Carson Briere, (Flyer's GM son) pushes disabled woman's wheelchair down stairs at bar

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by Alpha_Q

As a tangent to this story, back in 2004-08 I worked for the Calgary HandiBus Association as a driver, and one night I was taking this young woman to a pub in Kensington that was going to have live music by a local band that she really wanted to see. When we got there, it was about 5 steps up, and the lift in the back wasn't working, so she'd have to just hang around outside in the cold until her scheduled pick up time, or until another bus could come get her. Well, there were a bunch of guys that just happened to be hanging around outside, one might have ben having a cigarette or something. They offered to pick her up up, chair and all, and take her inside. This wasn't a small chair, either, it was one of those powered MFers and heavy as heavy. Took 4 of them, but they did it.

A little after midnight and near the end of my shift I get a radio call to go pick her up, 'cause the bus that was supposed to pick her up hours before broke down. I figured she'd have been taken downstairs by now, and was probably outside freezing. When I got there, no one was outside and the place looked mostly empty. She was waiting inside, and I started to panic, thinking there'd be no way to get her down the stairs. The guys had stayed there with her until her ride showed up. They were all in that 20-24 age range. There's decent people out there, thankfully, which just makes the DB in question look worse. But man, some of the stories you hear about what folks who use wheelchairs have to put up with just to do the basics that able bodied folk take for granted.

This is a great story. There are lots of great people out there. Here is a story with a bit of the flip side. A few years ago I used to take my mother to work everyday. We would stop for breakfast in the building she worked in. My very first day I let the waitress know I had to read lips. At first everything was fine, I always smiled and left a tip. A short time later I noticed none of the waitresses would look at me. They would look away or down, or ask my mother what I wanted. My mother would reply "look at him he can read your lips." This went on everyday with different waitresses, at first I would just encourage them to look at me and tell them that I couldn't hear at all. After about three months while still smiling and always leaving a tip I started to feel frustrated. I decided to go to the manager, I let him know his waitesses didn't believe I was deaf (I could still speak having lost my hearing while I was younger). The next day the service was much better and they would look at me. Now, my mother being older, I just wanted to spend enjoyable time with her, she was my biggest fan. Meanwhile I always smiled and left a tip. This situation is very common for people with disabilities, some people think it is no big deal, but as person with a disability I deal with stuff like this everyday, and still have to smile. A person in a wheelchair has to have patience to wait at a bus stop or to deal with daily barriers. When we accept who we are we are fine with it but it is the attitudes of others that makes hard. The good news is "we" continue to be strong knowing that through patience and education that there are lots of good people out there. Please think twice before you consider a person's disability ot situation as "no big deal". We have to deal with stuff everyday and smile, not just for us but for you too.

[AltaGuy]

Originally Posted by Alpha_Q

As a tangent to this story, back in 2004-08 I worked for the Calgary HandiBus Association as a driver, and one night I was taking this young woman to a pub in Kensington that was going to have live music by a local band that she really wanted to see. When we got there, it was about 5 steps up, and the lift in the back wasn't working, so she'd have to just hang around outside in the cold until her scheduled pick up time, or until another bus could come get her. Well, there were a bunch of guys that just happened to be hanging around outside, one might have ben having a cigarette or something. They offered to pick her up up, chair and all, and take her inside. This wasn't a small chair, either, it was one of those powered MFers and heavy as heavy. Took 4 of them, but they did it.

A little after midnight and near the end of my shift I get a radio call to go pick her up, 'cause the bus that was supposed to pick her up hours before broke down. I figured she'd have been taken downstairs by now, and was probably outside freezing. When I got there, no one was outside and the place looked mostly empty. She was waiting inside, and I started to panic, thinking there'd be no way to get her down the stairs. The guys had stayed there with her until her ride showed up. They were all in that 20-24 age range. There's decent people out there, thankfully, which just makes the DB in question look worse. But man, some of the stories you hear about what folks who use wheelchairs have to put up with just to do the basics that able bodied folk take for granted.

Heh. Molly Malones. I was one of those guys and remember that night.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by AltaGuy

Heh. Molly Malones. I was one of those guys and remember that night.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by AltaGuy

Heh. Molly Malones. I was one of those guys and remember that night.

AltaGuy has a magnetic personality and exudes positive energy, which is infectious to those around him!

[Alpha_Q]

Originally Posted by AltaGuy

Heh. Molly Malones. I was one of those guys and remember that night.

That's right, Molly Malones. She told me you guys took her and the chair down the stairs to the washroom as well. She was on my bus a few times after that, and she always talked about how great that night was for her, and how much it meant to her, for you guys to do that.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by AltaGuy

Heh. Molly Malones. I was one of those guys and remember that night.

Good for you and your buddies. Good to hear you did that.

[AltaGuy]

Originally Posted by Alpha_Q

That's right, Molly Malones. She told me you guys took her and the chair down the stairs to the washroom as well. She was on my bus a few times after that, and she always talked about how great that night was for her, and how much it meant to her, for you guys to do that.

IIRC she became a bit of a regular and we had a ramp built in the back that helped many others too because of her.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by Infinit47

I imagine this would be going very differently if he had simply provided a sincere apology at the time.

If he stayed for a minute, let her know he was sorry and allowed her the opportunity to explain why what he did was so hurtful I'm guessing she would be telling people to cool it and allow him to learn from his mistake. The issue would then be more about how our society treats people who have differing abilities, and less about him being a jerk.

I can understand why someone could see a wheel chair and as a drunken mistake push it down the stairs like an idiot. Because I can believe he wouldn't associate the wheel chair with a real person that he was hurting. But to look her in the face and not be able to come up with a sincere apology. That's hard for me to understand.

Probably lacks empathy. They are out there.

[the2bears]

Originally Posted by AltaGuy

Heh. Molly Malones. I was one of those guys and remember that night.

Originally Posted by Alpha_Q

That's right, Molly Malones. She told me you guys took her and the chair down the stairs to the washroom as well. She was on my bus a few times after that, and she always talked about how great that night was for her, and how much it meant to her, for you guys to do that.

What an awesome story. As an aside, I'm cutting onions here. Or something.

Made my day after all the crap in this thread.

[Amethyst]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

I'm just saying when we have someone here sincerely comparing this act to physically breaking someone's legs (for which you'd be arrested and very likely go to jail for years for getting caught doing) that we've maybe lost the plot a little bit.

Is it a wrong and dumb thing to do? Of course. Does anyone talk about it / does it make any kind of news anywhere if it is not the son of a famous hockey person? No, it does not.

Maybe it should? If the wheelchair was damaged, the person would need to be carried home and wouldn't be able to get around in their daily life until a replacement was provided... same as someone whose legs were broken.

[Hemi-Cuda]

From OutOfTheCubes awful awful takes, to a heartwarming tale about a bunch of stand-up dudes making a memorable night for one girl with a special appearance by AltaGuy, one of said stand-up dudes. This thread is a wild ride

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

nm

[SutterBrother]

Nice to see the thread turn!

[midniteowl]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

I'm just saying when we have someone here sincerely comparing this act to physically breaking someone's legs (for which you'd be arrested and very likely go to jail for years for getting caught doing) that we've maybe lost the plot a little bit.

Is it a wrong and dumb thing to do? Of course. Does anyone talk about it / does it make any kind of news anywhere if it is not the son of a famous hockey person? No, it does not.

If some one other than son famous hockey person did this, and someone posted it in the off topic forum, it will still be talked about at length. We are talking about it not because of the person who did it, we are talking about the act. So who fathered him is irrelevant.

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

The attacks on Carson implying intent were overblown, bruv.

What do you (or any reasonable adult) think a wheelchair is for? If you toss or destroy a wheel chair, what do you think the ramifications are?

[Reggie Dunlop]

Briere is facing three misdemeanor charges.

Police in Erie, Pennsylvania, filed charges of criminal mischief, criminal conspiracy to commit mischief and disorderly conduct against Carson Briere, who completed his third hockey season at Mercyhurst. Patrick Carrozzi, listed as a senior member of the school’s lacrosse team, faces the same three charges, according to documents filed with District Judge Sue Mack.

https://apnews.com/article/carson-br...73193a51462609

[Goriders]

At least there was some more to the accountability side of the ledger than the insincere apology.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Interestingly, in Canada, some criminal mischief can get you sent to prison for life. So... have fun with that, Carson.

(I'm not suggesting I actually think he's going to prison but just saying those are about as serious as charges can get for this sort of thing)

[monkeyman]

Never mind.

[OptimalTates]

What?!!? How can he be charged with a crime when OutOfTheCube was telling me the intentional and willful destruction of someone’s property wasn’t criminal? If this keeps happening I might have to stop taking legal advice from him.