America, the Land of the Free, as seen by Bryan Stark.
What a great thought, yet it has become such a selfish concept. It has been a year since I started a magical miracle campaign through the Facebook group Justice for Carly Madison Gregg. A lot has happened in that year. I have made many friends who have become like family, and I’ve had many thoughts about what freedom truly means.
The Constitution of this great country gives us many freedoms and rights, but America has a dark past that seems to be returning. The average American citizen can run for office, represent their community, and make a difference. Yet most district attorneys, state prosecutors, representatives, police, governors, and members of Congress are viewed as “able-bodied,” “normal,” “intelligent,” and “useful.” They often come from privilege — good homes, good schools, and stable childhoods. Many have never known abuse, mental illness, or trauma.
From the late 1800s through the mid-1900s, government officials created hospitals, institutions, and prisons to separate women and children of color, people missing limbs, or those with mental or psychological challenges. They were labeled worthless, dangerous, or to be feared.
In 1949, a campaign began to fund Muscular Dystrophy. Jerry Lewis led it from 1966 to 2011, and “Jerry’s Kids” became a national cause. But society often looked down on those children with pity instead of respect. The “able-bodied” public saw them as helpless, not as equals or contributors to society. It became a spectacle — a way for the privileged to gain publicity, money, and influence, while most leaders involved never lived with the disabilities they claimed to care about.
How many state prosecutors have lived with untreated bipolar disorder, mental illness, or overmedication that caused psychiatric breaks? When people with such struggles commit a crime tied directly to their illness — with no violent history or prior record — prosecutors still treat them as if they are monsters rather than human beings in need of help.
Prosecutors say, “We must think of the victims.” And yes, victims have the right to speak and share the impact of a crime. But what about when the victims are the family of the defendant? Then, suddenly, their voices are silenced.
It feels like we are returning to old patterns — only now, instead of isolating people in institutions, we lock them away in prisons and throw away the key. It is a kind of “civil death.” The Constitution should protect all Americans, but too often, freedom seems reserved for the able-bodied and privileged.
I thought freedom, liberty, and justice belonged to everyone — people of color, people with disabilities, the poor, the abused, the mentally ill. Freedom is not truly free unless we take responsibility to welcome, understand, and support the impaired, the disabled, and the hurting.
Until we do that, this country will never truly be free. It is unacceptable for people with mental illness, often untreated or improperly treated, to lose their freedom because others fear what they do not understand or refuse to take the time to learn.
