Breaking News: Doug Bahl’s Assault Trial Underway Now
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNVG2CsMcsE Here is the heartbreaking video from last Dec showing Bahl’s badly beaten face as he told the Deaf Community that he’s OK.
Jury selection began yesterday and the police officers testified in the afternoon. Bahl is expected to testify this morning and the trial may be concluded sometime tomorrow, if not today. Bahl is charged with legal obstruction and criminal battery (punching an officer’s arm and biting his thumb). Bahl reportedly refused to speak with the officers after the trafic stop and shook his head, making a negative gesture.
DUH!! How can he refuse to speak if he cannot speak? Apparently the officer didn’t see the driver pointing to his ear. This is a common gesture by deaf drivers to indicate that they cannot hear. This officer apparently made a rash judgement on the spot about the driver being defiant and uncooperative and went on the offensiveÂ
Excuse me– When the eyes of the deaf person is sprayed with Mace, not only is he deaf, he is also totally blinded, unable to communicate at all and not knowing what’s going on at all. Imagine how this person feel with hands roughly handling him, punching him because he is ‘ignoring their comments’?  Of course this person would fight back like crazy, defending oneself from further harm, especially for a man. Notice the complaint didn’t state whether this was done prior to the pepper spray assault or not.
To add to the insult, not only was Bahl beaten savagely, he was thrown into jail incommunicado for three days, deliberately without access to a phone or interpreter even though he repeatedly requested them. His fiance and family were frantically looking for him over the weekend.
Nice, eh? Not only did they beat the ‘cr*p’ of Bahl and violated his rights through the weekend, they made his family go through h#ll the next several days.
Bahl has tremendous support from his family, his many friends and the local Deaf community. The whole Deaf Community worldwide is also on Bahl’s side. Bahl is a well-respected Deaf leader, advocate and college instructor. Personally I must admit my surprise last week when I was informed that the trial would be on this week. I actually thought the charges would have already been withdrawn a long time ago.
Bahl, I hope you will get justice. I believe in your innocence. Too many deaf people have faced mistreatment by police due to their unfamiliarity with deafness.
P.S. More coverage on Bahl’s treatment
 Officers Investigated in Jailing of Deaf Man
UPDATE: The trial had closed for the day and will be resumed tomorrow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNVG2CsMcsE Here is the heartbreaking video from last Dec showing Bahl’s badly beaten face as he told the Deaf Community that he’s OK.
Jury selection began yesterday and the police officers testified in the afternoon. Bahl is expected to testify this morning and the trial may be concluded sometime tomorrow, if not today. Bahl is charged with legal obstruction and criminal battery (punching an officer’s arm and biting his thumb). Bahl reportedly refused to speak with the officers after the trafic stop and shook his head, making a negative gesture.
DUH!! How can he refuse to speak if he cannot speak? Apparently the officer didn’t see the driver pointing to his ear. This is a common gesture by deaf drivers to indicate that they cannot hear. This officer apparently made a rash judgement on the spot about the driver being defiant and uncooperative and went on the offensiveÂ
Excuse me– When the eyes of the deaf person is sprayed with Mace, not only is he deaf, he is also totally blinded, unable to communicate at all and not knowing what’s going on at all. Imagine how this person feel with hands roughly handling him, punching him because he is ‘ignoring their comments’?  Of course this person would fight back like crazy, defending oneself from further harm, especially for a man. Notice the complaint didn’t state whether this was done prior to the pepper spray assault or not.
To add to the insult, not only was Bahl beaten savagely, he was thrown into jail incommunicado for three days, deliberately without access to a phone or interpreter even though he repeatedly requested them. His fiance and family were frantically looking for him over the weekend.
Nice, eh? Not only did they beat the ‘cr*p’ of Bahl and violated his rights through the weekend, they made his family go through h#ll the next several days.
Bahl has tremendous support from his family, his many friends and the local Deaf community. The whole Deaf Community worldwide is also on Bahl’s side. Bahl is a well-respected Deaf leader, advocate and college instructor. Personally I must admit my surprise last week when I was informed that the trial would be on this week. I actually thought the charges would have already been withdrawn a long time ago.
Bahl, I hope you will get justice. I believe in your innocence. Too many deaf people have faced mistreatment by police due to their unfamiliarity with deafness.
P.S. More coverage on Bahl’s treatment
 Officers Investigated in Jailing of Deaf Man
UPDATE: The trial had closed for the day and will be resumed tomorrow.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
hi, mz,
Thanks for up to date information on this issue. We need to be underdog for police and communication matters!!
Hope Bahl wins this case…
deafk
September 11th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
Any new update with Mr. Bahl,yet?
Deaf Pixie
September 11th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
This kind of thing happened to my mother years ago, though she was luckily not assaulted. However, she was terrified, and her children in the car were also really scared.
There is no justification for what happened. However, IF a person was able to hear this might not have happened. Not that it makes the police officer justified, but it may have changed the scenario.
Therefore, when deaf extremists decide that cochlear implants are bad or that children today should not get them, they should consider that their lives might be easier with them. They might be able to avoid such terrible incidents. No, we can’t prevent every assault with hearing, but it would lessen the chance that there is a communication breakdown. No, not every person can benefit at this point (and probably Doug could not) but why deny it for those who could
That’s my opinion. I hope the police officer receives his just and rightful sentence, and is removed from duty.
September 11th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
To Lena,
How are you calling us deaf extremists? How come? We are very concerned about health affecting. How can it be extremist? Why the word, extremist??
deafk
September 11th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
If you think a cochlear implant is a magical fix, you are sadly delusional. The majority of C.I. is not successful with speech comprehension, based on listening alone.
September 11th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
Suggesting simplistic fixes like the CI to avoid situations such as a Deaf professional being beaten by law officers…is a profound insult to all Deaf people, CI wearers and all.
Fact: the CI improves only reception, not necessarily clarity. They do not always work all the time. Most of the time, speech understanding is not anywhere near normal levels.
The naivete of people assuming hearing can be cured by the CI is astounding.
September 11th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Lena,
It is sad that people like you refuse to get a lobotomy when it could help you so much.
September 11th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
Lena,
Or you could have simply suggested that the police learn ASL- THAT’d be much more of a guarantee that communication won’t break down.
Sign language saves lives in more than one ways. Literacy is achieved through Sign Language. Happiness is achieved through Sign Language. Police brutality will be reduced through Sign Language. Audism is eradicated through Sign Language.
Thank you,
DE
September 11th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
I wish Mr. Bahl the best of luck. Hope his intelligence is not insulted in the midst of proceedings. This injustice demonstrates as to why Minnesota and its two well-known cities Minneapolis/St. Paul aren’t what its hyped to be. Boy, I endure so many noisy Deaf types from that area who thinks these places are so Deaf accessible. Minnesota has a long way from consideration as a progressive state as far as Deaf awareness is concerned. However, ditto for rest of the U.S.
September 11th, 2007 at 11:16 pm
Tears ran down on my cheeks watching the video of that sweet Mr. Bahl.
So sad and hope he will get the justice to make sure that no more police officer would mistreat any more deaf people terribly and unfairly.
Hard core criminals who did one hundred worst than what Mr. Bahl did would be treated fairly with telephone calls calling for lawyers to protect them in no time.
September 12th, 2007 at 12:04 am
Of course, of course, the usual rhetoric that the CI doesn’t work, it’s insulting to suggest we get them, etc. Whatever.
No one, including me, should suggest that police can brutalize anyone simply for not understanding them or not speaking their language. I stated that he should be punished, so put away your claws, Dianrez. But the simple fact is that there is NO WAY in heck that police candidates are ALL going to study ASL and learn it. Even if they did study, the chances that they’d be able to converse with people with it WELL is, well, unlikely. You might as well tell ‘em to learn Dutch and Polish in case they come across some immigrants, too.
The CI works great for the right candidates, and especially will work wonders for children. When they are grown, if they’ve had them since early childhood, they will be able to talk to the police.
I am only pointing out the opportunities that the children and some deaf adults have to make their lives easier, and also noting the fact that some militants think “it’s all about them” rather than thinking that, gee, maybe asking everyone to learn ASL is a kind of selfish request, considering all the other work and things going on in their lives and work. I’d say the police have a lot to do these days. No, they ought never brutalize, but the typical police officer will be better able to discuss things with those who take advantage of the possibility of hearing with a CI.
And yes, they do have great clarity, as opposed to hearing aids. If you don’t think this is the case, well, then you’ve probably never actually heard clearly, particularly not with a CI. Hearing aids can only amplify where there are some hair cells left. In some portions of the cochlea, if they are gone, no amount of amplification from an aid will help. On the other hand, a CI amplifies along the entire length of the cochlea. The sound is so nearly an approximation of natural speech that children speak normally who wear them. They don’t struggle, no one sends them to special schools, and they could (gasp!) talk to a police officer if they needed to. Which they might.
September 12th, 2007 at 12:10 am
DeafSpook:
What do you mean by many Deaf types from Minneapolis/St. Paul thinks these are so Deaf accesible? Also what do you mean - Minnesota has a long way from consideration as a progressive state?
I grew up in Minnesota and I am well known about Minneapolis/St. Paul accessible for deaf - They provide a good service for Deaf needs.
Did you know that Minnesota is only ONE state has a “Deaf Safe” program? Wendy DeVore, a former police officer (currently interpreter) set this program up for the police and community. Deaf Safe program is to help and teach police how to communicate wtih Deaf people at any kind of situation.
Wendy is still working for Minneapolis PD and there was a workshop for deaf to come in to learn many different topic such as 911, why use handcuff, and many things.
The goal for this program to help other police department to be aware of deaf people. Even in Sioux Falls, they have awareness how to communicate with deaf people. Hopefully this program will become a nationwide to help other than SD or Minnesota.
September 12th, 2007 at 12:55 am
Lena
Even young children fitted with C.I. are not guaranteed to be successful in speech comprehension and speech. Additional factors other than implantation, such as the year of the implantation, intensive aural and speech therapy, involvement of parents, the physiological make up of the child, and socioeconomic status, etc also makes significant difference whether the C.I. helps with the speech and speech discrimination. It is still a gamble.
To expect a C.I. to resolve the communication problems isn’t realistic.
September 12th, 2007 at 1:34 am
Nothing new. Always it takes something to happen before officers are more aware of recognizing a deaf person or understanding deaf culture.
It’s part of their training and they need more training to recognize other possible scenario and not jump to conclusions.
Has anyone seen a video by this retired officer in Texas that is geared towards officers when approaching a deaf person unawares? I think it was on deafread but, was put in EXTRA a few months ago. That was a good video and should be more of that and mandatory for all law enforcement.
September 12th, 2007 at 1:39 am
Lena!
We’re talking about DOUG BAHL here, not CI’s. Take a reading class sometime!
September 12th, 2007 at 2:32 am
Appuaded to Elle to brought up to not discuss about CI.. We want to know how Doug’s progress with the court and interpreter. I thought Deaf community in any of state or city want to hear of new update.. Please read carefully and I admitted It is annoyed about CI.
September 12th, 2007 at 3:13 am
Thanks, Elle and Deaf Pixie!
The trial has been closed for the day and will be resumed tomorrow am.
September 12th, 2007 at 4:08 am
Lena,
How ’bout this….
If we bleach some people’s skin and dye their hair, then they might experience less harrassment from being profiled by the police…..
If we lengthen the legs of short boys, they might grow up to have a higher rate of marriage….
If this, if that….
Sound ridiculous? So does your suggestion.
Please stop the nonsense talk.
September 12th, 2007 at 6:03 am
I am suspicous of the trial because most of the time cases tend to settle before trial and unless they have a smoking gun on their hands.
The police vehicle may have a video camera on their dashboard console and something that is documented to their favor.
Usually, situations like this one tend to be solved quickly. Nevertheless, I will held back my judgement until all the facts are in place.
September 12th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Mishka Zena…thanks for keeping us posted about Doug Bahl’s trial. One thing I’m puzzled is that the Ramsey police dept said Doug hasn’t filed a complaint against the dept…is that true? I sure hope Doug did for he deserve to get a fair trial and the policemen who abused him should be on trial and convicted for mishandling in a horrible way to Doug.
Lena needs to hush her mouth about CI, she went way off point because she said children will benefit from CI, no kidding?! This is about Doug, not CI. On the other hand, for your info, I’ve met many children who’ve had CI say they HATE it and doesn’t wear CI aids anymore…gives them headache, doesn’t improve their speech…it’s mostly a lie. Such a waste of money spent on CI, just leave us deaf babies/children alone. Police brutality has nothing to do with CI…Let’s focus on the update for Doug, not CI…so, Lena, you’re in the wrong place…so back off please and go to CI forum that stupidly and blindly supports CI.
September 12th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Hmmm…deafness is an INVISIBLE impairment, no?
Why then do deaf people expect officers, who come across often dangerous nutcases daily, to understand what the hell a “shaking head and point at the ear” means? Ever stop to think that people strung out on drugs, alcohol, or otherwise acting “odd” might also display such movements? Shaking my head and pointing to my ear would tell other DEAF and those who come in close contact with deaf that I am deaf, but to a hearing cop, it’s likely a sign the driver is off his or her rocker!
I am no cop apologist, but I get tired of the UNQUESTIONED sympathy extended to deaf people at the expense of cops who are trying to make sense of a situation on a snap judgment basis.
What ever happened to PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY? I don’t know about Mr. Bahl’s level of preparation, but I carry a large print card stapled to my registration and insurance info in each car that says, in ENGLISH, “I am deaf and do not read lips.” Am I the only one who thinks that having such clear information on hand to give to the officer is much safer for both the officer and ME, as opposed to hoping the officer is really good at playing charades????
I disagree with MZ when she says the entire worldwide deaf community is behind Mr. Bahl. No, that is not true. Some of us understand that we often create the mess we then have to clean up by not taking responsibility for ourselves and making sure we are prepared to interact with the admittedly ignorant hearing community in serious situations like this without having to resort to a game of “Guess What I’m Trying To Say!”
I’m sorry Mr. Bahl had to experience this. no one deserves to be beaten because they are ineffective communicators. Hopefully it will be a lesson to all, deaf and hearing. If one person wakes up and learns something from this debacle, Mr. Bahl’s experience will not have been in vain.
September 12th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Yes, as far as I know, the entire deaf community is rooting for Doug Bahl! I happen to know him as a well respected sincere man from time to time. He is a good communicator and for him not to be provided interpreter nor paper and pen constituted no excuse for the beatings to happen. It is inhumane to be in jail for three days without contact with his family and ineffective communication between the police and him. I know he is not the type of a person who would ruffle some feathers or provoke anyone.
I find Lena’s lame arguement weak and way off the point. What is she? A CI salesperson? Of course, it is not the only option nor that it will prevent this problem! Please! It has a lot to do with educating the public to gain better awareness on how to communicate with deaf people effectively.
For centuries and centuries, most of the deaf people made their effort to communicate with hearing people by learning how to speak, write proficiently, etc. The main problem is that It is the attitude of a hearing person looking toward the deaf and those pigs demonstrated an example on how deaf people were mistreated. They should pay for what they did to Doug Bahl! Let justice prevail!
September 12th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Cyan, I should have clarified what I mean by the local and world community supporting Bahl. I was referring to the people who already know him. He is well known worldwide. However, a lot of deaf people support him, even though they don’t know him personally.
I do not hold deaf person responsible for the misconduct of the police due to lack of training. Not all deaf people have been trained on what to do and what not to do with police. You have been fortunate to know the tactics. Personally I feel it unfair to put all the burdens on deaf drivers, when the responsibility should be on the police officers.
September 13th, 2007 at 2:19 am
Lena,
The simple fact is that there is NO WAY in heck that CI candidates are ALL going to study English and learn it. Even if they did study, the chances that they’d be able to converse with people with it WELL is, well, unlikely. You might as well tell ‘em to learn Dutch and Polish in case they come across some immigrants, too.
ASL works great for the right candidates, and especially will work wonders for children. When they are grown, if they’ve used ASL since early childhood, they will be able to communicate with the police because they have had a full access to a language.
I am only pointing out the opportunities that the children and some deaf adults have to make their lives easier, and also noting the fact that some militants think “it’s all about them†rather than thinking that, gee, maybe asking everyone to learn English is a kind of selfish request, considering all the other work and things going on in their lives and work. I’d say the police have a lot to do these days. No, they ought never brutalize, but the typical police officer will be better able to discuss things with those who take advantage of the possibility of a fully accessible language.
And yes, ASL does have great clarity, as opposed to a language that is only 60% visible on the lips. If you don’t think this is the case, well, then you’ve probably never actually understood clearly, particularly not with ASL.
A CI only has so many channels (what is it up to now, 24?), meaning there is only a limited number of frequencies that can be heard. The fact that “no one sends them to special schools” is the very reason I am against CIs. A person implanted with a CI STILL needs support. It isn’t a magical cure. And I am appalled that you would say that children with CIs don’t struggle. Are you serious!?!?
I’m curious to know how many deaf people you have met that were implanted with CIs. How many are still using them as an adult, and how many have thrown them out and grew their hair out to cover the scar?
September 13th, 2007 at 11:03 am
MZ,
I hear you. And I understand what you’re saying. Let me ask you a question, though. Would you hold the same “it’s not their fault” standards to a hearing person in an identical situation if, say they spoke primarily Spanish? What about a hearing person who has a speech impairment? Would you have higher expectations for them, that they would be prepared somewhat for the unexpected? Or no?
I think the reason I am critical of Mr. Bahl specifically is because from your story as well as other people’s comments, he is a respected LEADER in the deaf community. To me, that means he acts like a role model for deaf rights, etc, including the small responsibility of making sure one’s deafness doesn’t make an already tense situation worse. I could be wrong in that assumption, I guess :-/
I do understand a lot of deaf do not have an awareness or understanding of how to effectively interact with the hearing community. And I sympathize (I may be critical, but I do! Smiles). But that doesn’t change the cold hard reality that the hearing world does not (and probably never will) adapt to our ways of doing things. This whole story makes me wonder about a bigger question: What are the current generation of deaf leaders doing to reach these undereducated or undersocailized deaf so they are aware of their rights AND responsibilities? Sometimes it seems we only emphasize our rights, without the difficult, but necessary, discussion of our responsibilities as citizens, too.
I see NAD, I see my peers scattered among the overwhelmingly OLDER generation in leadership roles, but I do not see any progress. NAD focuses on technology and ADA issues, which are abstract and not necessarily relevant to the everyday life of a deaf person in Anytown, USA. Things like living skills and ways to empower oneself would seem to be more relevant. Just some thoughts…
September 13th, 2007 at 11:11 am
Cyan,
Ordinarily I would say yes. However, sometimes a deaf person may do everything right and it still goes wrong. It may be the cop who doesn’t know how to handle a driver who cannot communicate and fails to obey verbal orders. Not all cops are trained properly and some may have an issue with people who seem to be uncooperative. : /
A police officer had a misconduct with a deaf driver here few years ago. I was able to bring this to the attention of the police chief who knew me through my citizen advisory committee activities. Since this wasn’t the first misconduct of that cop with a law-abiding citizen as he did have an altercation with a hearing woman some time ago, he was disciplined and had to take ‘anger management’ classes (or something like that). The whole police force also underwent deaf cultural sensitivity training and how to deal with a deaf citizen, including learning several signs. That deaf driver didn’t do anything wrong. It was the cop who couldn’t handle the situation.
I agree for the need for more proactive leadership, especially in this field
September 13th, 2007 at 11:19 am
I have to comment on Barb’s post. I’m sorry I often hold opinions that seem to be contrary to the deaf community at large, but please, hear me out.
Barb notes that “The main problem is that It is the attitude of a hearing person looking toward the deaf and those pigs demonstrated an example on how deaf people were mistreated.”
I’d like to say that I feel it is often both communities that are at fault. I’ve never met a hearing person who had an attitude towards deaf UNTIL they experienced an attitude from the deaf person first. Yeah…I’ve seen it, and deaf who have self-awareness would also notice it coming from deaf people, even themselves on occasion, a kind of “you owe me” vibe or mental wall that just destroys communication and leaves people feeling negative vibes. Then there’s the issue of respect. Deaf will DEMAND respect for their language, culture, ways of interacting, etc…but often fail to give that same respect back to their hearing counterparts. I chuckle at Barb’s calling the police “pigs”. Isn’t that the kind of disrespect of an entire profession that locks everyone into the cycle of pointed fingers and bristled egos? The deaf community HAS been mistreated, but like any community, there are good and bad apples, with the bad apples ruining it for the rest of us. One foul interaction often colors our perception of that person/ethnic group/gender/you name it, and once that tone is set, it is hard to fix. Deaf people and the police have got to work together, and it is an unfortunate truth that sometimes the minority (deaf in this case) will have to take more lumps than are warranted while continuing to react with compassion and education, not disrespect and hatred, to fix what has long been broken. The hearing police have no incentive to change first, but the deaf have every incentive to extend the olive branch before they get the snot knocked out of them. :-/
September 13th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
I seem to recall reading an article about a pamphlet containing basic and essential signs being passed out to police recruits and ER nurses so they could learn to identify and treat a Deaf person in an emergency situation?
Does anyone remember this?
September 13th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Police officers are human, also many go into the field for the wrong reasons: desire to control, desire to “clean up” the community of “undesirable” elements, or a wannabee hero complex.
Many do go in the field for the right reasons that we expect when meeting them: a desire to help and protect people, desire to keep order and prevent disaster from becoming worse, or even a “social worker” orientation.
A problem is their training: they are trained to protect themselves, empty their gun when threatened by another weapon, and establish immediate control even if it means breaking heads. The cops that go into the work for the wrong reasons will be especially dangerous. Because of that, deaf people are at a disadvantage due to communication.
Simply seeing that one is wearing a Sidekick in a black case on the belt raises in the cop’s head an assumption that one is carrying a weapon. Silence, shaking the head and pointing at the head is not going to reassure any cop who is issuing orders meant to be instantly obeyed.
As public servants, the cop is expected to be able to handle all people and all situations professionally and courteously. This is not always possible and in these uncertain days, unfortunately rare.
As a matter of self preservation, Deaf people need to be trained how to handle cop situations same as any other situation. In schools, we are trained in job interview situations, restaurant ordering situations, why not police handling situations?
Carrying Deaf cards, keeping a visor card in the car, thinking ahead of time how to behave in these situations could save both lives and the ability to defend oneself in court.
Doug Bahl’s mistake might have been naively expecting courtesy of the police offiers and reacting to protect himself when attacked. We need to have a different viewpoint than this and learn to project an image that convinces cops we are harmless and cooperative citizens.
My late father, a deputy sheriff when he was young, warned me “don’t trust cops just because they are cops!” He should know.
September 13th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Any update on the trial?
November 27th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
Doug was charged guilty of obstruction, non assaultive. It turned out that the jurors never understood the extent of his pain inflicted by the cop due to lousy interpreters. These interpreters weren’t qualified to do legal interpreting, according to the interpreters who were sitting in the audience.