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Flashback: Last Brownstone Standing
Manhattan resident Carol Ann Gotbaum, who is married to the stepson of Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, died in a Phoenix airport holding cell while in police custody. Phoenix authorities believe she may have died while trying to get out of her handcuffs.
Carol Ann Gotbaum, 45, was trying to board a flight to Tucson at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, but arrived too late and was booked on another flight. A US Airways spokesman, Derek Hanna, said that "she became extremely irate, apparently running up and down the gate area." She also allegedly shouted at the gate attendant, so US Airways called security. From the Post:
Gotbaum ran into the responding officers after going back through the security checkpoint toward the main terminal, said Sgt. Andy Hill, a police spokesman.Hill added, "She was very agitated and irate and angry. These are the things that led to the disorderly conduct arrest." The Daily News reports that authorities say they did not use pepper spray or a Taser on Gotbaum. The Maricopa County medical examiner will be determining the cause of death."The officers were not able to calm Ms. Gotbaum and eventually arrested her for disorderly conduct."
Gotbaum resisted, and was "continually screaming" after being put into a holding cell, Hill said.
Officers checked on her every 15 minutes, but some five to 10 minutes after one check-in, he said, she had gone silent.
They then found that she wasn't breathing and attempts to revive her failed.
"It appeared as though Ms. Gotbaum had possibly tried to manipulate the handcuffs from behind her to the front, got tangled up in the process, and they ended up around her neck area," Hill said.
Gotbaum married Noah Gotbaum twelve years ago (announcement here). She lived on West 95th Street, where Noah Gotbaum told a Post reporter, "I don't want to talk about it. It's rude." Betsy Gotbaum, who is second in the line of succession for the job of Mayor, told the Post, "The family is in great grieving and stress. We have nothing to say. We hope that The Post and every other newspaper will respect our privacy." And she said to the Daily News, "We are very concerned about what happened at Phoenix airport. It's under investigation and we are following that investigation. She has three very small children. It's a very delicate matter."
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Wow, I read about that on Google news, but didn't know that she was related to Betsy Gotbaum!
However this happened, my condolences to the family.
Sounds like a real asshole. Typical New Yorker throwing a tantrum when things don't go her way and she isn't treated like a princess.
The description of trying to manipulate the handcuffs from behind her and they got tangled up with her neck sounds very bizarre.
Think about it. Put your Hands behind your back and take them over your head? How do you do that?
so, i guess there's an available apartment on 95th St now?
Why would you think that after reading she has a husband and three small children? Not a brilliant wit, are you?
Why do people send condolences to people they don't even know? Bizarre. Not saying this to be mean but maybe she was a really bad person, hypothetically speaking. You wouldn't wish condolences to the family of a child molester, would you?
As for the "bizarreness" of the handcuffs etc, unless you're a crime scene investgator or a pathologist this smells like a typical Gothamist assume-the-cops-are-guilty-first post.
It sounds like she may have had a heart attack or something, but the autopsy will hopefully reveal more.
But the airport is probably one of the last places one would want to act very agitated and lash out at airline staffs who won't hesitate to call the police. (I'm also thinking of the MIT student who wore a circuitboard on her sweatshirt.)
Cops are Lying. I could see that from here.
there's a cover up starting already. I could see that from here.
Do think this story gets serious attention in Peoria?
The woman went wacko at an airport and boom she died. Move on, nothing to see here.
PS: Maybe Betsy Gotbaum doesn't photograph well, but boy is she/he really ugly.
funny, I thought the Boom was the cop killing fellow cop story above.
Condolences to Betsy and her family. The police explanation is absurd. Sue them.
Something is not right for anyone to accidentily choke themselves with handcuffs??? Maybe there was a heart attack involved. But when the initial report by the police mentions an excuse for strangulation a normal person has to be suspicious.
Still the actions at the airport are the woman's responsibility alone. She wasn't acting like the demure sweet mother of 3 small children when she was raging around an airport, was she? I have to admit, I asked myself - "was she black"?
Hang on a second - is it standard practice to cuff people while they are in a jail cell?
#12, nice bigotry you demonstrate. If you want to buy into stereotypes, get them straight - it's rich, white people who most often act a fool at airports, behaving like the entitled assholes they are.
I'm so glad we have Homeland Security to help us nowadays.
What an incredibly sick and tragic affair.
is it standard practice to cuff people while they are in a jail cell?
It's not unusual if the person is being unruly. If it is a holding cell it should be assumed the person might need to be moved before they have calmed down and you wouldn't want officers to have to uncuff the suspect and then have to go back into the cell to recuff them.
My wife, who is very afraid of flying, have that kind of behaviour on airports. The tiniest disruption will send her off to a state where she verbally abuses authorities, jokes aloud about bombing the airport in reprisal and generally presents herself as a threat to security. Not stating that she is in her right to do so, but airport personel could use a course or two [more than they hopefully already get] in psychology realted to these issues.
#16 is right. Plus there are multiple witnesses saying she was going crazy in the airport terminal before she was arrested. The death is still very suspicious - but it sounds like she wasn't exactly an angel when she was handcuffed.
I didn't read anything about multiple witnesses in the Post story? Just the employees of the airline who called in the cops.
the cops, who always lie. yes, they always lie and lie.
that's why I'm dancing my irish standing jig of jigs whenever a cop dies or has karma handed to them.
and, karma worked. see above. thank you very much.
I can not possibly see how she could have choked herself to death trying to get out of handcuffs. She would pull them under her hips to get them to the front. Not even a contortionist could bend her arms backwards to get the cuffs in front of her neck.
I am not saying the rent-a-cops killed her because she was screaming, but that should be an obvious line of investigation in any inquiry. Something is certainly not right with this story.
#20 what qualifies you to make these assertions? Are you a scientist of some kind?
how did you know I'm a scientist?
#21, do you need a scientist to tell you to stop choking yourself? Can you point to another time where someone had "accidentally" choked themselves to death with handcuffs? Even on purpose?
I'm very curious about this woman's behavior before the arrest. Yes, I know there are plenty of privileged, entitled people who cause scenes when they don't get their way.
But it doesn't sound like she was just screaming abuse at some poor gate agent. She was running up and down and screaming and ranting. Who the hell does that?
I wonder if she had some sort of psychotic break or was schizophrenic and off her meds or something. Oh well. I'm sure there'll be a $100 million suit filed soon enough...
There are two definite sides to this tragedy from the beginning.
1) I lived in Phoenix for three years and can tell you that the mentality out there is one degree short of a police state. They love to enforce all rules, big and small, to the max and are proud of having the "toughest sheriff in America." Phoenix airport is the only place in the US where I've had a gate attendant actually come onto the jet to grab my 2nd piece of luggage because she thought it was too large even though it was already stowed and everyone was seated. You would have had to see the amazed look on the faces of those around me to get the full effect.
2) A Manhattan princess throwing a tantrum in Phoenix is like waving a red cape at a bull. I'm from NYC and learned quickly that if the police or anyone in authority challenges you in AZ it's best to keep your mouth shut or speak softly. It takes very little to push their buttons. Must be the 120 degree heat and cultural equivalent of a one gigantic strip mall that drives them mad.
Anything is POSSIBLE when the police make it up.
number 25 is correct on both points.
Gun nuts LOVE AZ, they love it. not that, that has anything to do with this but it does point to their type. Think NRA types, Minutemen types, etc.
Wow... I can't begin to imagine how the Gottbaums must feel. Your wife/mother/daughter-in-law is dead and that death will probably be glossed over like so many others because we live in a country full of parasitic public officials who don't really ask questions. The irony leaves one slackjawed.
I agree with the general characterization of AZ here, though I also think it's a little odd that her family/spokesperson has not come out with a stronger statement. They either have no comment or B. Gotbaum is saying things like - there should be an investigation and we will follow it closely. Huh? Wouldn't there be more immediate outrage there? I'm thinking they knew she had some other issues (schizophrenia?) -- or maybe they are just doing their best to control their public anger. Last thing they need is people pointing to that "out of control Gotbaum anger."
# 25 and 27 -
like john macain?
This is crazy!!! Go into the airport alive and end up dead? Just becuse you were angry? What the hell is going on here?
I am very sorry for her family and friends.
Looks like flying is becoming LESS SAFE than DRIVING.
WHY WAS SHE TREATED LIKE A CRIMINAL? NO ONE DESERVES TO DIE LIKE THIS. How do you explain that to her children?
Someone needs to answer to the American People for this. I'm sick of airport tyranny.
Maybe we are becoming a third world country and should expect more militant tactics soon...or...its already happening right under our noses.
Jim, Oklahoma.
mccain, i mean
If she was irate & annoying then they should have arrested her properly & police should have been involved who might know how to treat people properly. Giving arrest rights to any idiot with a security badge means substandard care. They should be charged with manslaughter.
I'm disgusted and shocked. There's not enough condolences in the world for something like this. How many people in today's airports get irate with the rudeness and rampant idiocy of the current system? Something MUST change. I'm not gonna say the terrorists have won when we have a transport system that works so badly, STUPIDITY has won.
Sounds like a rare fatal case of "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM ?!?" Syndrome.
there isn't much outrage shown because the story just broke. it will get bigger as the days go on.
and, it's on a Sunday.
The typical Gothamist assholes can't help but turn this into a yet another chance to dump on all places not New York. I guess all of you were there and know exactly what happened. Fuck all of you.
agree with the general characterization of AZ here
Do you know how pathetic that makes you look? The so-called enlightened New Yorkers paint an entire region in one stroke? How ironic.
lookie we got a wildcats angry.
she was from South Africa, she was probably racially abusing the low paid black security
Okay, so she was out-of-control, agitated, etc. Yeah, there were witnesses. BUT, we don't know the reason for her behavior! Did she have a medical condition where meds were needed, like diabetes or bipolar mania? Was she dealing with a life stressing event and missing the plane just finally threw her into pure insanity? Was she just high? No matter, because here in Phoenix, Arizona everyone is a f'n criminal! Unfortunately, I don't think that the law enforcement is trained to think beyond the "obvious reason" for any given situation! I have been arrested several times (in my youth) in my fair city, and as far as I remember, you don't leave handcuffs on anyone in a holding cell! Not even the "drunk tank". If there was a concern, she should have been in medical, observed continually or been four-pointed. My heart goes out for her family. May God bless them.
Tami Grimes
agree with the general characterization of AZ here
Do you know how pathetic that makes you look? The so-called enlightened New Yorkers paint an entire region in one stroke? How ironic.
I didn't realize I had to present my credentials to voice an opinion here. I have a dozen relatives from my side and spouse's side in and around Phoenix. And guess what: they all either fit this description of AZ or they complain about it constantly!
But feel free to wallow in your self-pity, #36. Anger is an energy! ;)
Poster #12... Bill O'Reilly on line 1.
It is tempting to start ascribing blame to one party or another when hearing of such an event. However, she could have acted angrily from low blood sugar due to poorly controlled insulin levels related to diabetes. Or perhaps she had a bleed in the brain which first caused behavioral changes and later death. Sadly these days the authorities are quick to believe everyone to be a threat, and we citizens are apt to hold them immediately liable for deaths of detainees. Sadder still, there are good reasons for these biases.
Like many, I found it difficult to understand how a person can strangle herself with handcuffs. The fact she is from a prominent family likely will lead to a full investigation, possibly individual accountablity, and potentially, to changes in procedures for housing unstable prisoners.
Sigh - it doesnt matter HOw crazy she was in the terminal - making a scene isnt a crime -
AND how do you strangle yourelf with handcuffs? they are less than 6 inches of chain and they are attached to both your wrists. Unless she was cuffed to something. Or hanging from something. Shame on the authorities - Arresting people is a VERY poor way of dealing with problems in social settings. People get mad - the airport with all its rules and regulations compounds this.
When we send people to jail they should belive thay are heading to a better place where thay can work out there problems - currently we have society sending "criminals" to an absolute hell on earth. This is not going to combat illegal activity.
So damn backwards that i think im going to cry...
There is something very wrong here. I do not think the police are telling the truth here.
I hope her family can find out all the facts. There seems to be no way that could happen. This is not right. I really fear our police have gotten out of control with power.
I posted #25 and would like to thank #36 for proving my point. Free dinner for you and the family at the downtown Phoenix Applebee's.
Where the security guys muslim? Accident, yea right.
In Arizona they were most likely Mormon.
I love how conspiracy theorists decide that since THEY can't figure something out, that there must be an OMG SECRET CONSPIRACY afoot. How pathetic.
Meanwhile, a self-important beyotch is down to the felt. Boo hoo.
Look, isn't it possible that it was many of these "issues" - maybe she was an insufferable, entitled creep AND the police were incompetent, negligent and possibly violent with her?
I love to see all of you who claim to be so open-minded and enlightened rush to judgement and decide that the police are clearly in the wrong well before all the details of the story come to light. YOU are a part of what's wrong with this country -- not all of it, but you sure don't make it any better than those you find fault with..
only the police can find a NEW way for a person to die in custody. what we had here was houdini, she thought she could get out of her cuffs and got all entangled and contorted in such a way in that she died. yeah, that's what happened.
you can love to see us all you want. We got our views, you got yours. Is that so difficult.
#50 - that was probably the most rational thing anyone wrote here.
But... it's a great deal less serious to act very, very badly in an airport (if that's EVEN what happened, and where are the witnesses identified?) than to arrest someone with little reason, throw them in a holding cell WITH handcuffs on, and allow them, rather mysteriously, to strangle themselves. (Ever head of that one before? Don't say Arizona isn't innovative!)
I often had to assist in handcuffing (and ankle-cuffing) psychotic patients in the ER, it was miserable, but we made the decisions with great care. Wish I could say the same of the police in this case. Seems very weird to have to put someone in a holding cell CUFFED. And it makes hospital staff look a lot braver than cops, I'll say that much.
I'm very concerned about what happened to Gotbaum, not least because there were no witnesses.
Did anyone see the picture of her? she doesn't exactly look like a psychopath who'd be running around an airport, she looks like a very nice mother of three.
The reality is that there may have been a medical explanation for her behavior.
OR maybe her behavior wasn't as bad as the police claim.
Look, the fact that she died in police care/custody really does throw the testimony of the police into question.
Very sad to read the responses of people who treat the death of a mother of three with such glee. Also a little scary.
Not a typical New Yorker - rather a typical Jewish New Yorker with entitlement issues. Karma can sure be suhweeet...
Look. She pushed her own button which pushed another person's button and she lost.
I hope this is a lesson to all those out there to be careful when you express your self.
#54 - I'm not Jewish, but reading your anti-semitic comment, all I can say is, that statement doesn't speak very well for you. Does it not bother you that a mother of three has died? Or, to paraphrase Shakespeare, if pricked, do you not bleed?
#55 - I hate to point out the obvious, but if you keep going down that path, you'll soon have no rights whatsoever if you ever find yourself, rightly OR wrongly, in police custody.
#17 - Your wife sounds like a real c*nt. It's called self-control, and maturity and if she's an adult and thinks that it's acceptable to behave like that towards other people she deserves whatever treatment she receives in return.
I think it's safe to say that 90% of the commenters on this board cannot serve on a jury.
#58 - wouldn't self-control and maturity require that you refer to other people without resorting to the c word?
If she deserves whatever treatment she receives in turn, I wonder what treatment you deserve for the way you express yourself.
Yikes!
17 & 58
I might not use the "c" word, but yeah, if your wife can't control her mouth, she should ... oh never mind.
44
You are mistaken. Making a scene IS a petty crime. Disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, yelling and screaming like a two-year old when there's no emergency (or if she was having a medical breakdown, why not just say so), yelling "Fire" in a movie theater...
Life lesson #5642378943 - ALWAYS bring earplugs when flying. They tune out babies of all ages.
I feel like jumping in, but I know there must be a lot of security cameras in the airport to present some FACTS.
not really, I've heard mixed reports tonight.
is it a holding cell in the airport or is it the holding cell in a jail? would one expect cameras in either facility?
if anything, we now get to see this crazy state known as Arizona. Arizona is where the crazies from California are moving to. your simi valley racists, your hippie haters, your granola bashers.
This is vwery suspicious! It does not make to much sens to me. I am suspecting that she was killed by the airport police. These guys are real weardoes tese days and not to be trusted.
This has the smell of someone who is not used to be told "no". We don't know what kind of medical or mental stress she was under, that caused the actions that led to her death. One can have a panic attack that leads to behavior so irrational, that one has a heart attack or attempts crazy maneuvers that simply do not make sense. Where was Gotbaum trying to get to when she attempted to get her cuffs off? She was identified and held in a room, so she was not going anywhere. That said, many in security or enforcement/holding cell positions are very rigid and do not think outside the box with regards to those they are in charge of during an incarceration procedure. We do not know the extent of any dialogue that Gotbaum had with them with regards as to her physical condition, and whether they ignored her. Security tends to ignore even rational dialogue, if it has been preceeded by screaming to the point where they take you into custody.
This wouldn't even be a story if she just left 30 minutes earlier for the airport or just accepted the fact that she missed her flight and took the later flight she was booked on.
True, since one must usually be a naive incurious idiot to serve on a jury in the US.
Apparently she was yelling "I'm not a terrorist. I'm a sick mom." It sounds like she was having some sort of panic attack or breakdown. This was really handled all wrong.
I love how some losers talk about karma-the one who dances a jig whenever a cop dies-I hope that karma comes back to you-
What has happened to America? The terrorists are winning and the terrorist are wearing badges.
One last question: if you had a guest in your home who was acting like this woman, would you ask her to leave or would you "restrain" her and lock her in a closet?
I love how some of these losers talk about karma-the one who dances a jig whenever a cop dies-that karma should come back to you-and the other one who states that the New York Jewish beeotch got what she deserve-if there is karma, then you too better watch out. Also, I am a New Yorker, and love the "we tolerate everybody" mentality, yet can't wait to dump on a place like Arizona, because "that's where all of the nuts are"-gee I thought only the right wing evil Republicans were guilty of painting groups with such a broad stroke.
71 your post is hilarious. "I thought only the right wing evil Republicans were guilty of painting groups with such a broad stroke." You do realize how idiotic such a statement makes you sound? LMAO.
@70 If I had someone acting like that in my house, I would call the cops and I don't particularly even like cops.
Actually, no 72, please do educate me. If you had actually read all of the above posts, you'd have seen the references to the Minutemen and NRA-gee, kind of right-leaning, don't you think? And please, also inform me with your obvious infinite wisdom, where the rest of my remarks make me sound so idiotic? Or does it maybe hit a little close to home? Also, if you had actually READ the other posts, you might know what the hell I was talking about-but then it's easier to just call someone an idiot, isn't it?
#72 is likely also #36 - same tired rhetoric. C'mon everyone, if you're just going to insult be clever and creative. Read some Dorothy Parker.
This is so terribly sad. My heart and prayers goes out to the family. God be with you.
74
"I thought only the right wing evil Republicans were guilty of painting groups with such a broad stroke."
What I found amusing about this is that you are using a broad stroke yourself when you talk about "right wing evil Republicans." I find humor in hypocrisy.
Back on topic. Has anyone heard the results of the autopsy?
first they said autopsy results will be done in a day, now they say by week's end.
something stinks here. I smell piggy.
like they have a back log of cases to do.
and, my feet are tired from dancing my wild irish rose jig of jigs whenever a cops dies or has karma handed to them bitchslap style.
please, no more, my feets don't fail me know, feets don't fail me now.
"Not being an angel" is not an excuse to handcuff someone and throw them in a cell.
She lost her temper. Like a LOT of people when dealing with bureaucratic idiots who have no sense.
That's the new America? Get angry at inefficiency and foolishness and they lock you up?
And why was she still cuffed AFTER being locked up?
Rumor has it she was on her way to alcohol rehab in Tucson. There definitely could have been some medical issues related to withdrawal. The heart speeds up to offset the depressive effects of alcohol, and without alcohol or medical intervention, it races unchecked. What a sad story.
I was at the pheonix airport, and this situation describes what happened to me one week before, except that i had the help of a mysterious stranger and my husband. I am also a woman from new york, and became extremely upset by the callous treatment I received at the hands of the US Airway people. I can personaly verify that the US Airway and Pheonix police (and perhaps Phoenix morality) are 100% at fault for this woman's death through their unjust and corrupt behavioir.
When they closed the door just as we arrived at the gate, we asked them to open the door and they refused, walking off snickering. We were enraged: Jet Blue always calls people on the intercom, plus it was US Airway's fault that we were late to the gate. This was the last straw in a long line of mistreatment from the airline, and so we decided if they wouldn't give us service, we would demand it. Once I stopped acting like a docile, obedient piece of chattel they grew surly and made a big show of calling the police.
When security came, the female officer told me that she would never fly US Airways herself, because people always complained about their lack of service. Then she told me they had refused to fly me (this was totally out of line with any of our actions). Moreover, we were going to have to pay hundreds of dollars to book new flights out of Phoenix. We told them we didn't have any money.
I became upset again, and once again demanded proper service. This time they told me if I continued to protest they would arrest me. This was the worst service I had ever seen: and a clear case of injustice. I told them quite firmly they were not going to arrest me. This is when the mysterious stranger stepped in and spoke to a woman behind the counter, I suppose. She came over and told us that the airline had agreed to put us on another flight (what they should have done in the first place!) and that I was lucky.
I guess I was.
Guest 81:
You can verify this even though you weren't there, just because you had similar problems? You complained about bad service and WEREN'T arrested. If anything this supports the idea that they DON'T overreact.
I have flown from the Phoenix airport and in my opinion, the subjective and arbitrary TSA employees probably sent this poor woman over the edge.
After having to throw away a $5 tube of toothpaste and been yelled at, I walked away from security check with two employees yelling at each other
like they lived their whole lives in a barn and without getting a shred of socialization. In fact, my experience tells me that things are so bad and so different from airport to airport, I choose not to fly if at all possible.
I have been to Mexico City with federales holding machine guns and the employees there were far more competent and polite than the Phoenix airport.
That poor woman was traveling by herself and clearly in need of treatment. While, the airport employees are great at waving threats of arrest by Homeland Security, they lack the sophistication and education to understand situations that do not appear in their employee handbook.
The airline industry as a whole is clearly not working and should be regulated by the federal government.
You don't actually think that a private home and an airport are the same thing, do you? You don't think that a private homeowner and security professionals are the same, right? I mean, I'm one of the people who thinks that the police probably mishandled the situation, and even I think your analogy is nuts. Closets are not the same as holding cells. If they had locked her in an airport closet, maybe you'd have something. This woman was evidently exhibiting disorderly conduct, something which can result in a legal arrest.
If someone were misbehaving in my home and they refused to leave, I would call the police. And they would arrest that person and put him/her in a holding cell. Because I would have every right to call the police, and they would have the authority to restrain someone. So, yeah, guess what, I guess I would put that person in a closet. With help.
Also, #17, your wife sounds crazy. I hope she is getting herself some help. If not, I think you should force her to do so. She must be a horror to live with.
Although there are many others who could have acted differently from the way they did here, a word about USAir. I too received horrendous service from them two days after this incident, despite acting as patiently and politely as possible in the face of rude treatment. This was at Reagan-National Airport in DC while taking the DC-NY shuttle, not in Phoenix.
As Ms. Gotbaum's family investigates the lawsuit that they are no doubt contemplating, they should definitely examine the actions of the gate agent(s) who turned Ms. Gotbaum away from the flight. Being late for a flight is not a crime. Being upset about not being permitted to board is not a crime. Being intoxicated is not a crime. Having mental health and family issues is not a crime. Traveling to rehab to try to resolve those issues in an adult manner is not a crime. If USAir had handled the situation more professionally, Ms. Gotbaum may never have become so upset or created such a disturbance in the first place. My hunch is that USAir's management creates poor incentives for its employees to act appropriately in these sorts of situations. They may end up "hanged" in the press - and socked with a big legal judgment - as a result. We'll see if it has any effect whatsoever on their business plan.
You are correct in all of your assertions, but disorderly conduct IS a misdemeanor crime, and so is resisting arrest.
They seem able to tranquilize bears. The whole analysis of this obscenitie is skewed to miss the point. So what if they followed "policies". The woman is dead. In custody. She was flipped out and so it's her fault? People don't flip out at airports in the face of some gatekeeper who is obviously well trained. Cannot we teach people to think without imposing liability upon their masters. Where was the plalne at the gate or gone. Is this the case of an employee getting their rocks off by imposing a rule which could have been easily accommodated? If so, that gate keeper killed a passsenger. No provision at PIA for someone who flips out? Comeone, Boycott the airline and PIA1 Just too much bother for a human life.
Further, I'm sick of these sign in boxes -- how many names/words am I to remember? Now they're blocking autofills! And this is the only link I could find in all the articles on this absolute abomination to post my comment.
we don't kill people because someone doesn't think the person is an angel.
"People don't flip out at airports in the face of some gatekeeper who is obviously well trained."
Yes, they do, all the time.
"No provision at PIA for someone who flips out?"
The provisions were to ask her to calm down, and when she didn't, call security. Life is not a daycare facility, and people who expect planes to sit around and wait for them should reserve a charter flight. People who expect kid gloves when traveling should bring a handler or assistant to deal with the working people who are just doing their jobs.
If you're handcuffed behind your back, how can you possibly move the cuffs towards your neck in front enough to strangle yourself? I've been trying to do that all night....and my arms don't bend that way...that's in that statement.
Police brutality at airports is out of control. Especially when the police beat up/kill young women and mothers. This is similar to the police beating of the young woman at Reagan National Airport in DC except she suffered brain damage and is still alive. My thoughts and prayers go out to Carol Ann Gotbaum's family. http://youtube.com/watch?v=XPNmxZwhMag
the cops in Az haven't started ramming broomsticks up people's butts yet, like they do in NYC so maybe there's still hope for them.
Wow. Not one of you friggin' people were there and yet you all feel comfortable commenting on someone's death.
Unless there is someone that can verify the actual events that took place can any of us honestly prejudge anyone at this point.I wasn't there to witness the event and as tragic as it appears to be, the public only knows what the news media and law enforcement authorities are willing to divulge. It will be interesting to watch and see what comes of this. It's sad what the ramifications of 9/11 have caused. Hence, our airports are inundated with so much security and not to mention that here lately it's been reported that airport security is now watching the expressions on the faces of those entering to catch a flight.
I am very sorry for the family's loss and to hear of the death of someone who was seeking treatment for her alcoholism. I am bothered by one thought, however-why was she allowed to travel alone if her family in New York knew that her condition was delicate, and to quote her husband, that she was "very fragile" ?
Why was sent alone on a plane across the country. Could she not have had an intervnetionist accompany her, or at the very least, a nurse? Should she not have received detox first in a treatment facility nearby? It is obvious from the videos that she was not fit to travel alone. This is most disturbing.
95 so true
It's truly sad that no one was able to mind-read her needs and help her in Phoenix, but she shouldn't have been traveling alone in her condition. No way. Husband calling after the fact was too little, too late. They could have made arrangements for an airline escort or made notations on her ticket reservation, coulda, woulda, shoulda. So sad.
There was a man killed by a sky marshall reportedly as his wife yelled out he was mentally ill and is off his meds. Ms Gotbaum was in a medically unstable state of mind and overreacted to a missed flight.
I would like to know why agitated people at airports are treated as criminal and killed as opposed to mentally fragile in need of someone equipt to handle such a traveler.
A a nurse in an ER I was often required to care for patients who were drunk or drugged and agitated and out of control. I am not able to give sedatives because the patient is already chemically saturated. I do not get a taser. I do not get a gun. I am 5 feet even 100 pounds. None of these patients of mine we left alone. Our room for these patients was see through room and observed continuously.
If the airports take on the roll of medcial professionals as when they tried to revive Mrs. Gotbaum: they would have used the "heart shocker" several times. Medication would be given to balance the acid base balance of the body to help the defibrillation work.
In short a tragic death, a poor attempt to recucitate, uneducated staff,. Having symptoms of mental instability cannot be unusual at airports but the outcome of death is unacceptable. We could do better.
My heart goes goes out to the Gotbaum family for such a preventable loss.Could we all try harder to improve this unexcepatable sitation.
Why wasn't ANYONE from this so called prominent family with Carol Anne??
Is a cell phone that self-serving for Noah's conscience? Are we really grieving for him?
Did her family really grieve her situation?
Why does the public want to go after the Airport?
Sue sad America - wake up to your callus ways...we are simply devouring one another and calling it Capitolism. Truly grieving for us all.
My girlfriend and I flew out of this airport heading back to New York last May. The entire experience left such a bad taste in our mouth that we were glad to be leaving the state of Arizona.
We were extremely rudely treated by security after I lost my boarding pass somewhere between the baggage check-in and the security check. While I went to get another pass, my girlfriend was threatened with a strip search for swearing.
If this woman's experience was anything like ours, I wouldn't blame her for being irate. The security in Phoenix is on some sort of bizarre power-trip. In the same half hour I watched them belittle a young couple with an infant for having carry-on luggage with baby lotion etc. that exceeded the amount of liquid permitted in carry-on.
I've seen several posts in here that allude to the opinion that New Yorker's are rude and this woman deserved her treatment.
After living in the tri-state area for close to 10 years I have come to the conclusion that we are used to good service and proper treatment, and let others know if we feel that we aren't receiving it. As busy as we are paying rent, we don't have time to beat around the bush, so we'll tell you straight up if we think your FUBAR.
From my own experience at the Arizona Airport,I would say FUBAR they are.