Denver School Board member Tay Anderson was involved in a confrontation with hospital security Sunday at the Denver Health Medical Center.
Anderson says he was trying to learn the condition of his mother who is hospitalized there.
Fox 31 news reports Anderson was “animated and using a raised tone of voice with staff,” while his companion shouted obscenities at hospital staff in the lobby before police and security responded.
The situation doesn’t reflect well on Anderson’s credibility.
Anderson claims the hospital “brought four police officers out here, postured in a position to take me down.”
The FOUR police officers postured for confrontation, until an emergency room nurse intervened. She was the ONLY reason the FOUR police officers stood down.
She was able to provide me with the FIRST update on my mother’s status in an hour of us being there.
THREAD
— Tay Anderson (@TayAndersonCO) February 8, 2021
There was only one police officer on site with hospital security.
Denver police told the FOX31 Problem Solvers, “Contrary to the statements on this incident, there was one Denver police officer at the incident Sunday night who responded to a report of this disturbance. That officer is assigned to the hospital. This incident did not result in a police report.”
Anderson went on to suggest that Denver Health’s reaction to the confrontation was racist.
“To them, I was some random Black guy screaming in their lobby, trying to get into their hospital. The nurse this morning explicitly said, ‘We get gang violence, we have volatile situations that come into our hospital doors.’ I kind of stopped and wondered if she would’ve said that to a white family,” Anderson said.
There’s no doubt dealing with a family member who is hospitalized can be extraordinarily stressful.
However, it’s unlikely hospital security reports to the front desk every time a Black man walks through the emergency room door.
It sounds like they responded because Anderson and his companion’s behavior required the presence of the hospital’s security staff.
In a statement, Denver Health explained their security response:
Denver Health notifies security when situations appear to escalate for the safety of everyone involved. These policies are in place to protect our patients, staff and visitors.
A patient’s privacy is always a top priority and we have policies in place for our emergency department to communicate only with designated family members about a patient’s condition. We understand that hospital policies and procedures may be interpreted as unfair or too restrictive, and we acknowledge how difficult it can be to have to wait for information about a loved one during an emergency situation.
This is hardly the first time Anderson has levied suspect allegations following a confrontation.
He previously accused the City of Denver of giving him a “traumatic head injury” after he fell while protesting the removal of homeless encampments near the state capitol.