On January 20, 2004, I was working hard in my home in Melbourne, FL. and preparing to move back to Maryland. I spent most of the day cleaning and packing.
Later that evening I decided to take a walk. It was a beautiful night. In walking I thought I would cross over to another neighborhood for a change. I had alot on my mind as I was walking.
I had only moved to Florida in June of 2004 to make a fresh start, from what had been 3 long years in settling for custody and a divorce. I did not move to Florida without legal papers and custody arrangements for my daughter. Although the move proved to be a very big mistake on my part. No jobs in the area. What jobs I found were not paying much. I brought in a roommate to rent out the master bedroom of the house I purchased, to help with the bills. My daughter Cassie was with me and was in pre-school. I will not go into all the stress that I encounter in moving to Melbourne. However, I was excited to sell the house and move back home to Maryland where I was raised and lived most of my life.
After walking for sometime I realized I did not no where I was. I turned around to retrace my tracks. I tried to find where I crossed over. I knew that the airport lights were close to my home and tried to follow them. I could not find my way back and it was getting really late and cold. I knocked on several doors with no answer. By the time a young couple answer their door I was over my head with worry and stress. Cold and scared. They called the police, which kindly escorted me back home. The officer asked me what day it was. Which at this point I had lost track of time and days. All I wanted to do is take a hot bath and go to bed. He left.
The next morning I got up early. The sale of my house was closing and my realtor had picked me up. I went to the appointment tired and stressed. Everything was settled. I could now make the arrangements for my move. The new owners had agreed that I could rent back the house for a couple of weeks for preparation of my move. Also, notice to my roommate. I got home made calls and arrangements for the move and rested. I had been in the house for several hours and decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. In walking I discovered that many of the neighbors were fertilizing thier garden beds. I turned around to head back home. On my way around the corner I noticed the sky was beautiful. There was a cloud with a sun burst rainbow and birds flying round in circles. I stood their for awhile looking. I was on the corner of a sidewalk (not in front of anyones property). I decided to strench, walk in place, sway, bend, prance or better known as exercise. A young girl came out of her home close to where I was exercising with a cute little puppy. The puppy came to my feet as we spoke breifly. I asked if I could pick the puppy up. She said, yes. I petted it and then put it back down. Continued to exercise in place. Many neighbors walked by and said hi that I had seen in my walks. Then about 1/2 hour later I was approached by two neighbors who just came out of their house two doors down. One said, "What are you doing", in a very rude voice. I smiled and said nothing. She then looked at the other lady and said, "Oh, she is crazy." They went back into their home. My roommate came down to the corner and said, "Penny, what are you doing"? Apparently, the neighbors have never seen anyone exercise on a sidewalk for more the 10 minutes. I said, "What does it look like I am doing." I am exercising. He walked away and I decided to move in front of my house and exercise. I still had alot of anxiety and tension that needed to be released. Then what next to my surprise. The police show-up. Not just any police officer, but the one who drove me home the night before. Instinctively I new by how he approached me and what he was asking, that he thought I was on drugs. I was scared to the point of silence. I had been through so much already and now the police. They told me to get in there car, but I was so exhausted, scared and in shook that I could not move. My neighbor Al proceded to shake me and said, Penny talk to me. They then picked me up and dragged me across the sit of the car. I just wanted to be left alone to gather my thoughts and release stress. Here I am in more stress than I can handle. I gave up. My roommate told them that I do not do drugs, that I closed on my house earlier that morning and was exercising. They searched my house for drugs according to my roommate. Then proceeded to call an emergency contact. I kept my married last name because of my daughter being with me. So, who did the police call but my father in law. My ex-husband has used the oldest saying in the book "that I am crazy", so he doesn't have to take responsiblity for the things that went wrong in our marriage. To him it was perfect. To me it was hell. I will not go into the details. I was the one who asked for the divorce. So you can only imagine what my father in law who hasn't seen me in close to 3 years said to the police. The medics were called. All my vital signs were normal. I just wanted to be alone and go to sleep. I arrive at the hospital where I am striped of my clothes. Noone asked me anything. They just took my clothes off. Then they checked my blood pressure, took blood, etc.. The police came over to speak to me and a few nurses. I just smiled scared to death of what now. I had to go to the bathroom and didn't know where it was. So I asked the nurse. She said, Oh you talk. You would not talk to anyone. She said, she had to come in with me. I went to sit down and she yelled at me to stop. That I needed to pee in the cup. It was to late. Then when I returned they place an IV in my arm. This of course hurt like hell. I didn't know what it was for. I asked the nurse. She said, you would not pee in the cup. I said, give me some water and I will go and pee in a cup for you. I had no clue of what was going on or why. My arm started to burn from the IV. I started to scream for help to get it out of my arm or I was going to yank it out. They removed it 15 minutes later, dressed me and shipped me off to Cirlce of Care. They said, you are going to Circle of Care. What is Cirlce of Care? At this point it is 7:30 p.m. I have been drugged on an empty stomach with Haldrol and Benedryl.
Still scared, tired, hungry and now drugged I am yet escorted to God knows where. Asked to sign papers and then taken to a room with two other people in the dark. When I wake-up from the little sleep I got. I was surprised by where I was and could not imagine how or why I was there.
I tried to walk out earily that morning which only prolonged my stay from the usual 72 hours to now 5 days. The doors were locked and the windows had bars and grounds fenced in with bobbed wire. Oh the second day I complained that I could not eat because of the drugs they put in me at the hospital. I could feel, taste and smell it in my system. The drugs was making me sick. My blood pressure was at a dangerous high and I was given an emergency shot. This of course prolonged my stay because they needed to regulate my medication. Whatever they gave me made me feel like I was in labor and kept me up most of the night from the pain. I hardly saw a doctor. A five minute examination where she checked my eyes, tongue, tap my stomach and took my blood pressure. Oh, and then there was the talk. How are you feeling. I started to cry and said "I feel totally abandoned." She said, "Oh, you are depressed." That was the extent of it. I was so drugged up I could not remember anyones phone number but my own. By the second day I called it in hopes that my roommate would answer. He did. I told him to call my Mom and give her this number. They told my mother that I was bipolar. Never once try to injury myself or give anyone any reason to believe that I was bipolar. One of my best friends is a doctor who informed me that you can not diagnosed Bipolar in a day or two. A mental evaluation, physical testing, and therapy is needed to determine if a person has this mental illiness. All of which can take months and years to determine. In the Emergency Room I was diagnosed as schzorhrenia. How convinent for the police, doctors and hospital. According to the Baker Act Bipolar and Schzorhrenia is the leading problem in Florida. Over 600,000 people. 70,000 in 1997 were involuntairly drugged and admitted.
My mother finally after making enless calls to find me and going through a ton of questions was able to talk with me by the third day. All my neighbors said, "They two tried to find out where I was." They too called to see if they could do anything for me. Oh, While I was in the ward the police called to tell me my house was unlocked and the garage door was left open. My roommate left it that way so that if I returned I would be able to get into the house. They called at 2:00 a.m. Wasn't that nice of them. To call me in the ward they put me. What could I possibly do about it. I just told my neighbor the next day to get a key from my roommate. They did.
Needless to say I was released 5 days later with a list of drugs that they tell me I need to take. I took them for the first day. The drugs were making it impossible for me to function properly. I threw them away. Packed up and got out of Florida.
Only to return to total chaos. My ex took temporary emgerency custody of my daughter Cassie on false grounds. Which has cost me over $7,000 dollars in legal fees. My daughter is now back with me and the legal battle that has cost me every cent I have plus more is about over. Florida is not going to get a cent from me. They have billed me for close to $5,000 in medical expenses. I refuse to pay for something that I did not ask for and did not need. The only thing I have is high blood pressure. I wonder why? This world we live in is enough to give you a heartattack.
I think someone should involuntarily committ the person who came up with the Baker Act and see how they like it. What an injustice. They're not helping people. Not even the sick people that are in there. They are destroying peoples lives.
Thank you for reading my concern. I will continue to pray and will do everything I can to spread the word and make this Act end.
Penny Muir, Frederick, Maryland
