Neurodivergent Pride #10: Interactions with Police

In this timely and unfortunately perennially relevant zine, author and editor Joe Biel has compiled stories from half a dozen neurodiverse people who have had potentially life threatening and terrifying encounters with cops for no reason other than that they behaved differently, seemed out of place, caught a bored cop's eye, or appeared 'suspicious' to some busybody who called down the long arm of the law on them. These encounters with law enforcement are both statistically extremely frequent and anecdotally and statistically dangerous. A 2017 study out of the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute found that about 20% of autistic youth have at least one encounter with police before the age of 21, and that 75% of adults with autism have had at least one encounter, with 53% of autistic adults reporting four or more run-ins. In this zine, you'll hear from folks who've been confronted, harassed, beaten, and brutalized by the boys in blue from all over the world for no reason other than their brain working differently. These stories are not easy to hear, but for neurodiverse folks, or those who love a neurodiverse person, they may offer warning and wisdom that may help you to avoid finding yourself in a situation like the ones described in this zine.