This is a horrific video. People with mental illness do not deserve this. Ronald Reagan closed state hospitals when he became president. Over 30 years ago, when Reagan was elected President in 1980, he discarded a law proposed by his predecessor, Jimmy Carter, that would have continued funding federal community mental health centers. This basically eliminated services for people struggling with mental illness. The legacy of that one move continues till today. Of course, that also lead to a huge increase in homelessness, as mentally ill people had nowhere to go and no care or treatment available, so they simply (!) became homeless. There are no state hospitals to house the mentally ill, or they have been severely defunded, so now mentally ill people, who need medical care and medication, end up in prison, totally misunderstood, severely treated, injured and killed. People with mental illness do not belong in jail, they/we need doctors, medication and healthcare.

Why has this catastrophe for the mentally ill not been recognized, understood, and reversed? Reagan did this in 1980, we are now in 2015, 35 years later. Why have state hospitals not been refunded again? Why have facilities and clinics, and other institutions not been opened again to help and treat the mentally ill?

I am one of the mentally ill people. I am fortunate to have good healthcare, a good education, a loving caring family, a circle of loving, caring friends. But for the grace of god, go I…