On 2004-12-31 10:07:00, Dolphin wrote:
"Can you say without a doubt that there were abuses going on? Hearsay is one thing, but you even admitted you didn't witness any.
The knee-jerk definition of abuse is knocking some kid around, anywhere from cuffing them upside the head, to hog-tying them on a concrete floor for days on end. I feel it is incorrect to say abuse can only be categorized as physical beatings.
That said, I will relate what my grandaughter has said over the last year living with us, about what she witnessed or knew was happening at Casa by the Sea. BTW, I believe her for a lot of reasons beyond our blood relationship, mostly because what she sometimes-reluctantly mentions follows to a "T" the experiences of literally hundreds of other survivors I have listened to.
She personally spent a huge amount of time, more than two months, in solitary confinement when she first was entered into Casa. This was kept from her parent, the family rep flat-out lying about what was happening to her, with 6 of her first 8 letters being destroyed until she finally was able to write an acceptable "manipulation" letter, stating that "...this place is not what it seems". She does recognize the inequity of her punishments, especially the random, capricious nature of more days solitary punishment meted out by newly-minted higher level kids (who have absolutely NO business disciplining anybody, much less with the life-and-death circumstances Casa kids feared). My kid often says with chilling quietness that she was absolutely convinced she would die in Casa. She was 14 years old.
One girl in her dorm had spent most of her first year there in R&R, the aforementioned-hog-tying room. This girl had permanent scars on her chin from spending so much time resting it on the concrete floor.
Only days before my kid arrived, a girl had attempted an escape by scaling the high stucco wall surrounding the entire compound. Although my kid did not personally meet this girl, her exploits spread throughout the compound (hearsay?), with credible witnesses relating the girl had a crushed pelvis from her fall from the wall.
Would you consider it abuse to withold toilet paper, sanitary napkins, aspirin, etc.? This was done to children I personally know. Would you consider it abusive to deny people toilet privileges until they were forced to soil themselves? My own kid was denied orthodontic care for more than 8 months, and when *something* was finally done, it was done in the most cruel and terrifying manner. Interestingly, my kid tells of the trips to the Ensenada dentist, but really doesn't recognize or think of the mean, purposely-scarey events as abuse. She will, eventually.
These are credible instances of abuse, from a witness...and this was only on the girls' side, even though the boys' side of Casa was notorious for greater wrongs. I personally know one skinny 16yo boy who lost 25 pounds in 4 months at Casa, due directly to witheld food. This same boy, being somewhat large for his age, was recruited to drag boys to R&R, kicking and screaming, although he himself was never committed to that space. One boy I have spoken to suffered grevious physical injuries at High Impact, the facility that is-or-is[was]not WWASPS, including broken bones and teeth knocked through his lip.
My grandaughter saw several boys being force-marched back into the Casa compound after having been run up and down the steep mountainside across the freeway from the Casa site as punishment. One boy was vomitting from the exertion.
This is personal, credible testimony from someone who lives in my house. If you want more, just ask Cherish Wisdom about her daughter's experiences at Provo Canyon, or Buzzkill about her son's time at Dundee. How much personal testimony about *physical* abuse do you need to believe it happened? We're not even venturing into the mental anguish and abuse of the entire Program. Let's just say, you have been presented with evidence a jury would weep over (see the PURE trial), and to ignore it or challenge it is...well, stupid.
