Deaf Man Parked Illegally, Slapped Officer

San Diego Police respond to use of force with mace and taser on Deaf man over a parking ticket.

SAN DIEGO, California -- San Diego Police are responding to allegations that they used excessive force on a Deaf man after he got upset over a traffic ticket.

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It happened Monday afternoon on 5th Avenue in Hillcrest. The man, identified by SDPD as 48-year-old Jeffrey Robinson of Los Angeles, stopped in the resale shop, Flashbacks, to inquire about selling shoes.

His car was parked illegally in a 20-minute commercial loading zone on 5th Ave. near University Ave. The employees in the store say he was only parked there a few minutes when a parking enforcement officer showed up.

"He couldn't speak, so he was communicating via a legal pad we had, as he was writing something to ask us, he saw that he was going to get a ticket," said Tiara Arreloa.

Arreloa and a couple other witnesses say Robinson was using sign language to try to communicate with the parking officer when she pepper sprayed him.

"He wasn't touching her, his hands were just here. He was trying to talk to her," insisted Arreola.

SDPD Lt. Scott Wahl says the photos making the rounds on social media don't tell the whole story.

"There's a lot more going on then maybe the small angle that they see," said Wahl.

Wahl says according to the parking officer and three separate witnesses, Robinson ran towards the officer in an aggressive manner.

"He ended up slapping the parking enforcement officer's hand away as she put the ticket onto the windshield of his car. As she was backing away from him, he crumpled up the ticket and threw it at her, bounced it off of her chest," said Wahl.

He says Robinson pounded on the window of the officer's car and continued advancing toward her. He says she deployed pepper spray after he refused repeated orders to comply.

"Parking enforcement officers don't have to wait until they're punched in the face to protect themselves against somebody who is starting to demonstrate this type of behavior," said Wahl, who pointed out that parking attendants are not sworn officers.

"You gotta remember our parking enforcement officers are not police officers, they don't have bullet proof vests, they don't carry guns, they're not trained like a police officer is," said Wahl.

SOURCE - KGTV

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More Deaf Entrepreneurs Show Signs of Success

The entrepreneurs no longer feel pigeonholed to work in fields that only cater to other Deaf people in the United States.

NEW YORK CITY -- Thanks to new technology and improving outreach programs, more Deaf people are opening small businesses across the country. Soon after customers arrive at Mozzeria for the first time, they notice something's different about the restaurant: Virtually every staffer is Deaf.

Owners Russ and Melody Stein are also Deaf, and have run their San Francisco restaurant since 2011. The business is thriving because customers love the food and the Steins have overcome obstacles Deaf people can face when they become small business owners - particularly lingering stereotypes and prejudice, and fewer resources than hearing entrepreneurs have.

"We have the same skills as a hearing individual," Russ Stein says. Running Mozzeria comes naturally to Melody Stein, whose family is in the restaurant business. "It's something I've always wanted to do," she says.

Deaf people have the same ambition and ability to be entrepreneurs and business owners as those who hear, says Tom Baldridge, director of the business administration program at Gallaudet University, the largest educational institution serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. There's a growing interest among Gallaudet students in entrepreneurship, matching the increase in business schools across the country. The university is expanding its entrepreneurship offerings beyond courses, and giving students experience in running businesses like campus coffee shops.

"A lot is happening right now beyond a few courses in entrepreneurship. We've hired a consultant who's going to guide us (and) infuse corporate entrepreneurship into all the academic disciplines," Baldridge says.

MIXED REACTIONS

The hearing world is still catching up to the idea of Deaf business owners. The Steins have encountered discrimination from people who hear and don't want to make accommodations to help those who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.

The couple has run into resistance when they asked for help at local government offices, including times when they were trying to get permits required for running a restaurant.

"We have had our rough moments," Russ Stein says. "There have been times when I had to ask for interpreters, and I was made fun of; I was looked down upon."

Vendors and other business owners who can hear are often startled or feel awkward when they first meet the couple. Some have assumed that because the Steins are Deaf, they didn't know what they were doing, Russ Stein says. Some have been impatient about using pen and paper to communicate, or have said offensive or inappropriate things.

"People ask, 'how do you drive?'" Stein says.

But most vendors adapt to working with the Steins. Mozzeria's wine vendor has become a true colleague, helping them learn more about the restaurant business.

And customers, most of whom can hear, seem happy to write their questions about items on the menu. Some seem awkward when they first come in, but they soon relax and enjoy their meals.

"They learn to overcome their fear," Melody Stein says.

OVERCOMING STEREOTYPES

Many Deaf owners have dealt with prejudice, including hearing people believing that the best careers for Deaf people are teaching or counseling other Deaf people.

Mara Ladines, who owns By Mara, a clothing manufacturer and store in New York wanted a career in fashion design, but some counselors in college tried to steer her toward being a graphic designer, a job that would require less communication with others.

"They believed a Deaf individual can't get a job in the fashion industry." she says.

Ladines insisted on taking design courses and got jobs in retailers including clothing store H&M. In 2008, she began designing T-shirts and other clothes with a logo that shows the American Sign Language sign for "I love you." She started the business online and it has grown to the point where she could open the store last spring; many of the people who walk in are hearing, and Ladines is able to communicate with them and make sales.

By Joyce M. Rosenberg, Associated Press Business Writer

Related:
Deaf-Owner Mozzeria, Chron's Onto Bouche
Deaf Owned 'Mozzeria' Small Business Story
Deaf Restaurant ‘Signs’ Opening In Toronto
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Deaf Bussiness Owners Dealt With Prejudice

WATCH [CC] - Deaf News: Deaf small business owners thrive after overcoming obstacles and prejudice of hearing people in the U.S.

NEW YORK CITY -- Thanks to new technology and improving outreach programs, more Deaf people are opening small businesses across the country. Soon after customers arrive at Mozzeria for the first time, they notice something's different about the restaurant: Virtually every staffer is Deaf.

Owners Russ and Melody Stein are also Deaf, and have run their San Francisco restaurant since 2011. The business is thriving because customers love the food and the Steins have overcome obstacles Deaf people can face when they become small business owners - particularly lingering stereotypes and prejudice, and fewer resources than hearing entrepreneurs have.

"We have the same skills as a hearing individual," Russ Stein says. Running Mozzeria comes naturally to Melody Stein, whose family is in the restaurant business. "It's something I've always wanted to do," she says.

Deaf people have the same ambition and ability to be entrepreneurs and business owners as those who hear, says Tom Baldridge, director of the business administration program at Gallaudet University, the largest educational institution serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. There's a growing interest among Gallaudet students in entrepreneurship, matching the increase in business schools across the country. The university is expanding its entrepreneurship offerings beyond courses, and giving students experience in running businesses like campus coffee shops.

"A lot is happening right now beyond a few courses in entrepreneurship. We've hired a consultant who's going to guide us (and) infuse corporate entrepreneurship into all the academic disciplines," Baldridge says.

MIXED REACTIONS

The hearing world is still catching up to the idea of Deaf business owners. The Steins have encountered discrimination from people who hear and don't want to make accommodations to help those who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.

The couple has run into resistance when they asked for help at local government offices, including times when they were trying to get permits required for running a restaurant.

"We have had our rough moments," Russ Stein says. "There have been times when I had to ask for interpreters, and I was made fun of; I was looked down upon."

Vendors and other business owners who can hear are often startled or feel awkward when they first meet the couple. Some have assumed that because the Steins are Deaf, they didn't know what they were doing, Russ Stein says. Some have been impatient about using pen and paper to communicate, or have said offensive or inappropriate things.

"People ask, 'how do you drive?'" Stein says.

But most vendors adapt to working with the Steins. Mozzeria's wine vendor has become a true colleague, helping them learn more about the restaurant business.

And customers, most of whom can hear, seem happy to write their questions about items on the menu. Some seem awkward when they first come in, but they soon relax and enjoy their meals.

"They learn to overcome their fear," Melody Stein says.

OVERCOMING STEREOTYPES

Many Deaf owners have dealt with prejudice, including hearing people believing that the best careers for Deaf people are teaching or counseling other Deaf people.

Mara Ladines, who owns By Mara, a clothing manufacturer and store in New York wanted a career in fashion design, but some counselors in college tried to steer her toward being a graphic designer, a job that would require less communication with others.

"They believed a Deaf individual can't get a job in the fashion industry." she says.

Ladines insisted on taking design courses and got jobs in retailers including clothing store H&M. In 2008, she began designing T-shirts and other clothes with a logo that shows the American Sign Language sign for "I love you." She started the business online and it has grown to the point where she could open the store last spring; many of the people who walk in are hearing, and Ladines is able to communicate with them and make sales.

By Joyce M. Rosenberg, Associated Press Business Writer

Related:
Deaf-Owner Mozzeria, Chron's Onto Bouche
Deaf Owned 'Mozzeria' Small Business Story
Deaf Restaurant ‘Signs’ Opening In Toronto
DeaFined - Canada's New Deaf Restaurant
Kentucky Fried Chicken Operated By Deaf People
Indonesian Fingertalk Cafe Employs Deaf People
Restaurant Run & Staffed By Gaza Deaf People
More Deaf Entrepreneurs Show Signs of Success

Deaf Human Rights To Love Marriage Relationship

Marriage Equality Rights: Deaf rights to love marriage relationship in International Sign.

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The Deaf culture of a society has been described in various cultures and nations throughout the world to push them apart and have been prevalent throughout human history.

The globe has shown that prejudice is fundamentally related to low self-esteem, and values used to justify cultures based prejudice, discrimination, and subordination.