Posted on 07/28/2024 12:19:50 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Alexander Morris alleges he was racially discriminated against, as white hospital staff also removed his oxygen and ordered a psychological exam
Hospital for alleged racial discrimination and false imprisonment.
Morris has filed the lawsuit against a Michigan hospital, who he claims put him in a restraining jacket when Morris told them he was in the legendary Motown group. The Four Tops singer went to the emergency room at Ascension Macomb Oakland Hospital on April 7, 2023, as he was apparently suffering from chest pains and had difficulty breathing whilst singing and touring with The Temptations.
However, upon telling the hospital about his profession, Morris alleges white hospital staff “wrongfully assumed he was mentally ill” and placed him in “a restraining jacket and/or a four-point restraint mechanism.” He went on to accuse staff of removing his oxygen, and ordering him to wait for a compulsory psychological evaluation.
The lawsuit also claims staff refused to confirm his identity, his “significant” history of cardiac disease, or even see his identification card. According to Morris, upon offering to show his card, a white male security guard told him to “sit his Black ass down”: “None of the nursing staff intervened to stop the racial discrimination and mistreatment,” the lawsuit also reads.
Morris was said to have been released from his straitjacket upon convincing a nurse to watch a video of him performing at the Grammys (Morris has been part of the group since 2019). The nurse apparently then “realised” he was a member of the Four Tops and told other hospital staff; only then was the psychological evaluation said to have been cancelled and Morris released from his restraints and treated. The lawsuit alleges he was eventually diagnosed with a “severe heart condition and pneumonia.”
According to the lawsuit, a hospital security guard contacted Morris afterwards to notify him the guard who restrained him allegedly had a history of making racist comments and “frequently used excessive force with patients.” The guard also claimed employees tampered with Morris’ incident report, and that employees were instructed not to discuss what took place.
In a statement sent to Rolling Stone, Ascension Hospital said although it couldn’t comment specifically on the incident, “we do not condone racial discrimination of any kind. The health, safety and well-being of our patients, associates and community members remains our top priority. We remain committed to honouring human dignity and acting with integrity and compassion for all persons and the community.”
Meanwhile, Morris’ lawyer, Maurice Davis, told the publication: “This case is important because the hospital staff assumed that because he was a Black man, he was having some kind of psychotic episode, he was out of his mind, and he needed to be physically restrained, like he presented some type of danger to the hospital staff.
“They wanted to restrain his hands, bind him, and make sure he couldn’t harm anyone. So instead of assuming that he’s a successful Black man, leader of the Four Tops that he is, they assumed he posed a danger.”
Davis also emphasised that Morris “could have died,” adding: “Instead of providing him with treatment, they were restraining him. He was going through a pretty serious medical situation, and he was mistreated and discriminated against.”
Maybe he shouldn’t have sung Loco in Acapulco.
Well, that’s because all but one of them is dead and he is Sri Lankan
Not related to his reported abuse at this hospital, but for the record he was not an original member of the 60’s/early 70’s group, The Four Tops (the last original member died only a few days ago). He had only been with group since 2019.
But if he had said he identified as a woman, they’d have rolled out the red carpet for him.
Too bad the hospital didn’t just Reach Out, I’ll Be There...... to help him!
No. Really! I’m famous!
They learned it from the democrats or are one.
What a strange, oddball of a story. Not the Bee.
Misunderstandings do happen
Of course, it didn’t help that he kept calling all the Nurses “Sugar Pie” or “Honey Bunch”, and when asked to stop he was heard to reply; “I can’t help myself!”
At that point, the Floor Nurse asked for the Strait Jackets, one size fits all!
‘Duke’ Fakir, Last Original Member Of Motown Greats The Four Tops, Passes Away
I once went to a night club show that had The Four Tops performing live with The Temptations …and NO I wasn’t the only white person. Loved their music!
Well, he’s not an original member, but it’s not accurate enough to be institutionalized.
Joe Biden was in the Four Tops. In between driving a big-rig and turning down an appointment to Annapolis.
Didn’t he also teach Babe Ruth how to score a touchdown?
Or was that Beau?
Awhile back I read an article about these famous groups. Turns out that there could be multiple groups touring under the same name at the same time.
I’m not talking about so-called “tribute” groups. I’m talking about groups who claim to be the real thing. All you’ve got to do is rent the name from whomever owns it. Then form your own group, and off you go.
I’d like to say more, but I’m busy trying to form my own ‘Hesitations‘ group.They only had one hit, but it was a doozy.
It’ll be interesting to see how the hospital spins this.
He had to take himself to the hospital? No manager, band member or promoter went with him?
It is my personal believe that this could have happened to a white man too. But even so if this went down as claimed then then some staff should personally face criminal charges.
True. He may be not of the original group but that doesn’t negate the fact that he is currently a member just as he said. Ever since they were given so much power during the Covidflu, hospitals now operate more like prisons and the staff take their duties as prison guards very seriously.
The man had heart issues and pneumonia! Rather than concentrating on wielding their power maybe they should have been determining what was ailing him and seeing if they could treat his problems.
And we can bet, not a single Republican in the lot of them.
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