Autistic Advocacy: Justice For Victor

In this powerful and sombre episode of Autistic Advocacy, Angela is joined by Black autistic advocates Faith Clarke and Darren Calhoun to confront the tragic police killing of 17-year-old autistic Puerto Rican teen Victor Perez—and the systemic failures that made it possible. Centering voices from the Black neurodivergent community, this conversation demands a reimagining of autistic justice beyond white-centred narratives.

🎧 What You’ll Learn

• Victor’s story — On April 5th, Victor Perez was shot by police in his own front yard. A non-speaking, autistic, disabled Puerto Rican teenager, Victor’s life was cut short, leaving his family to grieve in a system that failed him at every level.
• Intersectional perspectives — Darren Calhoun, a justice advocate, worship leader, and photographer based in Chicago, shares his work bridging communities across race, gender, and neurodivergence. Faith Clarke, business owner, author, and mother to a non-speaking autistic son, reflects on her lived experience and the urgent need for systemic change.
• The impact of advocacy — How Tiffany Hammond’s (@fidgets.and.fries) public response to Victor’s death sparked deeper reflection on the role of autistic spaces in BIPOC justice.
• Connecting the patterns — Victor’s killing is not isolated. We remember Stephon Watts, Elijah McClain, Ryan Gainer—and the growing list of Black and Brown neurodivergent lives lost to police violence.
• What needs to change — From community safety to dismantling ableist and racist systems, we explore what justice for all autistic people truly requires.

Related Episodes:

Monster High Is Autistic

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