Opinion: After Osagie tragedy, community’s focus should be on mental health system
There is considerable confusion surrounding the tragic death of Osaze Osagie. I would encourage all to read two documents, the investigation by the Centre County District Attorney and the Osagie family’s lawsuit complaint. Reading them will give you balance and a direct source of information.
Only the parents of a child that has challenges in mental health and directly witness a loved one in pain can fully understand the tragedy of Osaze. My wife and I have this challenge. In our case our loved one is still, courageously, facing these almost insurmountable obstacles. We view any de-focus of enhancing mental health in our community as a direct threat to our loved one’s safety. God bless the Osagie’s — no family should have suffered this pain and the lawsuit appears to be an attempt to bring positive change.
I recently met with a member of the 3/20 Coalition and on one area that we fully agree is to ensure that each party respects the other and shall never escalate to violence. There are certain aspects of this tragedy that do trigger passionate responses. My outburst at a recent State College Borough Council meeting on the Community Oversight Board was inexcusable. When I called the 3/20’s a hate group, many in that group, who are striving for a better community, were highly insulted. Equally, certain members of this group are continuing to call the tragedy a murder. It was made worse when a co-chair of the 3/20’s, after numerous attempts by the borough president to stop, disregarded his directive and continued. This obviously agitated many in the room to the point where they departed. Throwing inflammatory words around by both parties is counterproductive for positive change.
The Osagie family’s complaint is far more complex than just calling it murder. Simplifying this as a murder or “he attacked the police with a knife” obscures reality. Sylvester Osagie made every effort to engage with the authorities to ensure that all were safe, spanning over two days. Two extracts from the Osagie family’s complaint illustrate this: “...Osaze’s text messages (to his father) suggested that he was preparing to attempt ‘suicide by cop.”’
There is another heart-wrenching conversation with his caseworker on the same topic. All the pertinent information was relayed to the police. The responding officers were not fully briefed or updated that Osagie was threatening suicide. This was critical information that would have allowed the responding officers to adjust their procedures or request a crisis intervention specialist. This lack of communication must never be repeated. The family’s complaint specifically stated that “Osaze’s death is not the story of misconduct by a single ‘bad apple.’”
We must trust the judicial system to resolve this, and if negligence was an issue, then award any financial restitution, and most importantly ensure that changes we make today to mental health are carried through.
I am asking the community to focus on mental health. The police average a mental health warrant every other day. They expire after 30 days. Then what? Like the Osagie family and so many others, there is no safe, secure place for these people to go. The borough purchased a former fraternity house. We managed to find $200,000 for a COB, how about an investment that would provide for the safety of so many with a facility for long-term mental health care? End Rockview’s position as the largest long-term mental health ward in Centre County.
There are many challenges to making this happen but the rewards would be incalculable. If we really want justice for Osaze then let us bring action to so many words and reform mental health. As a community we are all failing those who are battling the demons of mental health. Let us all work together for change.