No matter what topic we cover, it’s always important to remember those of us who live with multiple marginalizations and thus may face unique barriers or obstacles in both the short and long term. This mindset is especially true as we navigate ongoing battles like the novel coronavirus pandemic, where folks with compromised immune systems, incarcerated people, and unhoused people are particularly vulnerable, for example. Unhoused people, in general, are deeply vulnerable to all sorts of abuse and discrimination, pandemic or not, and one story out of North Carolina has many people unable to turn away from all too common reality.

In this case, Joshua Rohrer, a veteran of the Iraq war who lives with PTSD related to his military service, was arrested for panhandling in Gastonia, North Carolina, on Oct. 13. Rohrer alleges that his service dog, Sunshine, was tased during the arrest, then was later hit by a car and killed. This is horrifying no matter what, but additionally so because Rohrer’s two-year-old dog was part of his PTSD treatment plan prescribed by Veterans Affairs (VA), according to Military Times. 

Rohrer maintains that he wasn’t doing anything illegal when he was stopped by police. Rohrer was standing on a median near a shopping mall in Gastonia when someone called the police; the caller told 911 Rohrer wasn’t bothering or harming anyone, but suggested he was using Sunshine as a way to get money from people out of sympathy, and described the situation as “bullcrap.” According to Rohrer, he was there, but he was waving at people and chilling when he says a woman offered him money. As soon as he took the money, Rohrer says the police pulled up “aggressively” with lights on. 

From there, an officer informed Rohrer he’d be receiving a ticket for panhandling, which is illegal under some specifications in the state. Rohrer argued he wasn’t panhandling and the officer called for backup. Rohrer was also asked to show state ID when he said he only had his VA-issued ID. 

Justyn Huffman, a witness to Rohrer’s arrest, told local outlet WCNC that when Rohrer didn’t move fast enough to get his ID, “they slammed him up against the car and they put cuffs on him.” Huffman added that officers surrounded Rohrer during the arrest. 

According to Rohrer, Sunshine jumped onto the hood of the car in an attempt to comfort him, which prompted the cops to yell at Rohrer, but he said he couldn’t calm her down without being able to physically interact with her. Rohrer says Sunshine nipped at one of the officer’s ankles as she jumped down, and the officer tased her. (Some reports say Sunshine nipped the officer’s boot, not his ankle.)

According to Huffman, he and fellow witness Nydia Conley were screaming at the police not to shoot the dog. He recalls Sunshine bolting to a store nearby with a taser prong still on her body. Conley described the scene as “traumatizing.” Meanwhile, according to Huffman, police slammed Rohrer onto the pavement before being taken away for booking.

Rohrer says he cited his right to keep his service dog with him as someone with a disability but says police laughed at him.

“I begged them to bring her to me or to give her to an officer to take with them,” Rohrer said. “But they wouldn’t listen, they didn’t care.” He stressed that he “begged” the police not to separate them but says they didn’t care about either of them or the fact that he needed her. 

Dave Dowell, a  Veteran Affairs advocate, was at first able to locate Sunshine, but she ultimately slipped out of her leash and bolted. Rohrer was released from jail the next day and within two days, found her. She had been hit by a car and killed. Dowell said Sunshine’s death has made Rohrer suicidal and depressed. 

Rohrer faces charges for panhandling and resisting arrest. According to a statement from the Gastonia Police Department, the department is investigating the incident to “determine if the conduct of our officers was appropriate.”

Some in the community are protesting to raise awareness for both Rohrer and Sunshine. 

Crystal Rogers, for example, told WCNC she frequently saw the pair sitting at the median and had no problems. Rogers described Rohrer as a “good man” who was polite and conversational. That’s lovely, but in the big picture, people shouldn’t need to be polite, friendly, or even “good” to deserve basic protection, dignity, and rights. Disabled people—and especially disabled people who live with multiple marginalizations, like disabled homeless folks and disabled people of color—are given mere shreds of dignity in this country, and that’s something we should all keep close in our activism. 

You can listen to the full original 911 call below.

YouTube Video

As well as coverage of the protest.

YouTube Video