Last Sunday, Andre Gladen Sr., a 36-year-old semi-blind Black man with schizophrenia, was fatally shot by a Portland police officer. Now, his 21-year-old son, Andre Gladen Jr. of Sacramento, California, plans to sue the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) over his father’s death.
“I plan on doing it myself. I know how it works,” Gladen Jr., 21, told the Mercury. “I especially plan on taking legal action because he is physically and mentally impaired. He’s missing an eye, he’s afraid. The officer should have seen that right off the bat and acted accordingly.”
Gladen Sr. was shot by Officer Consider Vosu after a harrowing series of events. According to witness interviews gathered by the Oregonian, Gladen Sr. showed up on a stranger’s doorstep in Southeast Portland seeking help. He was barefoot and appeared to be in some kind of mental health crisis. Desmond Pescaia, the man who opened the door, tried to calm down Gladen Sr., offering him cash to ride the MAX or get some food. After being told to leave, Gladen Sr. appeared to fall asleep on Pescaia’s front porch. Only then did the PPB get a call to help remove the unwelcome guest from the SE Market and 96th property.
“Black shootings are a common thing, we all know that. But this isn’t just any Black shooting. It’s a Black shooting of my father now. It’s not Trayvon Martin. It’s my dad.””
Gladen Sr. woke up when Officer Vosu arrived, and yelled at Pescaia to let him inside. Pescaia opened the door, and Gladen Sr. bolted inside, with Vosu following close behind him. According to Pescaia, the two men wrestled on the floor as Vosu tried, unsuccessfully, to handcuff Gladen Sr., at which point Vosu then shocked Gladen Sr. with a Taser. According to police reports, Gladen Sr. then pulled out a knife and ran towards Vosu, who fired his gun. Gladen Sr. was taken to the hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
Gladen Jr., who lives in Sacramento, says he only recently had come to really know his father. Gladen Jr. spent most of his childhood in foster care, so his early memories of his father consist of short visits and interactions. Gladen Jr. is the oldest of Gladen Sr.’s five children, the youngest being 14.
“He was caring person. When he was sober, he was one of the smartest people I knew, especially for someone who has a mental disorder,” says Gladen Jr. “When he drank and smoked… those were the moments I didn’t want to be around him.”
But over the last few years, Gladen Sr. had been working to rebuild his relationship with his eldest son. Gladen Sr. especially loved spending time with his grandchild, Gladen Jr.’s two-year-old son Josiah, and hearing about Gladen Jr.’s burgeoning boxing career.
“He was a great grandfather and really encouraging about my boxing,” says Gladen Jr. “I think he knew it was too late for him to become something or someone, so he really focused on me achieving my goals. That’s what makes this so hard… seeing how much better he was doing.”
Gladen Jr. is hesitant to place all the blame for his father’s death on Officer Vosu, and says he understands officers are “under a lot of stress” and their actions reflect the training they’ve received.
But based on Portland’s rocky history with police shootings, Gladen Jr. says the decision to fire at his father was a clear mistake. The PPB has been working to improve the way its police interact with mentally ill Portlanders since 2012, when the US Department of Justice found that PPB officers engaged in “a pattern or practice of using excessive force against people in a perceived mental health crisis.”
“Mentally challenged people don’t think like we do. I don’t know what my dad could have done differently in this situation,” said Gladen Jr. “If this isn’t [the PPB’s] first time shooting and killing a disabled person, why wouldn’t the officer try something different? The police should maybe be sending someone out who might understand his mental illness, and not treat him like a criminal. At least shoot him with beanbags… give him a chance of survival.”
Gladen Sr. is the third person fatally shot by a Portland police officer in the past year while having a mental health crisis. Multnomah County grand juries cleared all officers involved in those shootings from any criminal charges.
Vosu is currently on paid administrative leave from the police bureau until the county concludes an investigation into his conduct.
“If this isn’t [the police’s] first time shooting and killing a disabled person, why wouldn’t the officer try something different? The police should maybe be sending someone out who might understand his mental illness, and not treat him like a criminal.”
Gladen Jr.’s mother, Brittany Johnson, who also lives in Sacramento, supports her son’s decision to sue the police department. She’s known Gladen Sr. since she was 10 years old, and can attest to the trauma that impacted his mental illness. Johnson says that when Gladen Sr. was a kid, his cousin Ernest was fatally shot by a police officer in California. Johnson says that Gladen Sr. would have a mental health “episode” brought about by his schizophrenia about once a year. He told Johnson that he’d often see and speak with Ernest during these episodes.
According to Desmond Pescaia, Gladen Sr. mentioned the name “Ernest” when he showed up at his door Sunday.
“He doesn’t have any idea what’s going on when he has an episode,” Johnson says. “You can tell it was no different on the day he died.”
Gladen Jr. says he wants to wait until his father’s autopsy is released—and any additional information is revealed about the knife Gladen Sr. was allegedly carrying—before filing any litigation against the Portland police. He adds that he doesn’t want to bring more stress to his family by filing a lawsuit that won’t be successful, and that he knows whatever action he takes could impact how future African American families seek justice when their family member is killed by a police officer.
“Black shootings are a common thing, we all know that. It’s terrible,” says Gladen Jr. “But this isn’t just any Black shooting. It’s a Black shooting of my father now. It’s not Trayvon Martin. It’s my dad.”
Gladen Sr.’s family has organized an online fundraiser to help cover the cost of his funeral.
“Press Charges”? Good grief. Pressing charges occurs in criminal law when a victim opts to proceed against a defendant when the prosecuting attorney agrees there is evidence of a crime. What Mr Gladen Jr intends to do is sue, which is de rigueur and hardly news. Whoever wrote this headline is either too ignorant to be allowed near a newspaper press or Trumpishly misspeaking so as to imply criminal culpability on the part of the officer in this shooting.
Most of this article is based on hindsight. In the moment, when the victim was rushing the officer with knife in hand, I would like to know alternatives to what the officer ended up doing.
I wish people would give alternatives for their argument instead of using hindsight. And, the Mercury ALWAYS leaves out important details to build their “case” that EVERY shooting of an African-American man is racist.
Again, what would be the alternative to what actually happened? What would you like the officer to have done in this situation? From the Oregonian:
“When an East Precinct officer arrived, Gladen ran inside the home (breaking and entering) and fell on the living room floor. Precinct Officer Consider Vosu followed and struggled to turn Gladen onto his stomach to try to handcuff him, but Gladen kicked the officer off and ran into a rear bedroom, Pescaia told The Oregonian/OregonLive in an interview. The officer, cornered in the bedroom, fired a Taser at Gladen after several warnings to get back, Pescaia said. Gladen fell down briefly but got back up.
Gladen then pulled a knife and went toward the officer and Vosu fired three shots from his handgun, Pescaia said. Gladen was taken by ambulance and declared dead at a local hospital, police said.”
The woman who called the police wanted them to help him, not kill him. That’s what she said anyway, who knows what the truth is. Anyone with half a brain knows if you call the cops on a black person in America there is a near 100% chance they will be murdered no matter what the circumstances are.
If cops are able to take armed mass shooters alive, they can take down a mentally ill person with a knife ALIVE. Pretending the only option was to shoot to kill is bullshit. And I love how everyone acts like the family is to blame. Have you ever had a mentally family member or friend? Have you ever had to deal with them during a crisis or their refusal to take medication or even try to navigate the shit show that is the “health care” system in this country and try to get them help (which you can’t do against their will, even if it’s in their best interest).
The real question is, since the police cannot be trusted not to murder people in crisis, especially and specifically if they are black, who is to be called? The fire department? EMTs? It’s not like this country gives a shit about mentally ill people or black people either. It’s not like there is a emergency response agency that exists to help those experiencing a mental health crisis. We as a society have dumped the mentally on the streets, blame them for their inability to hold a job or not be homeless or not self-medicate.
The ONLY thing this country cares about our understand is MONEY. There is no consideration or value of human life or any other life for that matter. Why is the family suing? Because MONEY is the only language this country speaks. No one gives a shit about their family member who was murdered. Lots of people care about any MONEY that they might get.
“if you call the cops on a black person in America there is a near 100% chance they will be murdered no matter what the circumstances are.”
I suppose that’s correct if you assume that near 100% of black people are stupid enough to argue with, fight and pull a weapon on the police.
“since the police cannot be trusted not to murder people in crisis”
Guy with a knife busts into your apartment. I’m sure you would just calmly offer him a spot of tea and talk him down. That always works.
Or maybe it’s both sad but also 100% correct what the officer had to do in this situation. Their job is to protect the public from danger, and it doesn’t make a knife attack any less dangerous just because the person wielding the knife is going through an episode of some sort.
What could PPB have done some of you ask?
A lot more when they got the call. Assess the call & the info provided. ANDRE CATREL GLADEN, SR., was BAREFOOT, had soiled himself & was SLEEPING on a STRANGER’s porch under the awning out of the rain. Portland police were called & given that info. ANDRE was also LEGALLY BLIND, struggling with PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA and a BLACK MAN. Within minutes of a lone rookie officer arriving, ANDRE was KILLED BY POLICE. ANDRE had lived 36 years on this EARTH & HE was killed HIS first month living with family in Portland, Oregon 🖤
…..
🖤💔ANDRE CATREL GLADEN, SR.
SAY HIS NAME🖤💔
Shame on portlandpolice failed AGAIN
You’ve failed your community again. Why??? How do you dispatch calls like this? Based on the basic facts that were called in, an incoherent man, sleeping on a strangers porch, middle of the afternoon, barefoot, soiled pants… HOW do you use assess how this particular person, a human, is likely to respond based on the details you were provided – do you really think a person sleeping barefoot in rain on a strangers porch is going to coherent, cooperative, understanding, mentally alert? Couple that with, if this person’s race was given to 911 that too plays into this response of both cop & civilian. This person waking up disoriented to see cop/ cop car/ sirens / what do you think their reaction will be – flee / run. How can YOU PAID & TRAINED PPB prepare for that & #DEESCALATE the situation? 🚑Where was the behavioral health unit? What is the protocol? MentalCrisis team should have additional resources, the ambulances & teams they need to go to these calls. PPB has all the shiny expensive💰toys, vehicles & officers 💰for the occasional protest. ……
This city lives in a daily constant state of
this human crisis. Funds should be reallocated for this.
🖤 #shame
Kudos to the officer for his clear headedness. He tried a less than lethal but Mr. Gladen decided to not comply and the officer did the right thing when confronted with a lethal threat. Remember Mr. Gladen got to choose, the officer didn’t.
“ANDRE was also LEGALLY BLIND, struggling with PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA and a BLACK MAN. “
First two were unknown to everyone involved and the last is irrelevant.
@SayHisName: Again, you’re using hindsight as your argument.
“An incoherent man, sleeping on a strangers porch, middle of the afternoon, barefoot, soiled pants” -Who is to say this wasn’t a meth-head coming down from a bender?
Officer approached, victim broke and entered into a home (a crime), officer tried to detain him (handcuffs are non-lethal), victim fought with officer and broke free (another crime), officer tried to tase him (non-lethal), victim pulled out a knife (lethal weapon) and lunged towards the officer (another crime), officer forced to use a lethal option.
WITHOUT the use of hindsight, what would you have preferred the officer to do after the victim broke and entered into the home? Start from there and refrain from any rainbows and lollipops solution.
@Douglas_Banter… What do people like @SAYHISNAME prefer officers do in similar situations? The flip answer will be “Not murder people.” The “deep” answer will focus on magical training that has never existed except in the minds of people who have never had to confront a person in crisis in an uncontrolled environment. The real answer is they want cops to leave them and theirs alone regardless of what they have done… unless they call, and then, by gosh, the cops are incompetent, worthless, and don’t care.