11/20/24:  Michael Simonson found William (Bill) Lubov to represent David and Mr. Lubov requested the hearing be continued (delayed) to any day from December 3rd to December 13th to allow him to prepare.

11/19/24:  Regions hospital has asked to add clozaril (Clozapine) to the drugs they can force into David.

11/15/24:  Annie Singer’s new YouTube Video is now up, Psychiatric Survivor Needs Your Help!!! Pack the Court to Tell the Judge NO FORCED ELECTROSHOCK.

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November 13, 2024 Update

Recent News

The hearing date on the the new Petition to Electroshock David Russell against his will has been changed to November 25th at 11:30 AM Central Standard Time.  We have acquired the login information which is https://zoomgov.com/join  Meeting ID: 161 324 7575 | Passcode: 246968

The name of the attorney appointed to represent David Russell, David Jones (Jones) blatantly and proudly works against David Russell’s wishes and interests, constituting ineffective representation and violations of the Minnesota Rules of Projessional Conduct for attorneys.  As previously reported, Jim Gottstein wrote the Judge detailing this, including presenting the type of evidence Jones should have and should be introducing on behalf of his putative client.  This letter was removed from the court file at Jones’ request and the judge informed Jim she won’t read it.

Since then, Michael Simonson, a professional publicist/journalist recruited Toby Watson, PhD, an expert on electroshock, to examine David Russell remotely and potentially testify on his behalf.  Mr. Simonson has contacted Jones repeatedly about this and received no response.  Instead, for a second opinion, Jones informed the court that “any examiner from the roster” who regularly testify in favor of forced electroshock is “acceptable.”    Also, Daniel Fisher, MD, the fabulous psychiatric survivor psychiatrist is potentially willing to testify on David’s behalf after talking with him.

Finally, David has informed us that the guardian/conservator appointed dominion over him has his clothes now.  It seems quite likely this was a result of your efforts.   Thank you!  Speaking of the guardian, according to the new Electroshock Petition, Brittany Dannehy has been designated as the guardian/conservator appointed dominion over him.  It is likely the previous one quit because of your efforts, hopefully, because she didn’t want to participate in what Catholic Charities is doing to David.

Calls to Action

• Continue to contact Fox the Shock Doc, educating her about electroshock and demand she withdraw the electroshock petition.  We are pretty sure Fox’s e-mail address is lindsay.c.fox@healthpartners.com.  Calls to her are routed through the especially abusive unit David is on and flooding them with calls is too likely to result in retaliation against David so we are not recommending that.
• Contact David Jones, David Russell’s pretend lawyer and demand he withdraw as David’s attorney or properly represent David Russell, including by calling Dr. Watson or Dr. Fisher, or both, on David’s behalf.  Jones’ contact information is (507) 289-4000  jones.david@joneslawfirm.net.
• Contact Brittany Dannehy, the new guardian even if you have reached out to her previous guardian.    Her phone number is listed as 507-470-0438 and e-mail bdannehy@ccsomn.org.
• You might also keep an eye out for a new YouTube video on Annie Singer’s channel to share on Social Media, including commenting on Regions Hospital’s Facebook   and LinkedIn pages, and directing ire @RegionsHospital on X.  We will will try to post it on David’s MindFreedom Shield Alert page as soon as it goes up, if it does.

You may find Sarah Price-Hancock’s, Susan Roger’s and Jim Gottstein’s e-mails useful to use on the harms of electroshock and Jim Gottstein’s e-mail includes references to the United Nations’ and the World Health Organization’s determination that electroshocking someone against their will can constitute torture in violation of international law.  Other potential  points to be made are:

1. David Russell has the right to have autonomy over his body.
2. Honor David’s request for talk therapy instead, which the judge ordered as the “facility deems appropriate.”

Please let us know what actions you have taken to support David by posting them in the Comments below.

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Update November 12, 2024

Emergency Meeting to Prepare for David’s Hearing

Wednesday, November 13, 2:00 pm pacific

See full announcement and details to attend HERE

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Update:  November 4-7, 2024

Latest News

 

11/7/2024.  A Petition to start electroshocking David against his will again was filed today and the hearing set for November 21st at 3:00 PM Central Time.  The link for the hearing is probably https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1613247575, meeting ID 161 324 7575, passcode is 246968.  If we receive a different link we will provide an update.  People weren’t allowed in for the hearing in May, but were for the hearing in August after Jim Gottstein wrote the judge, but it seems fairly likely people won’t be allowed into this one. Still it will show solidarity for people to show up even if you aren’t let in.

On November 5th, David Jones, David Russell’s appointed lawyer, asked the judge to remove Jim Gottstein’s November 4th letter from the court file, which she ordered the same day. Jim sent a follow-up letter today asking if the judge was going to respond to the serious charge about the improper representation of Mr. Russell by Mr. Jones, and the judge had Mr. Gottstein informed she would not be reading the letter.

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11/4/2024David has been removed from the IRTS (Intensive Residential Treatment Services) where he was staying for making complaints about abusive staff and taken three hours away to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, which is a much more abusive hospital than even Mayo.  David was placed in solitary confinement for four days with his infraction being “flipping off” a nurse for lying about what drugs they were pumping into him.  He tries to lodge complaints but the staff turn their name badges around so he can’t see them and is punished for making complaints.

On November 1st he was told they are planning to electroshock him against his will again.  Now he is being told if he doesn’t misbehave they won’t electroshock him.  That certainly sounds like punishment.  However, the current order allowing “any facility with the appropriate levels of training and staff” to electroshock David against his will expires on November 8th, just a few days away.

On November 4th, Jim Gottstein wrote a letter to the judge about David’s lawyer failing to provide effective representation and violating his ethical obligations.  The letter also lays out the sort of evidence that should have been presented against drugging and electroshocking him against his will, including comments by internationally known expert on electroshock, John Read, PhD, exposing the untruthful testimony of Dr. Schak in obtaining the forced electroshock order.

The incomparable Annie Singer has produced a video for use on Social Media platforms.

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8LewXD3/

YouTube: https://youtu.be/i3iTnZKO1to?si=Z0pyNYNkOlU8W9Pa

There is a 20-minute audio recording of Jim Gottstein speaking with David on November 1st, during which Dr. Lindsay C. Fox came up and talked to David about electroshocking him against his will.  Jim reports that even before Fox came up, it was the most angry he had heard David, the point being that it certainly doesn’t justify being locked up or shocked against his will.  Not that anything would.  We are looking for a direct number for Fox, but we guessed Fox’s e-mail address to be lindsay.c.fox@healthpartners.com, and e-mails from Sarah Smith and Jim Gottstein didn’t bounce so it seems like that might be it. If you find a good number for Fox, please e-mail us at shield@mindfreedom.org.

David was not able to take his clothes from the IRTS and he has been trying to get the guardian granted dominion over him to have them retrieved for safekeeping and delivered to him.  The guardian has not responded.  So, we are also asking you to call the guardian to demand they collect David’s clothes and other property for David.

Call to Actions

• Dr. Lindsay Fox is the doc threatening to electroshock David and we are asking people to e-mail  lindsay.c.fox@healthpartners.com demanding that she not electroshock David against his will and discharge him to a suitable living arrangement.
• Lydia Stiehl, David’s appointed guardian.  Demand that the guardian collect David’s clothes and other personal property for safekeeping and delivery to David.
  • Phone number: 507-454-2270
  • Email address: lstiehl@ccsomn.org
• Mike Hanratty, Guardian/Conservator Program Director at Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota. Demand that the guardian collect David’s clothes and other personal property for safekeeping and delivery to David.
  • Phone number: 507-454-2270 ext. 233
  • Email address: mhanratty@ccsomn.org
• Social Media Video, post Annie Singer’s video on social media, including commenting on Regions Hospital’s Facebook   and LinkedIn pages, and directing ire @RegionsHospital on X,
  • TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8LewXD3/
  • YouTube: https://youtu.be/i3iTnZKO1to?si=Z0pyNYNkOlU8W9Pa

Please let us know what you do in support of David in the comments below.

 

Update:  October 10, 2024

David has been told they are not going to electroshock him any more, which he attributes to all of the pressure people have put on as a result of his MindFreedom Shield Alert. David wants everyone to know how grateful he is for all the support he has gotten.  Now, he is scheduled to be sent to an Intensive Residential Treatment Services (IRTS) tomorrow morning, October 11, 2024.  The IRTS is somewhat less restrictive, but still bad.

Update: September 12, 2024

 

Latest news

David Russell has recently been psychiatrically reincarcerated and electroshocked against his will at least two more times at the Mayo Clinic at the time of writing, and he has now been electroshocked against his will 17 times by our count. This has clearly had negative cognitive effects on him, at least some of which are likely to be permanent.

David is being forcibly subjected to psychiatric incarceration and electroshock because he became upset when his appointed guardian, Lydia Stiehl from Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota, refused to provide him with his financial information. David says he may have raised his voice somewhat, but did not yell. Whether Mayo Clinic and Catholic Charities admit it or not, they are retaliating against David for asserting his rights.

Guardianships are a common form of exploiting and disempowering people, and in this case David’s right to make his own legal and medical decisions has been revoked.

 

Call to action

Please redouble your efforts to advocate for David by contacting the following individuals involved in his case:

• Dr. Kathryn Schak, the doctor responsible for David’s electroshock at Mayo Clinic
  • Secretary’s phone number: 507-255-2326
  • Email address: schak.kathryn@mayo.edu
• Lydia Stiehl, David’s appointed guardian
  • Phone number: 507-454-2270
  • Email address: lstiehl@ccsomn.org
• Mike Hanratty, Guardian/Conservator Program Director at Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota
  • Phone number: 507-454-2270 ext. 233
  • Email address: mhanratty@ccsomn.org
• Bishop Robert Barron, Diocese of Winona-Rochester and President of Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota
  • Phone number: 507-858-1242
  • Email address: bishop@dowr.org
  • Social media: Facebook | X (Twitter) | YouTube

 

Tips and talking points

• David should not be electroshocked because he does not consent to it and it is harming his health.
• His guardian should provide him with his financial information as he has requested.
• Bishop Barron should take responsibility for this horror being perpetrated under his watch. We believe he should be publicly shamed for what he is allowing to be inflicted on David. Jim Gottstein’s e-mail to Bishop Barron might provide talking points for your own actions in support of David.
  • Bishop Barron’s Facebook page has over 3 million followers. While you can’t post on his main page, you can comment on his posts.
  • His X (Twitter) account has over 200,000 followers. Send posts and replies to @BishopBarron pleading that he stop David from being electroshocked.
  • His YouTube channel has over 525,000 subscribers. You can comment on the individual videos.

 

Note

Please remember that David is at risk of retaliation and you are supporting him under the MindFreedom banner. We ask you to take this into account in your social media posts, and when you call or write. Our mission statement is:

In a spirit of mutual cooperation, MindFreedom International aims to lead a non-violent revolution of freedom, equality, truth, and human rights in mental health care by uniting psychiatric survivors, consumers, and allies through movements for justice everywhere.

This is the spirit we want you to bring to this effort. MindFreedom thanks you for your support of David. David also always expresses his gratitude for your trying to help.

 

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Update: August 5, 2024

David’s review hearing is now scheduled for August 19th at 1:30 PM Central Time. The link is https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1613247575, the meeting ID is 161 324 7575, and the passcode is 246968.

It is not unusual for court dates to get moved around.

 

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Update: August 2, 2024

 

Latest news

We believe David Russell was electroshocked for the fourteenth time on Tuesday morning, and he was told the shock doc plans to do it again next Tuesday.

David, a software programmer who was psychiatrically imprisoned at the Mayo Clinic, suffered a potentially life threatening blood clot as a result, but that didn’t stop them from continuing to electroshock him against his will.  We regained phone contact with David after he was transferred from the Mayo Clinic itself to an IRTS (Intensive Residential Treatment Services), and he tells us he is still transported to Mayo to be electroshocked against his will.

David has been put under guardianship, a common form of exploiting and disenfranchising disabled people, and in this case the right to make his own legal and medical decisions has been handed over to Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota. Why does a religious organization have legal rights over a man’s life and body in a supposedly secular state? We must fight to ultimately end this, and immediately to get the Catholic Charities “guardian” to stop the electroshock torture of David Russell!

Thank you for all the support you have given David so far. A big thanks also to the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee for including David’s Shield Alert in their recent news bulletin.

 

Call to action

This week, please focus on Bishop Barron, archdiocese and president of Catholic Charities, who has the power to intervene and stop the shock!

• Comment and tag Bishop Barron on Facebook and X (Twitter).
• He will likely be posting a new video on YouTube on Sunday, which we encourage you to comment on as well.
• His phone number is 507-858-1242 and his e-mail address is bishop@dowr.org.

For examples of what to say to Bishop Barron, see this letter from Attorney Jim Gottstein.

There may also be a new video on Annie Singer’s channel based on this update within a day or so that can be shared, including on Bishop Barron’s social media.<./p>

If you can, please also try to join David’s court hearing via Zoom on Tuesday, August 19th at 1:30 PM Central Time. We will try and get the link information before the hearing and get it out to you. The date/time for this review hearing has been changed twice, already and we will endeavor to keep you informed about this as well.

Please let us know what actions you take on behalf of David by posting them in the comments below.

 

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Update: July 29, 2024

 

The review hearing scheduled for July 31st at 9 AM Central Time in David’s commitment case has been changed to August 6th at 2:45 PM Central.  We do not have the login information at this time, but hope to obtain it soon.

 

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Update: July 24, 2024

David was discharged from the Mayo Clinic Psychiatric Prison today to a somewhat less restrictive IRTS (Intensive Residential Treatment Services) and we have not been able to regain contact with him yet. He is supposed to have access to his cell phone there, but didn’t know if the guardian paid his bill to keep it going. We expect to regain contact in the next day or so.

He hopes not being at the hospital means they are going to stop electroshocking him against his will, but Charles Helmer and Ray Sandford were both electroshocked on an outpatient basis in Minnesota.

A review hearing to extend David’s commitment will be held via Zoom on July 31st. You may be able to attend to show your support for him. The details of the hearing are as follows:

• Date: July 31st at 9 AM Central Daylight Time
• Meeting link: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1613247575
• Meeting ID: 161 324 7575
• Passcode: 246968

At the last hearing a bunch of people tried to join and their screen names were changed to “Observer,” but they were never let in. Even though they were not let in, it showed the judge there are people supporting David. Maybe people will be let in this time.

 

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Update: July 15, 2024

 

1:00 PM Central Time: Annie Singer has made a YouTube Video that can be shared on social media, Mayo Clinic is STILL torturing David Russell — You can help!  She also has the video on TikTok.

8 AM Central Time: David has now been electroshocked ten times against his will.

1. June 13, 2024 2. June 14, 2024 3. June 17, 2024 4. June 19, 2024 5. June 24, 2024

6.  July 1, 2024 7.  July 3, 2024 8.  July 5, 2024 9.  July 9, 2024 10. July 12, 2024

David has been told they are going to reduce the frequency to once a week and then maybe to once a month.  David thinks they are planning on moving him to a less restrictive setting and hoped that would mean no more electroshock, but both Charles Helmer and Ray Sandford were electroshocked against their will on an outpatient basis in Minnesota.

David was asked if he still wanted people advocating to stop electroshocking him against his will in light of the apparent lack of effect and he said yes.  In fact, it took a sustained effort to stop the electroshocking of Charles Helmer and Ray Sandford before success was achieved.

Therefore we are asking people to continue to press the Mayo Clinic, especially Dr. Schak, and Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota (Catholic Charities), which was granted dominion over David as guardian to stop the shock.  David has not been told what they are trying to accomplish with the electroshock.  The reason given in the Electroshock Order is that since David has “failed multiple neureleptic drug trials . . . [electroshock] is the next medical step.”   As far as we know Schak.Kathryn@mayo.edu is still Schak’s e-mail address and the phone number of Schak’s Medical Secretary is 507-255-2326.

Bishop Barron, the head of the archdioces and president of Chatholic Charities, can be contacted and urged to intervene to stop the shock.  We think Bishop Barron’s phone number is 507-858-1242, and his e-mail address bishop@dowr.org.
Bishop Barron’s X (Twitter) account has over 200,000 followers and posts and replies can be sent to .@BishopBarron asking that he intervene to stop David from being electroshocked. Bishop Barron’s YouTube Channel has over 525,000 followers and you can comment on the individual videos.

In addition, you can contact Governor Tim Walz and demand he look into the abuse of David Russel.

We are certainly open to suggestions for other actions that might be taken on David’s behalf.  If you have any, please e-mail shield@mindfreedom.org.

Please comment below sharing the actions you have taken. Our web provider requires us to approve comments, so they may take a bit of time to show up.

 

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Update: July 1, 2024

 

11:30 AM Central Time: Jim Gottstein talked to David and he was electroshocked against his will this morning, making it number 6 by our count.

4:00 AM Central Time: As we mentioned last time, the head of Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota, Bishop Barron, is one of the most-followed Catholics in the world on social media.  if we can get David’s Alert noticed on Bishop Barron’s social media that would be very good.  The idea is to get him to intervene to stop the electroshocking of David Russell against his will.

Bishop Barron’s Facebook Page has over 3 million followers and while you can’t post on his main page, you can comment on his posts.  It would not be surprising if these were deleted and people posting the comments were blocked, but we wonder how fast they can do that and how many of us will post there.  That they remove the posts and block people over it, can be publicized as well.   It will be interesting to see, and if you e-mail shield@mindfreedom.org about your experience with Bishop Barron’s social media we can post it on David’s MindFreedom Shield Alert Auxiliary Page.

Bishop Barron’s X (Twitter) account has over 200,000 followers and posts and replies can be sent to .@BishopBarron pleading that he stop David from being electroshocked.  Susan Roger’s post on X can be reposted.

Bishop Barron’s YouTube Channel has over 525,000 followers and you can comment on the individual videos.  One has almost 2,000 comments, so it is hard to get noticed there, but if enough comments are made that can have an impact.

Jim Gottstein’s e-mail to Bishop Barron might serve to provide talking points for your own actions in support of David, as well as the e-mails posted on David’s MindFreedom Shield Alert Auxiliary Page.

Finally, you can share Annie Singer’s TikTok Video on your social media.  It uses the F word a few times so that is a consideration of whether and where you might post it.  It is focused on getting people to contact Bishop Barron to get him to stop the electroshocking of David.

Calls and e-mails to Bishop Barron should also be continued; 507-858-1242, bishop@dowr.org.

Until our comment function is working reliably, please e-mail us with the actions you take so we can post them in the auxiliary pages we have set up as a work-around.  Especially if you tried to leave a comment and were stymied.  Unless you tell us otherwise, when we post your e-mails, we will remove your e-mail address.

 

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Update: June 26, 2024

 

4:30 PM Central Time: An auxiliary page has been set up for additional information and as a workaround for the comments feature not working at the present time.

• Fabulous TikTok Post by Annie Singer

2:30 PM Central Time: The Mayo Clinic is electroshocking David against his will again in spite of it causing a potentially deadly blood clot last Wednesday. The callous disregard of David’s health, and even life, is stunning.

We understand David has been subjected to five electroshocks against his will:

1. June 13, 2024
2. June 14, 2024
3. June 17, 2024
4. June 19, 2024 (blood clot)
5. June 24, 2024

They were going to shock him again this morning, but there was a mix-up and he ate breakfast so they didn’t subject him to it.

A volunteer has been able to obtain some of the court filings in the commitment/electroshock case.  They are very short on facts as to why all this is being done to David.   The Electroshock Petition does state that David cannot breathe on his own during the procedure. There is also a recording of the hearing last October in the guardianship case on David’s motion for a new attorney.  His supposed lawyer essentially testifyied against David, demonstrating why David should get a new lawyer.  When David accurately says the lawyers assigned to him do nothing for him, that is attributed to the ravings of a lunatic.  We hope to get transcripts of the psychiatric imprisonment, forced drugging, and forced electroshock hearings.

Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota, which has been granted dominion over David as guardian has done nothing to protect David.  They could almost certainly have the electroshocking of David stopped.  We have asked you to contact people in its guardianship office without response, and now we are asking you to also contact the bishop of the diocese and higher ups at Catholic Charities.  Mike Hanratty who we have asked you to contact in the past should continue to be urged to do the right thing and stop David from being electroshocked.  He has the power to do so.  E-mails are good, but phone calls are better.

Bishop Robert Barron, Diocese of Winona-Rochester.
507-858-1242
bishop@dowr.org, or contacted through his secretary, Leandra Hubka, at lhubka@dowr.org.

John Meyers,  Catholic Charities Executive Director
507-454-2270
jmeyers@ccsomn.org

Isaac Landsteiner, Catholic Charities Director of Parish Social Ministry
507-848-8303
ilandsteiner@ccsomn.org

Mike Hanratty, Guardian/Conservator Program Director
507-454-2270 ext. 233
mhanratty@ccsomn.org

You might use their Catholic Social Teachings webpage and/or Jim Gottstein’s e-mail to Bishop Barron for talking points in your phone calls and e-mails .

Let’s also try to shame Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic leadership and board of trustees on social media.

Bishop Barron’s bio says he is one of the most-followed Catholics in the world on social media.   Thus, flooding his social media could have a big impact.

3.1 million Facebook fans (https://facebook.com/BishopRobertBarron)
529,000 YouTube subscribers (https://youtube.com/user/wordonfirevideo)
205,700 Twitter followers (https://twitter.com/BishopBarron)

The commenting function on David’s Alert Page is mostly not working at the moment so, if you could e-mail shield@mindfreedom.org to inform us of your social media posts that would be great.   Or any other actions you take to support David.  We will try to at least add the social media posts here so people can can repost them or otherwise use them to support David.  Frankly, “liking” posts does not accomplish anything in our view.  We want to shame Catholic Charities, the Catholic Church in Southern Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic as well as enlist the public in the effort to stop David from being electroshocked against his will.

 

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Update: June 22, 2024

 

First, an update on David. When he woke up Wednesday after being electroshocked for the fourth time, he had a blood clot in his arm.  This is a known effect of electroshock and can be fatal. Presumably for this reason he was not electroshocked Friday. It seems likely their plan is to resume the electroshock once the clot has dissolved so we don’t know how much of a reprieve this might be. Therefore, the pressure should be kept on.

However, it turns out the phone numbers we were provided for Schak and Zorn are their personal cell phones and people were calling in the middle of the night. Or, at least that is what Mayo’s lawyer wrote in his cease and desist letter. In our Alerts and Updates we say to to take into account you are advocating under the MindFreedom banner. We haven’t specified what that means exactly, but it doesn’t mean calling people in the middle of the night. While what Schak and Mayo are doing is reprehensible to say the least, constituting torture, MindFreedom chooses to take a higher road than Mayo. Not only do we think it is the right thing, we believe it is more effective, especially in the long run. We therefore ask that you stop calling those phone numbers.  We have gotten Mayo’s attention. You might be interested in Jim Gottstein’s response to the cease and desist letter.

Over the weekend, let’s see if we can build a social media campaign focusing on Mayo’s Leadership and Board of Trustees. The idea is to draw their attention to what Mayo is doing and ask them to stop the Mayo Clinic from electroshocking David Russell against his will, as well invite others to join this effort.  Are they pleased with being associated with an organization that is inflicting torture? “Liking” a post doesn’t accomplish this. The goal is to get wide exposure of what the Mayo Clinic is doing, garnering support, sympathy, and empathy for David. Sarah Price Hancock’s e-mail to Governor Waltz and people at the Mayo Clinic can be used to make points. So can PsychRights’ 2011 letter to the FDA.

Please put a link to your social media posts in the comments below so others can repost. Our system requires approval so it might take a bit before it shows up.

 

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Update: June 20, 2024

 

David Russell has been electroshocked against his will four times now: Thursday, June 13th, the very next day on Friday, June 14th, Monday June 17th, and Wednesday, June 19th. They won’t tell him how many times they are going to electroshock him, but it is likely he will be shocked again on Friday, June 21st, unless we can get it stopped.  We need to keep the pressure on.

It would be great if you would call them and demand that the Mayo Clinic quit electroshocking David Russell against his will.   It is believed Dr. Schak can have the shock stopped on her order.

Also, Catholic Charities, the guardian granted dominion over David, should not be let off the hook.  The legal rationale for overriding David’s choice not to take electroshock is he lacks capacity (is imcomptent) to make such a choice.  As his guardian, Catholic Charities is almost certainly allowed to choose that David not be electroshocked.  However, instead of exercising independent judgment, Catholic Charities is just accepting what Mayo wants to do to David.  There is a new person assigned to David by Catholic Charities, Lydia Stiehl.  Ms. Stiehl’s e-mail address is lstiehl@ccsomn.org and her phone number is 507-454-2270.  It would be great if you could contact her and demand she have the shock stopped. We don’t have her extension so you will have to ask to be transferred to her.  The head of Catholic Charities guardianship program is Mike Hanratty and he should be called as well.  He is at extension 233 of the same phone number, 507-454-2270, and his e-mail address is mhanratty@ccsomn.org.

Jim Gottstein wrote Ms. Stiehl an e-mail that you can look at for ideas about what to say or write.  Also, Sarah Price Hancock wrote an especially excellent e-mail to Governor Waltz and people at the Mayo Clinic that can also be used for talking points.

We will appreciate it if you let us know about e-mails you send or about calls you make in the comments below.  Our system requires approval so it might take a bit before it shows up. If you have any problems, please e-mail shield@mindfreedom.org.

Also, please remember that David is at risk of retaliation and you are supporting him under the MindFreedom banner.  We ask you to take this into account when you call or write.

David always expresses appreciation for what you are doing to try to stop him from being electroshocked, as do we at MindFreedom.

 

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Update: June 16, 2024

 

Jim Gottstein has been speaking with David most days since April 29th. Before he was electroshocked on Thursday, June 13th, David did not exhibit any memory deficits.  David did complain about the drugging affecting his thinking. After he was electroshocked against his will on Thursday David said it took him 30 minutes to remember where he was and had a splitting headache.

It is believed David was electroshocked against his will again the next day, Friday. Normally, electroshock is not given two days in a row. David was very disoriented, he couldn’t remember what day it was and was unclear on when he had been electroshocked.  He was sure he had been electroshocked twice. When I talked to him later in the day, he didn’t remember he had talked to me earlier in the day. On Saturday, June 15th, David was feeling a little better, but was still having problems with his memory. Today, Sunday, June 16th, David says his memory has come back some, he is groggy and sore all over.

He understands they are going to continue to electroshock him against his will this coming week. Throughout this whole time David has said he is “scared shitless” as he saw someone being electroshocked to the point where they couldn’t talk and needed help eating. The brain damage from electroshock is cumulative, so the fewer electroshocks the better. David is a software engineer and he is legitimately worried the electroshock will make him unable to do that any more.

In addition to continuing to urge Dr. Schak to stop having David electroshocked against his will, you can contact Gianrico Farrugia, MD, Mayo’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) by e-mail mailing him at Farrugia.gianrico@mayo.edu. Christina Zorn is Mayo’s Chief Administrative Officer and her e-mail address might be zorn.christina@mayo.org. Jim Gottstein e-mailed her, requesting a delivery receipt, which he has not received, nor has he received a bounce message.

Also, please contact Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz and ask him to have the forcible electroshocking of David Russell stopped.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz
130 State Capitol
St. Paul, MN 55155
Fax:(612)296-2089
Tel:(612)296-3391
email: tim.walz@state.mn.us
web: http://www.state.mn.us

Alternate phone numbers:

Telephone:  651-201-3400
Toll Free:  800-657-3717
Minnesota Relay:  800-627-3529

Even though it is hard to imagine things getting worse for David, please recognize that he is at risk of retaliation and you are supporting David under the MindFreedom banner, so we ask you to take these into account when you call or write.

We will appreciate it if you leave a comment below with a copy of your e-mail and/or a description of your phone call or whatever else you might have done on David’s behalf and the response, if any. Our system requires approval of comments so it will take a bit for it to show up.

 

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Update: June 13, 2024

 

Noon Central Time: Another volunteer has identified the following Mayo Trustees’ e-mail addresses.

• Dr. Katherine Baicker          kbaicker@uchicago.edu
• Dr. Matthew R. Callstrom    callstrom.matthew@mayo.edu
• Dr. Rafael Fonseca             fonseca.rafael@mayo.edu
• Dr. Charanjit S. Rihal          rihal@mayo.edu

Jim Gottstein’s e-mail to Michael Powell, the chair of the Mayo Clinic’s Board of Trustees, might be useful in drafting e-mails to these trustees.  It might also be useful to keep in mind these are all MDs.

10:40 AM Central Time: Jim Gottstein talked to David and he was electroshocked. He said it took him 30 minutes to remember where he was, has a splitting headache and other typical negative electroshock effects.

10:20 AM Central Time: It appears Dr. Schak changed her e-mail address and it is now Schak.Kathryn@mayo.edu.

10:00 AM Central Time: One of our volunteers tells us the phone number of the Medical Secretary to Dr. Schak is 507-255-2326. Calls could be made to Dr. Schak there.

3:00 AM Central Time: David Russell is scheduled to be electroshocked against his will in a few hours, presumably on the order of the psychiatrist assigned to him, Kate Schak. It is believed Schak testified in court to obtain the court order and then in the face of our efforts to stop it told David she had decided against it. On May 8th, Jim Gottstein wrote to Schak asking her to get the court order revoked (vacated) because David was concerned Dr. Schak or someone else might change their mind. That certainly proved prescient.

Jim Gottstein just wrote Dr. Schak again, demanding that she stop the shock.  She can almost certainly still stop the shock as of the time this is posted.  Please e-mail or call Dr. Schak to stop the shock. Her e-mail address is schak.kathryn@mayo.edu. You can also try calling her at (507) 255-5555. This is where the Mayo Clinic has locked David up. If you can’t get through to her, please leave a message for her to stop the electroshocking of David Russell.

Please leave a comment below with a copy of your e-mail and/or a description of your phone call or whatever else you might have done on David’s behalf. Our system requires approval of comments so it will take a bit for it to show up.

Thank you for your support of David.

 

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Update: June 12, 2024

 

Today at around 2:00 PM, David was informed they are going to start electroshocking him against his will tomorrow. They wouldn’t answer any of his questions, such as how many times they plan to electroshock him, what they expect to accomplish, or even why they decided to subject him to electroshock when they had previously informed him they were not going to. David suspects it is because he has been telling them about the corruption he has knowledge of.

Even if David is incorrect about the corruption, it is no justification for electroshocking him. If it is true, which probably at least some of it is, the electroshock could erase his memory about it. Electroshock is sometimes used for just this sort of purpose.

David witnessed another patient who was rendered unable to talk by electroshock and is terrified of that happening to him. Whether it gets that bad or not, Electroshock always causes brain damage, usually causing at least some memory loss. It is unpredictable, but many people are brain damaged so much they can no longer engage in their profession or are otherwise disabled.

It is unlikely Mayo Clinic executives and especially trustees know about the despicable actions of their employees and this should be brought to their attention. The Chair of the Board of Trustees is Michael Powell. Powell is the President & CEO of NCTA, The Internet & Television Association, and is the former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The e-mail address we have found for him is mpowell@ncta.commpowell@ncta.com

You can look at the e-mail Jim Gottstein sent Mr. Powell. Please let us know what you do on David’s behalf by putting it in the comments. Copying and pasting e-mails work.  The system requires us to review comments so it might take a bit of time before it shows up.

We expect to be updating this page frequently in the next day or so with additional people to contact to try and stop the Mayo Clinic from electroshocking David. It is hoped Mr. Powell, or Eric Schmidt for that matter, who ran Google for ten years and is now the executive chairman of its parent company, would not be happy about bad publicity over this. If you find information on how to contact Mr. Schmidt, or other members of the board of trustees, please let us know. It also seems like a social media campaign could be good–if we got some reach with it.  We could use some help with that, too. If you initiate or participate in a social media campaign to stop David from being electroshocked, please also put that in the comments or otherwise let us know.

 

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Update: May 8, 2024

 

David just informed us he has been told they are no longer planning to electroshock him and going to work on discharge planning to a theoretically slightly less restrictive environment. YOU HAVE DONE IT!!!

There is no doubt David would have been electroshocked against his will without your efforts on his behalf. David wants everyone to know how appreciative he is. David said he called many agencies supposedly standing up for people’s rights and no one cared until he reached MindFreedom. He said he can’t believe people who don’t even know him have tried to help him. When he has a chance, he plans to thank us in the comments section.

The court order will likely still be hanging over David’s head so that is of some concern, but for now we should stand down from the advocacy. If they change their minds again David will try to let us know and we can start the advocacy again. We will also try to keep in touch with David just to make sure.

David is still trapped by the guardianship imposed on him and it would be great if he could get out from under that.

 

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Update: May 7, 2024

 

This evening David informed us his new psychiatrist, Kate Schak, who testified in favor of electroshocking David against his will on Monday, told him today they were thinking about not going forward with the electroshock. While not definitive, it does seem hopeful.

We had asked the president/CEO of the Mayo Clinic to stop his organization from electroshocking David against his will on deck as the next action to take and Mr. Gottstein’s e-mail to Dr. Farrugia is in the comments below. It is still okay to e-mail Dr. Farrugia, but with the thrust being they should indeed decide not to electroshock Mr. Russell and inform him so. Dr. Farrugia’s e-mail address is probably farrugia.gianrico@mayo.edu.

 

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Update: May 6, 2024

 

The court authorized the forced electroshocking of David Russell today. We understand the lawyer did not present any evidence against electroshock to rebut the untruthful testimony of the doctor. David’s statements about the harms were ignored, presumably as a product of his “mental illness,” i.e., that he was delusional in believing electroshock is harmful. There were at least eight people from MindFreedom who tried to attend the Zoom hearing, told they had been changed to observers but not let in. There were probably more who haven’t informed Jim Gottstein.  If you are one of those people, you might drop in a comment below. We are not giving up.

 

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Update: May 5, 2024

 

The court hearing to authorize electroshocking David against his will is scheduled for 10:00 AM Central Time, Monday, May 6th.  We have found out it is going to be held by Zoom that one can join using ID Number 1613247575 and Pass Code 246968.

We don’t know if you will be thrown out if you join the Zoom, but it could have a salutary effect on the participants to know that people are watching what they are doing. Court rules will generally not allow you to speak.

We don’t know if chat will be enabled. If it is enabled, we know it will be hard to be civil in light of what they plan to do to David, but please be courteous and respectful in spite of that.

You can comment about your experience of and observations about the hearing at the bottom of this page. Our system requires approval of comments so it may take a little while before it shows up.

It is conceivable they will cancel or postpone the court hearing at the last minute. That is what happened Thursday when there was a retention hearing scheduled on whether to continue locking up David. The last we heard, David has not been told of the reason for the delay.  Maybe his appointed lawyer just agreed to have David continued to be locked up? However, we don’t see anything to that effect on the docket sheet.

 

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Update: May 2, 2024

 

David signed a release of information to provide information to James B. Gottstein, Esq., of the Law Project for Psychiatric Rights (PsychRights), but they won’t honor it, saying only his guardian can.

This is another reason to contact Mike Hanratty at Catholic Charities, David’s Guardian. His phone number is 507-454-2270, and his e-mail address is mhanratty@ccsomn.org. Jim Gottstein e-mailed Mr. Hanratty asking him to send him the Electroshock Petition and sign an Authorization for Release of Information to communicate with Jim. This e-mail is in the comments below.

So, today’s action is to contact Mr. Hanratty and demand (respectfully) that he send Mr. Gottstein the Electroshock Petition and sign an Authorization for Release of Information. His phone number is 507-454-2270, and his e-mail address is mhanratty@ccsomn.org.

You can post your e-mail and/or describe your phone conversation or voice mail in the comment section below. Our system requires moderation so it may take a bit for your comment to show up.

 

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Update: May 1, 2024

 

At this point, the prime suspect for who filed the Electroshock Petition is Rob Morgan, the psychiatrist in charge of David where he is locked up at the Mayo Clinic. His e-mail address is Morgan.Robert@mayo.edu. We don’t have his direct phone number, but Jim Gottstein was able to reach him by calling the Unit at (507) 255-5555 and asking for Dr. Morgan. Dr. Morgan didn’t deny he had filed the Electroshock Petition and Jim asked him to withdraw it. Jim then e-mailed him, which is posted in the comments below.

Please e-mail and/or call Dr. Morgan and ask him to withdraw or dismiss the Electroshock Petition. While it is good to be firm and direct about the harm inflicted by Electroshock, please be respectful and courteous. You can then post what you e-mailed, or describe your phone call or voicemail, in the comments. If you previously  contacted Catholic Charities and have yet to post what you did in the comments, you still can.

Speaking of Catholic Charities, as David’s Guardian, it should vehemently oppose the Electroshock Petition. They should not be let off the hook even if they didn’t file the Electroshock Petition. Mike Hanratty is the Program Director of the Catholic Charities guardianship program, his phone number is 507-454-2270, and his e-mail address is mhanratty@ccsomn.org.

 

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Update: April 30, 2024

 

Catholic Charities denies it filed the Electroshock Petition and has been asked to vehemently oppose it and to identify who did.  See, the exchange in the comment by Jim Gottstein below.

 

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Shield Alert: Stop David Russell from being forcibly electroshocked

April 29, 2024: David Russell is terrified. He is currently a psychiatric prisoner at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and there is a court hearing scheduled for this coming Monday, May 6th, where they are on track to get a court order through a sham legal process to electroshock him against his will. David is terrified because he saw another patient who was electroshocked who now can’t even talk.

They really have David boxed in, taking his rights away through a guardianship/conservatorship and assigning him the same lawyer in both cases, who does nothing on his behalf according to David and as far as we can tell. Having a guardian means David is not allowed to make his own decisions, essentially putting him in the position of a small child with the guardian taking the place of his parents. The Conservator has control of David’s assets, including his income and bank account. David is an employed software engineer and the guardianship/conservatorship is absurd, bud sadly we see this all the time.

He is currently forced to take Zyprexa and has experienced the typical large weight gain associated with it. Zyprexa also dramatically increases the risk of diabetes. Previously, he was forced to take Risperdal, which has caused his breasts to swell up and lactate. This is called gynecomastia and is a well-established consequence of taking Risperdal.

This is all terrible and it would be great for David to be freed, both physically from psychiatric incarceration and forced drugging, and from the guardianship, but right now he desperately wants to avoid being electroshocked. We are still trying to find contact information for some of the people we would like to influence, but we do know Catholic Charities has been appointed guardian over David. The person there who is making decisions about David’s life is Brittany Dannehy whose phone number is 507-454-2270 ext. 241 and e-mail address is bdannehy@ccsomn.org. Mike Hanratty, is the Program Director of Catholic Charities’ euphemistically named Adult Advocacy Program and his phone number is 507-454-2270 and e-mail address is mhanratty@ccsomn.org.

David says he has not been given the electroshock petition, even though it is almost certainly legally required that he be given it.  We can’t know for sure, but the Minnesota statute about the Guardian’s Power (see § (c)(4)(ii)) says it is the Guardian who is to file a petition for electroshock, so it seems good to call and e-mail Ms. Dannehy and Mr. Hanratty demanding that they withdraw the petition for electroshocking David against his will.  Information on Electroshock is available here that might be useful in crafting e-mails or for phone calls. What they are planning on doing to David is truly barbarous and the United Nations has determined it can constitute torture (see ¶ 14) so it is right to be angry, but still please be courteous and respectful. If Catholic Charities did not file the Forced Electroshock Petition they can deny it and if so, should be asked who did. Please let us know.

You can leave comments below about steps you have taken and things you have learned and check back for updates.