“Four lives lost”: Criminalization and innocence in the case of the San Antonio Four

In the introduction, the author embarks on a journey driven by spiritual encounters with research on police violence. Starting from her profound explorations of Afro-Latiné religious practices, the author uncovers a distressing pattern of hidden deaths that occur during violent police encounters. This chapter exposes the fabricated nature of excited delirium syndrome, its entanglement with the medicalizing of police killings, and how corporate interests drive these practices. Guided by Afro-Latiné religious traditions and decolonial approaches to social scientific knowledge, the author launches a journey to uncover the hidden truths behind excited delirium syndrome and its role in justifying systemic violence. This chapter challenges dominant narratives of scholarly research, emphasizing the importance of non-Western knowledges and advocating for justice for those silenced by police violence.

Introduction: Haunted

2024

Journal Entry

2024

Nightmares

2024

Delving into the troubling story of Charles Wetli, this chapter examines the history of the medical examiner who coined the term excited delirium syndrome. It uncovers Wetli's early career and involvement as a law enforcement “expert” on Afro-Caribbean “cults.” Through meticulous historical and ethnographic research, this chapter uncovers the role Wetli and his associates played in the criminalizing of Afro-Caribbean religions, specifically Afro-Cuban Santeria and Palo Monte. The story begins with the Mariel boatlift, a significant event that unfolded in 1980, when Fidel Castro allowed thousands of Cuban citizens to migrate to the United States. The mass exodus of Cubans had a profound impact on immigration policies and ultimately resulted in the criminalization and long-term incarceration of immigrants from the Caribbean. This chapter reveals how, for Black and Brown immigrants, the promise of an American dream was met with the reality of an American nightmare.