Disability rights advocates in cities across America will be holding vigils this Friday, March 30th to honor the lives of disabled people murdered by their families and caretakers. This nation-wide Day of Mourning is being organized by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network(ASAN) and Not Dead Yet in response to the murder of George Hodgins, a 22-year-old autistic man, and the media coverage that the organizations describe as “sympathetic” to his murderer.
On March 6, George Hodgins was reportedly murdered by his mother in Sunnyvale, California. Elizabeth Hodgins killed herself after fatally shooting her son. The Santa Cruz Sentinel referred to Ms. Hodgins as “a devoted and loving mother.” The Mercury News coverage appeared focused on the stress Hodgins’ mother underwent as a parent of an autistic child. “Some articles asked readers to put themselves in the shoes of the murderer,” said Zoe Gross, a member of ASAN, “but no articles called for empathy for the murder victim, who died knowing that his own parent had chosen to kill him.”