatric hospital after psychiatric hospital, in and out of therapy sessions, given drugs that only make the voices louder, and when you call for help, you are made into a villain because you can’t explain what is wrong.

David Giliberti, 22, was murdered and left in a pool of his own blood almost ten years ago. His family is preparing for this brutal anniversary with no justice, waiting for it to happen to the next young person who’s trying to put their life together and is wronged by the justice system.

What do we do now? There are good police officers out there. Most first responders want to help. It’s what they signed up for. But they need the training to support every single kind of person out there so that a mother or father doesn’t have to worry about picking up the phone to find out their son died in the hands of an officer in blue when all their child needed was help.

You can sign a petition to ensure officers take the proper training. If you have someone you love who has a mental illness, educate yourself on it. What is it? How will this affect them? What can I do to help them through this process? Get them the help they need in any way you can. Most of all, just be there for them. If you’re a first responder or planning to be, get the proper training. Educate yourself so you don’t end up on the other side of one of these stories. Just because they remain nameless doesn’t mean they remain guiltless.

Finally, if the justice system has wronged you or a loved one, or if you’ve been a bystander as it’s happened, say something. If you can’t find justice, be the justice. Do the next right thing. Don’t let their voices die out in vain. They can still be heard today.

Citations:

· Burke, M. (2021, May 16). Police Mental Health: Recent Deaths Highlight Concerns Over Officers Response. NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/policing-mental-health-recent-deaths-highlight-concerns-over-officer-response-n1266935?fbclid=IwAR0c-OviL0xxdlayBhuKJLCDgsz12_AKuI_l3yE6I6RxDmI83wqsFzJZ_NA

· The Post Board. (2015, May 30). Police Shooting Database 2015-2023. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database/

· The Times Editorial Board. (2023, January 13). Editorial: Three Police Killings in One Week Expose L.A.’s Deadly Response to Mental Health Crisis. Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-01-13/police-killings-mental-health?fbclid=IwAR337nY7njjb9wCjnbwdegbMsprdU1XBot82UBjcG8Q9sTIiyORHXUZA174