Good morning Mr. Issa,

Thank you for contacting Senator Maggie Hassan’s office regarding an assault at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. I’m so sorry to hear about this difficult situation.

A review of your concerns indicates that the situation is not under our jurisdiction as the office of a federal legislator. As a Congressional office, we are able to facilitate the processes involved in a federally-related case or request a review of concerns by a federal agency, but we are not able to intervene in legal matters, offer legal advice, or recommend an attorney.

Any report of a potential crime should be reported to the local police department. For your convenience, I have included the contact information for the Portsmouth Police Department below.

Portsmouth Police Department

3 Junkins Avenue

Portsmouth, NH 03801

Email: PPDinfo@cityofportsmouth.com

Phone: (603) 427-1500

Fax: (603) 427-1510

I hope that information is helpful. Please let us know if you have any federally-related questions or concerns.

All my best,

Chelsea

Good evening, Chelsea.

How gravely disappointing. I was under the impression that Senator Hassan was an advocate for people with disabilities, and a lawyer practicing labor and employment law for twenty five years. Why did I think that her own son, Ben fueled her fire to become a public servant and shaped her political perspective? Was I watching a different tv ad than her very own campaign purporting personal familiarity with the medical industry, where she promised to fight for New Hampshire?

Forgive me if I find it hard to believe that Ben’s mother is nothing but powerless when it comes to protecting our most vulnerable. I can’t for even a moment imagine that if she came home to see her disabled son’s neck completely covered in bruises from being choked nearly unconscious, only to discover that the very caretaker she pays out of her own pocket, who is responsible for his wellbeing enjoys sick, and twisted pleasure from torturing the innocent and helpless that she would simply throw her hands up and say: “well, it’s not federal. That’s someone else’s job.”

No. Her teeth would come flying out so fast that heads would be spinning before you can say “senator”. I think, and this is just a well educated guess here, that after spending three decades sharpening her skills in the arena of law that it just might make her skin crawl to realize just how little bullying has changed since the playground days. Mohammed feels like a real big man when he terrorizes someone that he knows can’t fight back; someone like Ben.

I think, that after spending twenty five years laying down the law in labor and employment, she would be every last tidbit as tickled as I am about the fact that Mohammed still has a job. If she’s anything at all like me, she might begin to wonder what exactly the going rate is for a monkey with a basic superiority complex, and if they ever try picking on anyone their own size. That’s if she can manage not to get distracted by how many tens of thousands of dollars were paid to Portsmouth Regional Hospital for “medical care”, without ever seeing a single doctor. Or the genius whose idea it was to conveniently install cameras that don’t record in the only area of the hospital where constant and uninterrupted monitoring is a requirement for every patient. That’s what we pay Mohammed for; on paper, at least. The secret beatings are just a bonus.

No. If this were her son, that senator’s seat would mean something. If this were her son, who has no voice of his own, you expect me to believe that hers would not be ringing in the ears of that hospital? Of the incredibly good-looking police officer, who works with Mohammed on occasion and possesses absolutely zero interest in doing his job to protect and serve? What about the disability rights center, with all of their good intentions but who are simply too short staffed to do their jobs? I’ve spoken until turning blue in the face. The difference is, no one listens when I speak. 

As long as this developmentally challenged child, trapped in the body of a short, middle-aged bodybuilder is still getting paid to physically assault innocent victims a quarter of his size every time you have to remind him to do his job, my mouth will not shut. When the same person who just tackled you to the ground and painfully pinned you into compliance as he throws you around like a rag doll is also responsible for feeding you, or granting you access to things like the use of a telephone in order to call the police on your medical staff, don’t expect to eat. Starving you is just another way to punish you, and expecting anyone do their damn job in this day and age is just naive. Don’t worry, though - as soon as Mohammed is done making you feel small, he’s going to call a code. Any moment now, ten or more nurses will surround your bed armed with a lecture about how upset you are, and how badly you need to “calm down”. Your mental illness is requiring them to inject you with sedatives until you can barely keep your eyes open, much less speak. That’s what the kids are calling it now, when you don’t like being abused: mental illness. No wonder they still have no clue what’s wrong with me, huh? 

If you’re lucky, by the time you wake up, the monkey will be gone. The kitchen will surely be closed, but if you ask nicely, there’s a very dry and bland turkey sandwich in it for you. No mayonnaise, though. Now, if you want to talk to someone before the monkey comes back - like the patient advocate, for example - you’re asking too much. In fact, you still just don’t get it; you’re still thinking that, just because you’re in a hospital, or the fact that you’re getting charged more than $3,000 per day means that you’re going to get help. 

How funny. I can’t even get my own senator’s attention. Well, if you know any other supposed “advocates”, I could use one. I’m the same age as Ben, and I’m disabled too. I suppose I could waste my breath all over again, somewhere else. It’s not like I can afford a lawyer, when I define the poverty level so thankfully I don’t want money. But I do want justice. And if Maggie Hassan can’t help me? Don’t look so surprised when I say this is why I don’t vote. Nothing ever changes. And if even my state senators can’t handle making change? I don’t know why they even bother showing up to work. Silly me; I thought that was their job.