Gay man died because W. VA Cop prevented friend from performing CPR

[Ian David]

CHARLESTON, W.Va. Mar 3, 2006 (AP)— A small-town police chief was accused in a federal lawsuit Thursday of stopping a would-be rescuer from performing CPR on a gay heart attack victim because he assumed the ailing man had HIV and posed a health risk.

Claude Green, 43, died June 21 after being stricken yards from City Hall in Welch, a community of about 2,400.

The American Civil Liberties Union sued on behalf of his mother.

<snip>

The lawsuit accuses Bowman of pulling off Green's friend Billy Snead as Snead was performing chest compressions on the man. Snead was a passenger in Green's pickup truck when Green collapsed; Snead had managed to pull over the vehicle.

Snead said in an interview that he didn't realize at first it was Bowman giving the order and continued working on his friend. Bowman repeated his command to get away, saying that Green was HIV positive, then grabbed Snead by the shoulders and told him to sit on the curb, Snead said.

"He was a police officer so I got out the way. I assumed he would help. I didn't want to be a hindrance," Snead said. "He also told the ambulance drivers that he was HIV positive and to be careful."

Green was pronounced dead at the hospital after about 30 minutes of attempts to revive him.

<snip>

Saxe said Green's death was "tragically senseless" because he did not have the AIDS virus, but added that he should have received lifesaving care even if he was HIV-positive.

"He was simply a gay man in Welch, West Virginia. And because of that we can only assume that Chief Bowman assumed he had HIV and it was unsafe to even touch him," Saxe said.

More:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1682397

[bigscott]

1. i find it amazing

that many straights assume that I am HIV positive because I am gay. I feel like carrying around 20 years of negative blood test results with me! This is a tragedy. I feel for this man and his family -

[swimmernsecretsea]

12. A close friend of mine came out to his parents

And that was the first thing they asked, and kept pushing the question. He finally had to stop them and say, "Would you have asked my straight brother these questions?" I have some members of my own family who just automatically assumed that I'm HIV positive, once they learned I'm gay. I had to tell them I'm not, but I can tell they think I'm lying.

[rodeodance]

2. How sad--that a police officer would prevent even chest compressions

for fear the person might catch HIV. goddD!!

[jschurchin]

3. It is absurd to assume...

that a man has HIV just because he is gay. Being a heterosexual man I would not hesitate to perform CPR on a gay man if his life was in jeopardy. The stigmas in this world are sometimes to much to deal with. Don't ya just love homophobes.

[Ian David]

9. Same here. As long as he doesn't have a beard. Beards are yucky.

If you're going to have a heart attack and need CPR, then please shave first.

:sarcasm:

[xchrom]

4. chief bowman is tapeworm excrement.

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[ThomCat]

11. You're being generous.

That man needs the lawsuit of a lifetime.
And he needs to lose his job and be unemployable.
And he needs a long, serious meeting with a bunch of disgruntled people in a back alley somewhere.

:grr:

[shenmue]

5. Oh that's disgusting

Letting somebody die? Deplorable.

If they are for some reason afraid to touch him, isn't there a machine they could use?

In any event, somebody should have done something.

Rest in peace, Mr. Green.

[zbdent]

6. Bill Frist just found his

surgical assistant and Secret Service chief . . .

[Pab Sungenis]

7. This is the logical extension

...to the same "conscience clauses" that let pharmacists not dispense birth control or emergency contraception. If you find someone's status morally repugnant under your weird little world view, then you don't have to help them.

[400Years]

8. Bowman should be tried for murder

[dbackjon]

10. Exactly!

[Ayesha]

13. This is beyond horrible

I heard about it last night and was absolutely revolted.

FYI, they make CPR Microshields that you put over your face and into the person's mouth to protect you in exactly this scenario. They can be purchased by anyone at medical supply stores for no more than $20, and fit in a tiny bag that goes on your keychain. Why on earth didn't the cop have one?!

[mitchtv]

14. They are supposed to have them, or something

like it, but what can you expect in Hickory Holler? I'm sure sheriff "Bobby" calls himself a "Christian" too

[MountainLaurel]

16. No doubt

This is an area where you can find real-live snake handlers and such. A friend of mine in undergrad from down there had his parents wanting to exorcise the demon spirit of homosexuality from him when they finally realized his roommate wasn't just his roommate.

[NMMNG]

15. Cruel &%$#@!

I hope he loses his job and a hefty sum of money. He has no place in law enforcement.

If the victim had been my friend, I would have kept doing CPR unless the SOB cop cuffed me, but that's just me.

[gaspee]

17. He should be charged with a crime!

Maybe not murder, but criminally negligent homicide or depraved indifference or something! This kind of shit goes on every single day and nothing is done. Deplorable. And I bet you he's a good Christian man who believes he's part of the repuke culture of life.

Disgusting. Something needs to be done about this. Seriously.