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If Someone Helped, "She Might Still Be With Us Today"
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 8, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 8, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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The family of Carol Gotbaum, the New Yorker who died at Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport on September 28, held a funeral for the mother of three at Congregation Rodeph Sholom yesterday. Her husband Noah, son of labor leader Victor Gotbaum and stepson of Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, mourned his wife, saying, "Carol, you were an angel, and everyone knew it. My girl was born with the most beautiful smile on her face. It put people at ease, it made others smile, it radiated the warmth of Cape Town.” But he was angry as well, "If the airline or the police authorities had treated Carol with some modicum of dignity and grace or if one single person at that airport had put an arm around her shoulders, sat her down and given her some attention, she might still be with us today."
Gotbaum was upset when she missed a connection that would have taken her to Tucson, where she intended to check into alcohol rehab. She was arrested when she refused to calm down and was found not breathing in her holding cell. The police were not able to save her and believe she strangled herself with her handcuffs and shackles in an attempt to escape.
The Gotbaum family has questioned the airline's and police's tactics in dealing with a woman with mental issues. The police released videos and a report with their actions, while a more detailed portrait of Carol Gotbaum's problems and attempts to deal with them were offered in this past weekend's newspapers. The investigation into her death is still ongoing, but mental-health expert say, upon review of the video, "she appears to be frightened, panicked and possibly experiencing a psychotic episode" and "The outburst may have been caused by alcohol withdrawal, alcohol or drugs, or a sharp mood swing."
Rabbi Robert Levine did acknowledge the question many people have - why was she traveling along. He during the service, "She was fiercely independent and private and believed strongly, as did the rest of the family, that she could do this on her own. She wanted to do this on her own. So let us go forth and end the judgments. Hindsight is wonderfully prescient."
She was originally scheduled to take a direct flight from NY to Tucson, but opted for a later flight with a connection so she could say good-bye to her children. Noah Gotbaum left the funeral with 3-year-old son Tobias on his shoulders and holding the hands of 8-year-old Ella and 6-year-old Nathaniel.
Photograph of Noah Gotbaum and children by Diane Bonadreff/AP
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Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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