CW: Bullying
The Dallas Police Department’s internal affairs division is looking into four officers who were recorded on film laughing at a disabled military veteran who urinated on himself after being denied access to a restroom at a Deep Ellum restaurant.
Dynell Lane, a Dallas veteran, told oversight members that at 2:15 a.m. June 10, two uniformed off-duty Dallas police officers working security at Serious Pizza declined to review his medical paperwork after employees informed him he couldn’t use the restrooms. The on-duty officers ask about someone who said that he had experienced urinary incontinence. “So you guys made a guy pee himself?” one of the on-duty officers says, then brings a fist to her mouth as she laughs.
Oversight board members were outraged by the officers’ behavior. They questioned internal affairs authorities about the choice not to investigate. In addition to whether the officers should have looked at Lane’s papers.
“Ally’s Law,” which mandates that people legally on a business’s property be granted access to a restroom if they can prove they have a medical condition that requires them to have immediate access to a restroom facility, is the law in many states, including Texas.
The law was named after Allyson Bain. Allyson, who has Crohn’s disease, was 14 years old when she was denied access to an employee-only restroom while out shopping with her mother. She was visibly in need, doubled over and in pain, but the store’s management refused to allow her use their restroom. Ally experienced bowel incontinence in a public location, which many people with Crohn’s Disease have experienced. She decided to take action because she couldn’t let this happen to other people.
Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology that is characterized by periods of activity and remission. It is distinguished by patchy and transmural lesions that can spread throughout the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the anus. The most common symptoms are stomach pain and diarrhea. Unfortunately, these symptoms can have a negative impact on people’s quality of life.
Disabled people deserve to live their lives with dignity. Being disabled is sometimes challenging. Nobody should be belittled due to their disability.
Sources:
Ballester Ferré, María Pilar et al. “Crohn’s disease.” “Enfermedad de Crohn.” Medicina clinica vol. 151,1 (2018): 26-33. doi:10.1016/j.medcli.2017.10.036
Owens, Simon. “The Grassroots Movement to Change the Nation’s Public Restroom Laws.” U.S. News & World Report , 20 Dec. 2012, http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/12/20/the-grassroots-movement-to-change-the-nations-public-restroom-laws.
Smith, Kelli. “Dallas Cops Laughed after Disabled Military Vet Was Denied Restroom, Urinated on Himself.” Dallas News, 16 Aug. 2023, http://www.dallasnews.com/news/public-safety/2023/08/16/dallas-cops-laughed-after-disabled-military-vet-denied-toilet-access-urinated-on-himself/?outputType=amp.