Twenty-six years ago this month, a thirty-two-year-old Fredonia native died after being pushed in front of a New York City subway car. New York state hasn’t been the same since.
Kendra Webdale was pushed by Andrew Goldstein, a then twenty-nine-year-old man with schizophrenia, who had a long history of both violence and seeking help for his mental health. Just months after Kendra’s death, a law was passed in her name, allowing for adults with a history of non-compliance with mental health treatment to be placed under an Assisted Outpatient Treatment Order, or AOT.
Now, Governor Kathy Hochul is proposing changes to both Kendra’s law and involuntary commitment, which have some critics again questioning racial disparities in the AOT program, and concerns with associating mental health and public safety.
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