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Angellika
“Angie” Arndt
One Year Later
May 1, 2007
By Isabelle Zehnder
© 2007
Upcoming event in
Celebration of Angie’s life and in Remembrance of her death:
 On
Wednesday, May 9, 2007, Rick Pelishek, Office Director of NW
Wisconsin Disability Rights Commission, and Jodi Pelishek, Family
Advocate for Wisconsin Family Ties, will gather outside the
Disability Rights Wisconsin Office located in Rice Lake in
remembrance of Angie as they observe National Mental Health
Awareness Month.
The Pelisheks invite others to join
them to honor the life of Angie and to show their support for her
parents, Daniel and Donna Pavlik. Though I was not blessed to know
Angie in life I have been blessed to get to know her family, her
friends, and her story.
As much as I would like to, I will
not be able to attend this event. I would like Angie’s family,
friends, and supporters to know that I will be there with them in
mind and spirit! Below are some of my thoughts and feelings, and how
the deaths of Angie, and other children and teens, has impacted my
life.
ABOUT ANGIE:
 Angie
spent most of her young life in the Foster Care System. When she was
five years old Daniel and Donna Pavlik met Angie and fell in love
with this bubbly, bright-eyed, adorable little girl. They took her
into their homes and into their hearts. They provided her things
other children enjoy – birthday parties, music, friends, toys,
camping, family gatherings, and a safe and loving home environment.
All of this came to an end on May
26, 2006, when they heard the horrifying news their little girl had
died. The life of Angellika “Angie” Arndt - a beautiful, happy, and
loving little girl – was cut short last year when she was restrained
face-down at a day treatment center in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. She was
only 7 years old. The staff member who held her down when she died,
Bradley Ridout, claims he was only doing his job.
I believe it is important that
staff working with children and teens learn to distinguish the
difference between “doing their job” and using good old-fashioned
common sense. When Angie indicated she could not breathe, and when
she lost control of her bodily functions, Ridout should have known
better than to continue restraining her face-down, with the weight
of his body on her small torso, for nearly an hour. Other employees
close by should have come to her rescue.
Attention
Staff
Angie’s story is not unique and
cannot be buried with her! We must keep her story alive in order to
help future children stay alive!
* * * *
Angie’s death came as a shock as
initial news reports streamed in. The angelic picture of Angie with
her big brown eyes left many people wondering how this could have
happened – again!
I began investigating the facts
surrounding Angie’s death and prepared to write my summary: “Bubbles
in My Milk”. It wasn’t until I received the final documents that I
realized what truly happened to Angie during the last hour of her
life and during her stay at Rice Lake the preceding month.
For more details of my findings,
read Bubbles
in my Milk.
I want people to know what happened
to Angie because what happened to her has happened to many other
children and if we do not do something to stop the use of deadly
face-down prone restraints more children are going to die very
painful, horrifying, and totally needless deaths.
A little about me:
I am the Founder and President of
the Coalition Against Institutionalized Child Abuse (CAICA). My
legal background has been invaluable in researching and writing
about my findings of abuse and deaths in residential treatment
centers and programs for children and teens.
While writing Angie’s story
“Bubbles in My Milk” I was forced to read things that were extremely
disturbing, to look at pictures that were heart-wrenching, and to
listen to families as they sobbed while telling me their stories.
My heart broke with theirs as I
listened to them share the lives, and deaths, of their children. I
have agonized over every line I have written about children who have
died in residential treatment settings. Every report I have read has
brought me to tears. But it has been necessary because it has helped
to enlighten others about this issue.
I feel it has all been worthwhile.
I would like others to now read the information I have put together
on this website, to review the
List
of Restraint Deaths, get passionate about this issue,
step out of their comfort zone, and let the world know we cannot
continue to tolerate needless and violent deaths of children and
teens.
SIMPLE WAYS YOU CAN HELP – LET’S
ALL DO OUR PART!
We believe it is imperative that
people know what happened to Angie and that they take an active role
in helping to see to it this does not happen to another child. One
way to help is to visit the www.caica.org website and sign the
Petition to Ban the Use of Face-Down Prone Restraints. Show your
support for Angie. You can also help by distributing Angie’s story
“Bubbles in My Milk”, also found on the website.
CAICA and Parent Advocate, Cynthia
Allen, have spearheaded a campaign to ban the use of deadly
face-down prone restraints across the US. You can help. Please call
your congressmen and congresswomen, share the www.caica.org website
with them. Provide them a copy of Bubbles in My Milk along with a
copy of the list of children who have died from restraints, also
found on the CAICA website.
Encourage others to do the same.
Together, we can, and do make a
difference!
RESOURCES:
Bubbles in My Milk
http://caica.org/ANGELLIKA%20ARNDT%20BUBBLES%20IN%20MY%20MILK%2012-9-06.htm
CAICA Website:
www.caica.org
List of restraint deaths:
http://caica.org/RESTRAINTS%20Death%20List.htm
Rick and Jo Pelishek, CAICA
Advocates of the Month – January 2007:
http://caica.org/ADVOCATE%20Cathy%20Corry%20FLorida.htm
Articles about Angie:
http://caica.org/DEATHS%20Angie%20Main%20Page.htm
Letter to staff working with
children and teens:
http://caica.org/A_Call_to_Staff_1-27-07.htm
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