Wheelchair-Bound Bank Robber: It's An Equality Issue

I've got some great news. There's a story out of Palo Alto, California that a bank was robbed by a guy in an electric wheelchair. Even though his getaway would have been a slow-speed chase, he managed to elude capture. Police don't know whether the wheelchair was just a prop or whether the robber was truly disabled.

I'm rooting for it to have been a truly disabled person. This would be a great day for the disabled, to show that, in spite of their disabilities, they are able to function as full participants in American/Canadian life.

But what about the getaway? Doesn't it seem unfair that the police should be able to run and use cars when the wheel-chair-bound bandit is cemented to his wheelchair?

I think this deserves a human rights hearing.

In the interests of fairness, when a bank is robbed by a physically disabled person, the police should not be allowed to walk fast, run, or use cars. They should be compelled to either use their own pursuit wheelchair, or, barring that, hop on one foot. The disabled should have an equal chance to escape.

Anything else would be discrimination.

And that's the way the Ball bounces.