HARRISONBURG, Va. – Attorneys for The Rutherford Institute have asked a federal court to reject a request by health officials to dismiss a Fourth Amendment lawsuit filed on behalf of a 37-year-old disabled man who was wrongfully arrested, strip searched, handcuffed to a table, diagnosed as having "mental health issues," apparently because of his slurred speech and unsteady gait, and subsequently locked up for five days in a mental health facility against his will and with no access to family and friends.

In asking the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia to reject a motion to dismiss filed by the Valley Community Services Board (VCSB) and one of its mental health screeners, Rutherford Institute attorneys argue that the screener violated clearly established law protecting citizens from unjustified mental health seizures when she allegedly recommended that Gordon Goines, a resident of Waynesboro who suffers from a neurological condition similar to multiple sclerosis, be committed as mentally ill and dangerous. A subsequent hearing showed that Goines has no mental illness and should not have been confined. The lawsuit alleges that the VCSB should be held responsible and liable for the deprivation of Goines' Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights because it allows unqualified persons to make mental health examinations.

The Institute's complaint in Gordon Goines v. David Shaw et al., is available at www.rutherford.org.

"By giving government officials the power to declare individuals mentally ill and detain them against their will without first ensuring that they are actually trained to identify such illness, the government has opened the door to a system in which involuntary detentions can be used to make people disappear," said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute and author of the award-winning book A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State. "Indeed, government officials in the Cold War-era Soviet Union often used psychiatric hospitals as prisons in order to isolate political prisoners from the rest of society, discredit their ideas, and break them physically and mentally."

Gordon Goines resides in Waynesboro and suffers from cerebellar ataxia, a neurological condition similar to multiple or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrigs disease. As a result, Goines has difficulty at times with his balance, causing him to walk unsteadily, speaks slowly and with a slur and has problems with fine motor skills. Goines has no cognitive impairment, is of above-average intelligence, and acutely aware of what is happening around him. The complaint alleges that on May 15, 2014, Goines was having problems with his cable television reception, including disconnections and extremely loud line noise and signals, and called the cable company for assistance. A technician determined that a neighbor had spliced into Goines cable and recommended Goines contact police about the theft. Goines walked across the street to the Waynesboro Police Dept. and reported the theft to one officer, who called on two other officers to follow Goines home and investigate his complaint. However, the first officer reported that Goines was having "mental health issues." The officers then proceeded to question Goines about his  "mental health issues"; Goines told them he did not have any mental health problems. The officers then asked Goines if he wanted to go talk to someone; believing they meant about the cable theft, Goines told them he did. The officers then handcuffed him and transported Goines, who pleaded to be taken home, to Augusta County Medical Center. After he arrived, he was examined by an employee of VCSB who concluded that Goines suffered from a psychotic condition and a petition for Goines' involuntary detention was filed as a result.

According to the complaint, the VCSB screener was not a licensed medical professional, clinical psychologist or social worker and so lacked the required training to diagnose mental disorders. The petition was granted and Goines was committed to Crossroads Mental Health Center and held against his will and without access to family and friends until May 20, 2014, when a subsequent hearing found that Goines had no mental illness and should not be confined. Affiliate attorney Timothy Coffield is assisting The Rutherford Institute in its defense of Goines.

This press release is also available at www.rutherford.org.

Genesis Heart Institute and Bucktown Center for the Arts announce "Heart to Art", a month long awareness campaign to explore the positive impact the arts have on the healthcare experience.

Bucktown Center for the Arts and Genesis Heart Institute invites all artists within a 150 mile radius to submit artwork such as visual art, photography, mixed media, and sculpture depicting heart health, things close to the artist's heart, or artist interpretation of "Heart to Art."

Accepted works will be displayed at Bucktown Center for the Arts from April 25th until May 9th. A special selection of artworks will go on to be displayed at Genesis Heart Institute from May 12th until the 22nd.  Entry fee of $20; students $15. Entry forms can be found at Bucktown Center for the Arts or email mfaheartart@gmail.com.

Additional "Heart to Art" activities include a seminar about Women and Heart Disease by Dr. Rafat Padaria, MD, Yoga, Tai Chi and art classes.

Bucktown Center for the Arts is a collection of unique shops and artist studios where you can learn about, create or purchase works of local art. Bucktown is located at 225 E. 2^nd St. in Downtown Davenport. Hours are Wed. - Sat. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. or by appointment.

Media are invited to a sneak peek of the "Heart to Art" exhibit on April 22 at 10:30 a.m.  at Bucktown Center for the Arts, 225 E. 2^nd St, Downtown Davenport. Please contact Pat Bereskin at (563) 508-4630 for more information.

 

MOLINE, Ill. (February 26, 2015) - The Quad City Mallards open a key homestand that will see them play eight promotion-packed games at the iWireless Center in the first 18 days of March when they take on the Missouri Mavericks at 4:05 p.m. Sunday.

The Mallards approach their longest homestand of the season locked in a tight playoff race.  The second place Mallards are two points ahead of the Tulsa Oilers in the ECHL's Central Division and three points ahead of the fourth place Rapid City Rush and Wichita Thunder.  With the top four finishers qualifying for the ECHL's Kelly Cup playoffs, the homestand could prove crucial to the Mallards' postseason hopes.

 

Tickets for Sunday's game are available for just $5 for children 12 and under.  After the game fans can join the Mallards on the ice for a postgame skate.

 

The Flock will welcome Tulsa to the iWireless Center next Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.  Fans can get four tickets for that contest- and all Mallards Wednesday night home games- for just $20 and afterward join the team for a postgame party at T.G.I. Friday's in Moline.

 

The Mallards will play back-to-back games against the league-leading Allen Americans next Friday and Saturday night- March 6 and March 7- at 7:05.  Next Friday brings the return of $1 Dog/$1 Beer Night presented by 97X and MetroLink.  Next Saturday is John Deere Community Night.  John Deere has made 2,000 tickets to that game available for just $5 while supplies last.  In addition, the first 1,000 fans ages 12 and under through the doors for next Saturday evening's game will receive free Mallards youth replica jerseys courtesy of KWQC-TV6. 

The Mallards will meet Missouri again on Wednesday night, March 11.  On Saturday, March 14 the Mallards will wear special edition fan-designed jerseys when they take on Wichita.  Those jerseys will go up for bid immediately after that game in a live auction to benefit the Genesis Health Services Foundation.  A tussle with the Mavericks the following afternoon will once again bring $5 kids' tickets and a postgame skate.

The homestand concludes when the Mallards' clash with the Oilers on Wednesday night March 18 gives fans another opportunity to get four tickets for $20.

 

Tickets for all remaining Mallards regular season home games are on sale now at the iWireless Center box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free at 1-800-745-3000.  The box office is open weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and game days from 10:00 a.m. until the start of the second period.  Tickets are available for $10, $16, $20 and $28.

Date/Opponent/Promotion
Sunday, March 1, 4:05 p.m. vs. Missouri...$5 kids' tickets, postgame skate

Wednesday, March 4, 7:05 p.m. vs. Tulsa...Four tickets for $20, T.G.I. Friday's postgame party

Friday, March 6, 7:05 p.m. vs. Allen...$1 Dog/$1 Beer presented by 97X/MetroLINK

Saturday, March 7, 7:05 p.m. vs. Allen...John Deere Comm. Night, KWQC Youth Jersey Giveaway

Wednesday, March 11, 7:05 p.m. vs. Missouri...Four tickets for $20, T.G.I. Friday's postgame party

Saturday, March 14, 7:05 p.m. vs. Wichita...Genesis Jersey Auction

Sunday, March 15, 4:05 p.m. vs. Missouri...$5 kids' tickets, postgame skate

Wednesday, March 18, 7:05 p.m. vs. Tulsa...Four tickets for $20, T.G.I. Friday's postgame party            

About the Quad City Mallards
A proud affiliate of the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild and the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild, the Quad City Mallards are in the midst of their eighteenth season and their first in the ECHL.  One of the winningest teams in all of minor league hockey, the Mallards competed in the United Hockey League from 1995 through 2007; in the International Hockey League in 2009-10; and in the Central Hockey League from 2010 through 2014.  The Mallards' proud history has seen them capture the UHL's Colonial Cup Championship three times (1997, 1998, 2001) and secure that league's Tarry Cup four times (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002) for the best overall regular season record.  In 2001, the Mallards made professional hockey history, recording their sixth consecutive season with 50 or more wins, a feat that has yet to be matched.  The iWireless Center provides a unique environment for hockey and features one-of-a-kind seating areas such as the Nest for groups and functions and the exclusive Drake Club.  For more information on the Quad City Mallards or for Mallards tickets go to www.myqcmallards.net.  Fans can also follow the Mallards via Twitter at twitter.com/myqcmallards and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/qcmallards.

–## Quad City Mallards ##–

Local groups planning legislative forum

DES MOINES, IA (02/26/2015)(readMedia)-- Local groups planning legislative forums

The last of a series of legislative forums featuring Quad City state legislators will be held on:

Saturday, March 7, 2015

10:30 -noon

with a special education only discussion from noon to 1:00 pm following the regular forum.

Doors open at 10 a.m.

Rogalski Center

Saint Ambrose University

518 West Locust Street

Davenport, Iowa

Quad City state representatives and senators are invited to attend the forum which is free and open to the public. The forum is sponsored by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA), the Scott County Farm Bureau, the Working Iowa Neighbors Coalition of the Quad Cities Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO), the Business and Professional Women of Davenport and the Quad Cities Area Realtor Association (QCARA).

"This series of legislative forums has been a wonderful opportunity for concerned residents to speak directly with local legislators. The turn-out has been great, and we've had some robust discussions about issues of concerns in our area," said Toby W. Paone, ISEA UniServ Director. "We especially thank Saint Ambrose University for the use of the Rogalski Center in hosting the forums."

For more information contact Toby Paone at 563-355-3731 (office); 563-370-3270 (cell); tpaone@isea.org.