Ben Siegel Troubles

I wouldn't be cleaning up anything, sometimes they need the wake up call to get help.

But that post and screen shot I spoke of are gone. Either Brian deleted the whole posy or Facebook is just not showing it, so I guess it'll be left to hear say, and if anyone else saw what I did maybe they can speak to its existance. I have recently gotta a new phone in the last month so if I had it saved that's gone.

I've been in the mental health profession for 10 yrs and have a master's in social work. I've also known Ben for around 12 yrs. I will say that I haven't always been a fan of Ben's personality. He's always come off as very stoic and standoffish for a businessman. That being said, I've never seen anything but the utmost respect for the animals from him. The man pictured is not the Ben Siegel I know. There are some very, very big clues in that picture to the trained mental health professional, especially one with background on the person. Ben normally keeps his head clean shaven and sometimes has some neatly trimmed facial hair. As you can see, the guy in the picture has let his personal care fall to the wayside significantly.

Ben doesn't need to be blasted, he needs a significant amount of help. I am not saying that his mental health disorder is an excuse for his behavior, but it is sure as all get out an explanation of it. I am saying that if he wasn't experiencing significant psychiatric difficulties, this incident would have never taken place. The criminalization of the mentally ill is a pervasive problem in our society. Instead of extending a helping hand to someone acting irrationally, we prefer to stick them behind bars so we don't have to deal with them. That's a simple fact.

These are not the actions of a rational person. Ben needs treatment, not hate. I am not a friend of his, only an occasional acquaintance. I am purely speaking as a person who has read of his health decline and someone who has seen the same pattern before in many other people. There is a solution, but that solution is not to condemn him. Anyone who wants to sit around and bash Ben needs to look around them and learn that many, many people suffer from these conditions and this type of behavior is not unheard of, but our society loves to sweep it under the rug while calling the person a criminal.

And as far as a person needing to "want" the help. Often, people don't realize what's going on. They need to be stabilized on their medications before they can understand how irrational their behavior has been. When this occurs, it's called a psychotic break. They have no clue about what is going on. It's not always as simple as personal responsibility.

JCCS I don't recall anyone calling him a criminal. We've been saying he needs help, and at this point it may need to be forceful help and to be kept away from the animals and public while he gets that help. And when he does get better not have so much of the business, care of animals, etc placed on him if this is how he acts under pressure.

Originally Posted by ElexisOrtiz

JCCS I don't recall anyone calling him a criminal. We've been saying he needs help, and at this point it may need to be forceful help and to be kept away from the animals and public while he gets that help. And when he does get better not have so much of the business, care of animals, etc placed on him if this is how he acts under pressure.

He is speaking in general terms.

The most common end result to someone like Ben is them just being labeled as a violent criminal and being forgotten in a cell.

Originally Posted by ElexisOrtiz

I wouldn't be cleaning up anything, sometimes they need the wake up call to get help.

Not sure if this was directed at me since I'd mentioned I'd had to help clean up the aftermath after several friends had problems, but I didn't step in until just after the state did, the ink was still wet on the involuntary commitment orders, and the families only then started screaming for help. Since both friends lived alone it involved mainly making sure that pets were placed into temporary homes rather than seized by animal control, firearms were removed and put under my FFL before the cops could take them as involuntary commitment = loss of firearm rights (the guns were sold to pay attorney fees), checking on the home and collecting mail daily since it was uninhabited, etc.

So what does become of the animals in the store and the customers who have outstanding orders right now? Do we have any info on these issues?

Originally Posted by rosebud945

So what does become of the animals in the store and the customers who have outstanding orders right now? Do we have any info on these issues?

Ben has an entirely capable employed staff.

Originally Posted by ShadowAceD

Ben has an entirely capable employed staff.

"Mental illness is no excuse for animal cruelty. "

"Give the man another free pass, he has mental issues. "

"The ben riders will defend him again and again its sad. U dont hurt animals thats animal cruelty "

"What do you mean by a free pass? Lots of people in this business have mental issues, but what do we do now that his includes animal cruelty? Should he be allowed to be in business after this?"

"But honestly since he has been arrested so many times for assault now, and now abusing an animal he needs to be locked up, forced meds, and better before even thinking of continuing his business"

All of this sounds like criminalizing his behavior to me. That's five different people saying his behavior should be criminalized. And yes, Elexis, I know what you're getting at in the above quote, but your delivery leaves a lot to be desired. Apologies for copying and pasting, but I didn't know how to quote from a lot of different posts.