There sure has been a lot of fuss over my recent post regarding a young boy with autism from the general Albany area who was found floating face down in a neighbor’s pool. Harbe Nagi, 7, died after somehow breaking away from the adults who were responsible for his care, a special kind of care needed for a boy with autism. How that happened is, for now, a matter of speculation. It really doesn’t matter how it happened, it just matters that it did.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have worked with students with autism before, so I know how to deal with such a child. I was assigned a student who had both autism and a VNS device. He was a challenge, but I rose to it. Despite all that, I still find the story regarding Nagi to be highly amusing. It’s almost as if he purposefully went looking for trouble. Well, he sure found it!
I did post all over social media (Facebook, X and Nextdoor) that he would be found floating in a pool. No one believed me and yet, here we are. I was right, something that I usually am. Rather than praising me for my accuracy, I am now the subject of ridicule and scorn. Even so, I have no regrets over what I wrote, which is why I have refused multiple demands to take the article down. No, it will not be coming down.
I have also received numerous emails, direct messages, visits to my residence and place of employment, as well as phone calls, all demanding that I take it down and apologize. Who are they to demand? I have nothing for which to apologize and I regret nothing.
There is no reason why I should feel bad for speaking the truth. I have done nothing wrong. And let me be clear: I do not feel sorry for the kid nor his family. Making accusations without evidence can result in litigation, so I will instead offer my opinion, and it’s just an opinion: someone dropped the ball.
Kids need supervision. As a father and a babysitter starting at the age of 11, I know a thing or two about keeping an eye on little kids. Do you want to take a guess as to how many kids have died on my watch? Zero.
This kid needed even more supervision given his autism. Where was that attention? How did he get out? Why was this possible in the first place. Those questions will surely be answered and if there is cause for criminal charges (likely negligence, in my opinion), then that’s what will happen.
A lot of people across several social media platforms have shared the same opinion: something doesn’t add up. Well, I am sure that law enforcement will do the math and if something criminal comes out of it, then that’s what’s going to happen.
In the meantime, if people don’t like what I’m writing, the “x” is in the upper right-hand corner. No apologies from me.