Action Alert -- Update on Ray Sandford's forced electroshock "therapy"

Image description: A color photo taken by a concerned citizen who visited Ray Sandford after hearing about his forced electroshock treatments. Ray is a 54-year-old white guy with wire-rimmed glasses and a neatly-trimmed, graying beard. He's wearing a blue knit earwarmer headband.

According to MindFreedom International, the source of my post last week on involuntary outpatient electroshock in Minnesota, Ray Sandford's doctor has decided to "skip" a week of the torture. Here's the full update, posted as offered at MindFreedom International:

Ray Alert #3 - 16 November 2008

First the good news.

Within days of MindFreedom launching its Ray Campaign on 7 November 2008 to stop the weekly involuntary outpatient electroshock of Ray Sandford, his doctor has decided to "skip a Wednesday."

Ray says that this coming Wednesday, 19 November 2008, for the first time in months, Ray will not be escorted against his will, under court order, from his Minnesota home out in the community to his 34th involuntary outpatient electroshock.

So there's a reprieve for Ray.

For one week.

The bad news is that Ray's doctor said Ray's forced outpatient electroshocks will resume on Wednesday, 26 November 2008, the day before the USA holiday of Thanksgiving.

Ray said his involuntary shock will then continue every other week.

We don't know if the one-week reprieve is because of the MindFreedom campaign, but we know MindFreedom News readers are having an impact.

Since the MindFreedom first alert went out nine days ago, on 7 November 2008:

• Many people from all over the world have e-mailed and phoned the offices of the Governor of Minnesota, along with social service agencies, media, and the hospital where Ray receives his electroshock against his expressed wishes.
  
• For the first time, thousands of people are now aware of the existence of IOE -- Involuntary Outpatient Electroshock.
  
• A few national and local media are now actively investigating.
  
• Several advocacy agencies and human rights organizations are expressing concern and getting involved.
  
• Several volunteer attorneys are now in touch to provide assistance.
  
• Volunteers are visiting Ray and sending him their support, and Ray tells us he is grateful. One volunteer took the photo of Ray shown here.
• MindFreedom's "Zapback" e-mail list is coordinating the campaign.
• A disability professor and her class of students have called up Ray and are taking on his campaign as a project.
• And more.
  

Thank you, everyone.

Keep up the pressure and the support!

First, keep phoning and e-mailing, especially if you have not so far. Show there is national and international concern!

Here are the links to the original two MindFreedom alerts, which have information about how to e-mail and phone the Governor of Minnesota, and how to write or visit Ray:

7 Nov: Alert #1
http://www.mindfreedom.org/shield/ray-sandford

12 Nov: Alert #2 - Governor Phone-In Campaign
http://www.mindfreedom.org/shield/pawlenty-electroshock

Second, help MindFreedom answer the main mystery.

Despite all this public interest the question remains, "What is Governor Pawlenty's position on Minnesota laws allowing involuntary outpatient electroshock?

Is this Governor, who campaigns for "limited government," for such laws or against them?

Unfortunately, the Governor's office has not responded to any of the many e-mails or phone calls requesting his policy position. The Governor's office is immediately forwarding citizen inquiries to a voice mail, and then not replying to the voice mail.

We need media to ask the Governor for us. Please forward this alert to all media, small and large, from newspapers to bloggers.

Media can direct questions to:

Brian McClung

Director of Communications for Minnesota's Governor

phone: (651) 296-0001.

Media ought to ask, "What is Governor Pawlenty's position on Minnesota laws allowing involuntary outpatient electroshock?"

Sometimes the Governor's office is re-directing calls to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. At first that sounds good. But this office says it is only focused on determining whether narrow discrimination complaints are legally valid. A spokesperson said this department makes no statements about policy.

This Minnesota agency said they are planning a major one-day human rights conference and forum on 5 December. One barrier is the "forum" costs $200.

For information on this Minn. Dept. of Human Rights, and their "forum," click here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/shield/ray/minnesota-human-rights-conference

You can also keep up with some of the latest developments about the Ray Campaign on the MindFreedom blog by MindFreedom director David Oaks, here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/mfi-blog

Disclaimer: Because the State of Minnesota won't reply, portions of these alerts are based on Ray's personal statements. By Ray's own admission, he now has severe memory problems. Therefore, journalists and others may want to find a second source to confirm accuracy.

*****

And a suggestion from me:

After you call or email the State of Minnesota (numbers provided by MFI):

From anywhere in the world phone (651) 296-3391.

From inside Minnesota phone toll free: (800) 657-3717.

You can leave a message at any time. You can reach staff any non-holiday weekday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Central Time.

Call any day, but especially call on Wednesdays.

Add Ray Sandford to your holiday card list:

Ray is open to visitors and supportive postal mail:

Ray Sandford
Victory House
4427 Monroe St.
Columbia Heights, MN 55421-2880 USA