Support Ashley McKenzie and her family here:
http://bit.ly/...
Hey everyone -- I'm incredibly grateful to Daily Kos readers for helping out. So far DK readers have contributed about $670!!!! To me, this is an incredible achievement, given that I'm just a random guy on the internet. And it speaks volumes to me about the kind of amazing community I see being lived and practiced at DK. So, thank you, thank you, thank you again. We're still very short (about $8,000 short), so if you want to contribute, please consider doing so here: http://bit.ly/...
Several people have asked for more information on the case. I am more than happy to provide background information and documents on the case. I didn't post this info initially because I thought people might find it overwhelming, but I understand if people wanted more context.
So, here's what I have, paraphrased from an earlier comment:
As far as I can tell, there are no news reports I can find on the case. I have an account based on what Ashley and her mother have told me: on the night of October 6, 2014, Ashley went out with a guy (not me) until very late in the night. They were drinking and possibly using other drugs. The guy dropped her off at her apartment around 7 am on October 7 and went home. (Why/how he was driving after such a night, I don't have an answer for.)
Ashley came back in a highly agitated state. She told me she had lost her cell phone during the night. She had possibly not been compliant with her medication for what had then been described as bipolar disorder (but what was later diagnosed as schizophrenia). Unfortunately Ashley began yelling, screaming, throwing things off the wall, and breaking things. A neighbor called the police. When the police and EMTs arrived, the EMTs first tried to restrain Ashley. Ashley, again unfortunately, did not comply. At this point she was in her bedroom jumping up and down. The police then entered and also tried to calm her down, unsuccessfully.
What happened next depends on who you ask. But, according to Ashley and her mom, the cops pulled out tasers to taser Ashley. Ashley and her mom both panicked and thought the tasers were guns. Ashley's mom refused to leave the room. Ashley, upset, took a glass-framed picture off the wall, threw it in the direction of a police officer, and ran out of the apartment (where she lives with her mother).
The police officers gave chase. According to Ashley, she did not assault the officers. Frankly, I'm not sure I believe this (and I've seen photos which seem to indicate she bit one). The police took Ashley to a hospital, where she was restrained. She was then subsequently arrested and brought to jail.
So, that's it. A bad night, certainly. A crime, probably. But punishable for 6-15 years in prison, instead of mental health care? We don't feel that's right. Again, Ashley has had a long history of trouble with mental health. We don't think prison will solve anything.
More formal information: I'm not sure this is helpful, but you can look up Ashley's inmate information in the LA Sheriff's Department Inmate Information Center here, just type in McKenzie and Ashley: http://app4.lasd.org/.... You will note that one of her cases has a bail listed of $225,000.
I've uploaded the list of the cases/charges Ashley is dealing with here:https://www.dropbox.com/....
These charges are also available as part of public record. You can look them up here on the LA Court system: http://www.lacourt.org/
To do so:
1. Click "Access your case"
2. Click "Case Summary"
3. The main case numbers for Ashley are: KA107806, KA107683, and 3JB05525. The reason it's a little complicated is because one of the cases (3J) involves probation violation.
I'm trying to respect Ashley's privacy if at all possible. But in the sole interest of trying to fundraise, I've also uploaded the letter from the LA County Department of Mental Health recommending her for inpatient mental health care instead of incarceration here: https://www.dropbox.com/....
As far as the multiple cases, as I think I said above, this is because Ashley had a probation violation on a prior case. The 3rd case appears to be a misdemeanor case which for whatever reason was never resolved. I hope you can understand that (a) I'm not a lawyer, so I don't understand 100% the details of the charges; and (b) she has been working with a public defender who frankly did not clarify what was going on at all and may have made things worse.
I hope that helps. Again, I'm already very grateful for all the contributions that have been made to Ashley and her family. I understand that there are many, many more people more deserving of help than Ashley. But unfortunately, Ashley is the friend that I have, so I feel I must do everything I can to help her.
Thanks again,
Andrew