Click the image above to see a video conversation with Charles Marcus and Canadian Epilepsy Alliance’s Trevor Gordon the morning after receiving the news of the charges being dropped.
Epilepsy Toronto celebrates the recent development in the legal case against Charles Marcus, with the Crown dropping all charges. We are pleased by this decision but we also acknowledge that the fight for the rights of people living with epilepsy is far from over.
“I just want to use my story to turn things towards the positive, to bring attention to the fact that people experiencing a seizure may not be aware of what is happening, they may be confused or appear as non-compliant. It’s important to think about what else could be happening so people
don’t end up the way I did.”, says Marcus Charles.
This incident underscores the critical need for comprehensive training in seizure first aid for all first responders. Currently, the 40-minute seizure first aid training course for police officers remains elective in Toronto, and these recent events highlight the urgency of making such training mandatory for all police officers. We must ensure that law enforcement is well-equipped to handle situations involving individuals experiencing seizures with the utmost care and understanding.
We wish Charles all the best in his continued healing from this horrible and unnecessary ordeal and thank him and all those who have already signed the petition for their efforts to make important change happen.
For more information about seizures and seizure first aid, visit our website: https://epilepsytoronto.org/about-epilepsy/learn-about-epilepsy/seizure-first-aid/