For parents like Taun Hall, the slaying of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, allegedly by their 32-year-old son, was another painful reminder of the life-and-death struggles they often face when treating an older child with severe mental illness.
Hall’s son, Miles, was shot and killed by police a block from their home in Walnut Creek on June 2, 2019. The 23-year-old suspect was suffering from symptoms of psychosis, believing he was Jesus and running around the area carrying a farming tool he said was God’s staff.
Hall called 911 to get him medical attention as a necessary step to get to the emergency room. Instead he got an armed police response. Those officers shot Miles, sending him to the hospital where he died from his injuries. As Hall felt the overwhelming sadness of the moment, another feeling emerged alongside it: resolution. As they left the hospital, Hall told his mother, “I know what I have to do.
Since then, Hall and the nonprofit Miles Hall Foundation have become one of the leading voices in the Bay Area on behalf of eradicating mental illness and changing public discourse about conditions, including schizoaffective disorder, characterized by symptoms of both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Miles was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder nine months before he was killed.
Working with state legislators, the foundation successfully worked to help pass AB988, the Miles Hall Lifeline Act, in 2022. We impose a monthly fee on California telecommunications access lines to provide a continuing source of funding for 24/7 crisis centers and mobile crisis teams in all states.
This year, Hall has also been helping to promote a powerful new documentary, “Nobody Cares About Crazy People,” which is getting its first national release this year, set in Los Angeles on March 1 and possibly in the Bay Area in May.
Narrated by “Better Call Saul” actor Bob Odenkirk, the documentary includes an interview with Gov. Gavin Newsom also presents the experience of the Halls and several other families to push for the reform of the mental health system in California and the United States.
The documentary looks at how existing laws and policies, as well as a lack of hospital beds and community-based services, make it “almost impossible” for families to help their loved ones get treatment. About half of people with severe mental illness have anosognosia, a condition that makes it difficult for them to recognize that they are ill and accept treatment.
Hall and other families believe that people with mental illness are often neglected, mistreated and “shunned by society,” she said.
“There are many stories like ours out there,” said Hall. “Our job is to protect and make sure we educate the public about compassion instead of crime. If you have a voice, you need to show up and let your elected officials know. You can literally move mountains.”
Question: Through Miles’ junior high and early high school years, he said he was doing well. And he was always a gentle, sweet child. But looking back, were there any early signs of illness?
A: There were definitely things we hadn’t realized yet. He was always very considerate of others and very considerate and wise beyond his years. The signs were evident in the senior year. He was on the honor roll and played basketball. Then he started to struggle and stopped going to school. Something has changed. [After graduation,] Miles began to feel lost. He was talking about the Bible. We are not religious. He started doing this unusual thing, writing to his friends for a long time.
Question: And started wandering around the area? Knocking on people’s doors?
A: It was hard for him to see anyone. He didn’t think he had a problem with his anosognosia. That’s when I started reaching out to NAMI [the National Alliance on Mental Illness]. I was trying to stand up.
Question: But he was 18 years old. Can you talk about how that changes everything for parents who are trying to get their child into treatment after they are legally an adult?
A: It becomes impossible. He would not, and there was no behavior so extreme that I would allow him to act on the condition that he was a danger to himself or others. Our hands were really tied.
Question: Can you also talk about trying to cooperate with the police?
A: I have had many contacts with the police to try to prevent something bad from happening if someone meets my son on the street. Once upon a time, an officer [designated to act as a mental health liaison] I came with a social worker, a black man, that made me very happy. I thought Miles might answer him better.
Question: As a Black family, in a white neighborhood, did you add to the fear of Miles?
A: That’s why I sent an email to all my neighbors, saying that you are part of our community and have these behaviors. But mostly for his safety.
Question: In 2018, Miles experienced symptoms of psychosis. The police came and fired bean bags to subdue him, which led to him being arrested for mental illness. Did you find out that it took something like this for him to end up in the hospital, where he was diagnosed and put on medication?
A: If Miles had had a judge in diversion court tell him he needed to use medication, he would have accepted it. Miles was a follower of the law. There is a monthly shot that he gets, and it helped him a lot with his schizoaffective disorder. It is a game changer for many people with this disease; they are able to gain insight into their illnesses.
Question: When he started raving and cheating on the day he was killed, were you told that if you were going to call the police you should say he was a danger to himself or others?
A: It was the framing I was told we needed to say in order to get him to the hospital for care. Although he broke the window, he was not violent towards us or anyone. It was also in a situation to have a relationship with that police officer, who called to inform us that he was on his way. But he arrived just a few minutes later.
Question: In this document, Gigi Crowder, the CEO of NAMI’s Contra Costa chapter, said that a trained mental health professional might know, for example, that Miles could not obey the order of the officials to put down his farming tool as they ordered, because he believes that his staff is God’s.
A: Of course, if you had good people there, this wouldn’t happen. Police should not be the first responders, even if they are trained. Most officers don’t want to be in that situation. A mental health emergency requires a mental health professional to respond.
Question: The District Attorney’s Office decided that the police had reasonable grounds because they thought Miles was a threat, and you say the video shows that he was trying to get around them to get home. When you launched your foundation, what was the first job you wanted to focus on?
A: It has always been about educating the public, eliminating stigma and prejudice, and eliminating mental illness. We wanted to help keep other people safe to prevent what happened to us from happening to any other family or community. When it comes to contact with the police, people of color, especially the mentally ill, are more likely to be killed.
Question: Through the Miles Hall Lifeline Act and the Suicide Prevention Act, your foundation has gained a national profile. How does the 988 line work?
A: Many states look to California and AB988 as a model because of how it imposes additional fines to provide funding. When someone calls 988, they can speak to a trained counselor who can help them solve a problem before it becomes serious. Many times, they can defuse a crisis or call a mobile crisis team if needed. Locating 24/7 emergency response teams in all counties is mandated by law and is available throughout California.
Question: Can you also talk about organizing conferences to promote mental and physical health for young Black men?
A: That work touches my heart. We give young Black men a way to talk about the challenges they face in America. You know with Miles, he was out walking in Walnut Creek, and he would see some people holding onto their wallets when they saw him. His race, his age, and his mental illness contributed to the misconception that he was dangerous.
Question: When your family was asked to share Miles’ story on “Nobody Cares About Crazy People,” you had to make the difficult decision to include a video of his murder. Why do you think it is important for people to see this?
A: For obvious reasons, I can’t watch, but the truth of what happened is important to understand in the context of what other affected families know: Miles was the victim of a crime that day. We called because he needed help.
Profile of the Town Hall
Title: Executive Director, Miles Hall Foundation
Age: 53
Hometown: San Diego; has called Walnut Creek home since 1995
Family: Husband Scott, daughter Alexis, and many family members are close by
Education: BA San Diego State University, where I met my husband
Five Things About Town Hall
1. At the Hall, community is everything. Close friends of the Halls in their Walnut Creek neighborhood were among the first to stand with him and his family to seek justice for Miles. These friends continue to serve on the foundation as board members, sponsors, and supporters.
2. “Nobody wants to be part of this ‘club,'” says Hall, but losing a loved one to police brutality has connected him to “strange people”: Oscar Grant’s mother Wanda Johnson, uncle Cephus Johnson and aunt Beatrice Johnson of Love Not Blood; Ahmaud Arbery’s mother Wanda Cooper Jones; former Congresswoman Lucy McBath; and the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner and Michael Brown.
3. His foundation is a “strong, diverse community” through educational and fundraising events, including the annual Miles for Miles Turkey Trot and the upcoming fifth annual Play for Miles Golf Event on September 14.
4. Exercise and being in nature are important to Hall’s self-care, including being near the beach or hiking up and down the hilly roads of Mexico.
5. Hall has a “deep love” for soulful female R&B songwriters — India.Arie, Keyshia Cole and Kehlani — and singing with friends and family, including a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” when it’s time to celebrate.
