Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > New Info
Bethel Boys Academy, Lucedale, MS.
Watchaduen:
Just wanted to mention that none of the victims were ever consulted about that backdoor deal the State of MS. made with Bethel. As a matter of fact all the victims (17 of them, YES 17 brutalized children) were to be back down in MS. on Aug. 26th to testify. The Attorney General's office assured us that Bethel would be closed down. After Bethel was shut down they would then file criminal charges. We were told that. Two days before court we get a call from the Head of the Integrity Div. He informed all the victims and their families to not come and that the State had worked out yet another deal. That isn't okay, nor is the fact that some corrupt judge decided Bethel shouldn't be held accountable to the same laws the rest of the citizens are.
We victims have our own lawsuit now. We will be heard. Just because a corrupt judge made a piece of paper full of lies doesn't mean we victims should take all of our medical, physical and emotional evidence and throw it out the window. We will prevail.
Antigen:
Thank you.
First, there's been some really decent discussion around here about the relative virtues and flaws of various shades of capitalism to socialism. I think this situation well illustrates one of the pitfalls of the more socialist policies.
--- Quote ---They had to be legitimate CHARGES. The state would throw out such charges if they found those charges to be trumped up, vague or not able to be proved.
--- End quote ---
That's not really a hard rule of thumb. In Tulia Texas, something completely ordinary and mudane happened. The local area taskforce hired a gypsy cop to make a bunch of busts. Some local threw a monkey wrench in the works, though, when he started beating the war drums and coordinating w/ activists accross the country to set things right.
Turns out, the cop had NO credibility, no evidence, no wittnesses and had been facing criminal larceny charges in the last town he "worked". All of the convictions but one have now been overturned, Tom Coleman is facing purjory charges and there's even talk of holding some of his superiors accountable for their crimes. And these were high crimes. People lost years of their lives. In many cases, it was those years when their babies started turning into adults.
But the only thing unusual about Tulia is that a bunch of activists have stayed on the case like stink on shit over the course of years to make things right and set an example. Otherwise, this happens all the time. People go to prison for years and years on the strength of no evidence but some snitch testilying for pay of some sort.
It depends on what you're accused of and whether or not you fit the role. This, I think, owes in large part to the sheer volume of cases threatening to squash what used to be the most admirable criminal justice system in the world. It's a great system, but it depends heavily on dilligance, public scrutiny and strict adherance to the law of the land, including all those naggling limits on Federal and State powers. So the end result is that there's so much going on, so many cases, so many laws that no one has the time to keep track of it all, far less give a reasoned opinion. Nobody's watching! This leaves far too much discretion in the hands of the prosecutors.
23 yo poor Black woman accused of selling crack? Guilty. Let's get this overwith. Preacher who works w/ troubled youths? Cut him some slack! How can we make this go away so this good man can get back to his good work?
That's they way career enforcers tend to think when left to their own devices. We need to cut their workload down to something we, the people, can properly manage and supervise. They should not be left to get creative while we're not looking!
And I've seen this before. Many times. The Seed and various Straights have been given similar admonishments by various regulatory and law enforcement agencies. Ask around and people will tell you about times when motivating or beltlooping were banned or, for very brief times before a place closed or things went back to normal once the heat was off, no restraining.
I agree w/ you completely, though. The primary value of this document is that, given the current political climate toward youth and the troubled parent industry, this at least demonstrates smoke of the variety that usualy indicates fire. It's bound to get some people's attention. What they do from there is yet to be seen.
Madness takes its toll. Please have exact change.
--Anonymous
--- End quote ---
Anonymous:
Antigen gets it right yet again!
Bethel's boss could be percieved as a good preacher man needing to get back to doing his good works.
Rub is, as Antigen so well pointed out is where there is smole there is going to be fire.
The "good preacher" in this situation is a convicted felon. He has been at the center of controversy for years. Allegations of child abuse, employee abuse, and so forth and so on.
If this little "deal" the State made with him was the result of thier first experience with him, OK, so be it. I am not one to say slam a guy hard his first screw up.
But Team, the Reverend involved here is chronically involved in situations where his responses have kept him in trouble with the state and the law.
There is literally a TON of stuff out there, forums and antiabuse sites where letters have come from middle aged men and women that were inmates of the BetHELL homes.
I am a strong advocate of forgiveness and forgetting, but we cannot forget the history of the place called Bethel Academy. There must be some accounting by them for the accusations that have been forthcoming for over a quarter of a century.
In closing in my opinion(dislaimer)
The consent decree is a travesty, a gross miscarraige of justice and certainly smacks of possible corruption at some level.
Antigen:
--- Quote ---On 2004-03-26 19:07:00, Anonymous wrote:
In closing in my opinion(dislaimer)
The consent decree is a travesty, a gross miscarraige of justice and certainly smacks of possible corruption at some level.
--- End quote ---
Yes, and it's par for the course, unfortunately. We're not going to start seeing real justice again in this country till we pare down the courts' workload to real crimes. That will put a lot of lawyers and others out of work. But what the hey, they're smart people, they can learn some useful trade or bag groceries at Wallmart or something.
As your attorney, it is my duty to inform you that it is not important that you understand what I'm doing or why you're paying me so much money. What's important is that you continue to do so.
--Hunter S. Thompson's Samoan Attorney
--- End quote ---
Watchaduen:
Looks like Bethel Girls Academy, Petal, MS. has more abuse allegations coming their way. Both Bethel Girls and Bethel Boys Academy are owned and operated by the Fountains. Once an abusive compound always an abusive place.
Here's the article where ALL THOSE VICTIMS were removed.
Sheriff says girls moved from Bethel Home in Petal
The Associated Press
PETAL ? About 40 teenage girls have been removed from a privately run, at-risk home in Petal and the case was turned over to the Forrest County Youth Court.
The girls were transferred Wednesday night from the Bethel Home to an undisclosed location for their safety, said Sheriff Billy McGee.
State Department of Human Services spokesman Rick Whitlow said Thursday the agency would have no comment.
?We?re referring all inquiries to the youth court in the county,? Whitlow said.
Under Mississippi law, Youth Court proceedings are confidential.
Sheriff Billy McGee said several state agencies ? including DHS, the attorney general? office and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality ? were at the privately owned facility for teenage girls for most of the day Wednesday.
?Apparently, the state received some complaints regarding some sort of mistreatment of the girls,? McGee said. ?I really don?t know what those complaints are, we were just called in to provide security and to transport the girls to a different location.?
The sheriff said that the parents of the girls were being notified to come and pick up their children.
?Until they are picked up from that location, they are under the custody of DHS,? he said. ?Overall, there are about 30-40 kids involved.?
McGee said the Bethel Home is located in Petal, near the Jones County line. He said the facility was operated by a church but he was not sure which one.
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