MEDIUM RARE by Jim Rarey

April 22, 2000

DID FEDS SET UP SENIOR TOWER KILLINGS?

In the wake of the tragic shooting rampage at the Senior Court Towers in Lincoln Park, Michigan, questions are being raised about occupancy rules set by the federal department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which were changed in the early 1990’s.

Most of the front-page hype about the incident is (predictably) aimed at more gun control laws. However, an article by reporter Katie Mertz (buried on page 5) in the April 20^th Detroit News reveals the real problem that led to the deaths of three defenseless senior citizens.

The HUD occupancy rules were changed to define "senior" citizen as anyone 62 years of age or older along with persons of any age who suffer from physical or mental disabilities. According to Livonia housing director James Inglis, HUD rules force them to accept the applications of "disabled persons", even if they are suffering from mental illness and are taking mind altering (psychotropic) drugs. Inglis said the application could not be denied as long as a background check did not reveal any criminal record.

In the case of Kenneth Miller, 56, (the shooter in the Lincoln Park killings) he reportedly disclosed on his application that he was suffering from schizophrenia and was taking medication for the condition. It was also known that he kept several firearms in his apartment. Schizophrenia is often accompanied by paranoid delusions, which seem to be present in Miller’s behavior. He is described by those who know him alternately as a mild-mannered Bible-quoting personality and a hot-tempered victim of perceived persecution.

To add to the prescription for disaster, Miller was taking Prozac and Xanax medications. Side effects of both widely prescribed drugs are known to include psychotic episodes where persons lose touch with reality. (The same is true of Ritalin being taken by over three million students in the nation’s schools, including most of the shooters in the recent spate of school killings. But that is another story.)

The bottom line is that federal housing officials are putting innocent citizens in their golden years at risk by their misguided notion that mentally ill persons, especially those with the potential for violence, can safely be intermixed with seniors.

Permission is granted to reproduce this article in its entirety.

The author is a free lance writer based in Romulus, Michigan. He is a former newspaper editor and investigative reporter, a retired customs administrator and accountant, and a student of history and the U.S. Constitution.

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