State College s 3/20 Coalition hosted Gabby Medina Falzone Monday night to speak at its Criminalization of Mental Health Crises event, which discussed the stigma behind mental illness and the misuse of force within the police department on those who are mentally ill.
The event was a part of 3/20 Coalition s 10 Days of Action series to commemorate the two year anniversary of the death of Osaze Osagie.
Osagie was a 29-year-old Black State College resident who had autism and a history of schizophrenia. He was shot and killed by State College Police officers on March 20, 2019.
When three officers arrived at Osagieâs apartment to serve a mental health warrant, Osagie allegedly ran at the officers with a knife. After an unsuccessful attempt to deploy a Taser on Osagie, he was allegedly shot by Officer M. Jordan Pieniazek.
The State College/Centre County Task Force on Mental Health Crisis Services completed more than a year of work in November when it delivered its final report. Now the borough and county are taking the next steps to oversee implementation of its recommendations.
A progress review committee will be charged with monitoring progress and providing feedback as agencies and staff address the report’s 19 recommendations for changes in the county’s mental health crisis services. State College Borough Council approved the committee’s creation on Monday night, and county commissioners gave their endorsement on Tuesday.
Formed in the fall of 2019 following the fatal police shooting of Osaze Osagie and subsequent community conversations, the 30-member task force conducted a comprehensive review of services in the county. The final report identified strengths and weaknesses of the current system and made recommendations for improvements to mobile and delegate crisis services, involuntary c