This is a very interesting thread the owner of Orange Papers put together to speak of the abuses at "Boot Camps".Boot Camps: Children's Gulags or Child Abuse for Fun and Profit
by A. Orangehttp://www.orange-papers.org/orange-gulags.html Recently, the top-ranking staff members of a "troubled children's boot camp" in Arizona were arrested for killing one of the children, basically by abusing and torturing the child to death:Arizona Boot Camp Director Arrested
By ALISA BLACKWOOD
Associated Press Writer
February 15, 2002, 6:14 PM EST
PHOENIX — The director of a boot camp for troubled youngsters was arrested on murder and child-abuse charges Friday in the death of a teen-age camper who collapsed in 111-degree heat last summer.
Charles Long II and Ray Anderson are charged in the death of Tony Haynes.
Charles Long II, 56, was also charged with aggravated assault for allegedly pulling a knife on a camper, and marijuana possession, for a quarter-pound of the drug found in his bedroom closet.The second-degree murder charge was filed over the death of 14-year-old Anthony Haynes. He died July 1 while attending a five-week boot camp operated by the America's Buffalo Soldiers Re-enactors Association.
The medical examiner's office said Haynes died of complications from dehydration and near-drowning — dehydration after being made to stand in the sun for up to five hours, the near-drowning from being left in a motel bathtub, where he had been taken to cool him off.
Two other boot camp staffers also were arrested Friday. Camp sergeant Ray Anderson, 39, was charged with child abuse for allegedly spanking, stomping, beating and whipping more than 14 children. He was also accused of denying them water or shade in the heat.
...
[The detail not mentioned in this article is that the other staffer, whose name the Sheriff did not release, was actually a 17-year-old boy. He was an assistant staffer, recruited from among the "old-comer" prisoners. He was the one who was in direct command of Anthony Haynes when he died. He was the slave-driver who forced Anthony to stand in the sun until he died. The camp sure trained those kids well, didn't it?]...
The camp began operating in 2001 and was closed down by the sheriff's office July 2 after Haynes' death. Investigators said the camp's regimen included forced marches, black uniforms in triple-digit temperatures, harsh discipline and a daily diet limited to an apple, a carrot and a bowl of beans.
-- From the wires of The Associated Press. Copyright © 2002, The Associated PressWhat the article doesn't say is that Anthony Haynes' death was actually worse than described — he was slowly tortured to death over a period of several days. Only when he was obviously dying did the staff take him to a motel and try to cool him off. And then, as if that weren't enough, when the bathtub full of cold water that he nearly drowned in didn't revive Anthony Haynes, Charles Long declared that Anthony was faking it and ordered that he be brought back to the camp, not taken to a hospital...FYI: All of those temperatures that they tell you, like "111-degree heat", are measured in the shade. When you are hiking in the blazing desert summer sun, the temperature is much hotter.
And standing in the sun in a black uniform for hours is crazy, simply insane. That will cook you to death.
And then denying the kid drinking water guarantees death.
Earlier, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio had called what happened at Long's camp "organized torture towards children."
Some children in the summer program now say they were punched, kicked and forced to eat dirt for minor infractions such as failing to stand up straight. Campers say they had bruised ribs from an exercise in which they were ordered to lie on their backs while counselors ran across their chests in boots.
"We were thrashed around, kicked, punched," said David Mandraes, 17, of Peoria, even though "nobody had done anything wrong." In addition to closed-fist punches, he and other camp participants were "elbowed, kneed, anything you can think of, they did it," he said.
One 13-year-old girl camper says females faced additional harassment, and that counselors (who liked to be addressed as "sergeant") called her "whore" and "prostitute." "They asked me how much I charged," she said.
One participant in the camp near Buckeye, Justin Boe, 16, of Phoenix, said drill instructors sometimes forced campers to lie on their backs "in the cockroach position," with their arms and legs in the air at 90-degree angles. Boe said the instructors would then stomp the campers' chests and pour mud on them, forcing them to swallow it. "Every time I closed my mouth, he (one instructor) told me, 'Open it!'" Boe said. "He would start stomping harder. Even if I spit out dirt, he told me to swallow. After, I was coughing up rocks for about four hours."
Sheriff Arpaio called the allegations "horrific" and shut down the camp. He also launched parallel investigations, one into the death of Tony Haynes, which he described as "suspicious," and the other into allegations of abuse at the camp. "Why would you take somebody who may be sick to a hotel and then bring that person back?" Arpaio asked. "These are questions we have to find out."
Bill Lanford, who led paramedics to the camp in a futile attempt to save the life of Anthony Haynes, said that many of the children were crying when they arrived. He said: "It was very disturbing. We were working and the counselors were more interested in disciplining the kids."
In an editorial, July 7, 2001, The Arizona Republic newspaper commented:You need not endure the horrific stories of kids being forced to eat dirt, of kids being beaten, kicked and shackled to each other through the night, to recognize that a bizarre madness reigned at the American Buffalo Soldier camp near Buckeye.
You wouldn't even have had to know that 14-year-old Tony Haynes died at the camp last Sunday, thrashing in agony in 112-degree heat, likely of dehydration and exposure.
Rather, the fact of the camp's very existence is evidence enough of unrestrained lunacy. Why were 45 kids ages 7 to 17 even out there in the blistering Arizona heat, scarcely supervised and with virtually no refuge from the elements and little nourishment?
The answer simply is that there was no oversight of this "tough love" abomination. There was no one to tell "Colonel" Chuck Long, the camp's operator, that he wasn't exercising "tough love." He was exercising sadistic brutality.
BOOT CAMP TALE A HORROR STORY / 14-YEAR-OLD DIED IN BIZARRE VERSION OF 'TOUGH LOVE', The Arizona Republic, 07-07-2001
Tony Haynes was definitely a troubled youth. His mother said that he took medication for depression, hyperactivity and anger. He had a history of acting out and being troublesome. Still, I can't help but wonder: Just what kind of a crime does a child have to commit to deserve to be made to eat dirt and then deprived of drinking water in the blazing desert summer sun until he drops dead?
Well, for Anthony Haynes, it was: He slashed the tires on his mother's car to keep from going back to the Buffalo Soldiers camp again.
Say what?Well, it turns out that Tony Haynes had already been going to various Saturday programs and a couple of three-day weekends at the Buffalo Soldiers camp since March, 2001. So Anthony Haynes had already tasted Charles Long's torture and abuse — his "tough love" — and he obviously hated it, because he fought to keep from going back for more. When he slashed his mom's tires in June to avoid going to a Saturday camp, Charles Long suggested the five-week summer endurance program and offered a sponsorship to pay his way.
"He was going to take his punishment like a man," said Tony's father, Gettis Haynes Jr., of Hannibal, Mo., who last spoke to his son the night before he left for camp. "I didn't think dying was included in that."Note the inadvertent admission that the camp was used for punishment, not rehabilitation. When parents send their kids to such prison camps, they usually rationalize their actions by saying that the camp is supposed to be "character-building", and "improve the kids' attitudes", and "give them a fresh start", or "give them a new lease on life". Not in this case. The boot camp was punishment that Tony was supposed to "take like a man."Gettis Haynes said Monday that he "wholeheartedly" blames the camp for his son's death. And he blames himself for sending him. "At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing. It was probably the biggest mistake I ever made in my whole life," Haynes said. "These are children. These aren't soldiers. They're not grown men. They don't have grown men stamina. They don't have grown men strength."
Mr. Haynes was confused about the issues involved there. It wasn't a matter of the victim being a man or a child. What was done to Anthony Haynes was blatantly illegal abuse and torture, and murder. It would have been illegal, immoral, unethical, and unconstitutional even if it had been done to an adult. Heck, it's even a violation of the Geneva Convention rules for the treatment of prisoners of war.
The Buffalo Soldiers' web site still (as of 11 Apr 2006) brags about their methods of rehabilitating children:The mission of Fort Flipper, America's Buffalo Soldiers CAPSAG Encampment is to create a highly disciplined arena not designed to keep students entertained but to bring them back to reality where they can function like responsible young people. ABSRA helps students be accountable for their actions whether they like it or not.
"Fort Flipper", at
http://www.thebuffalosoldiers.com/. (Dead Link. Domain Name is now owned by sedoparking.com.)
Not only was there no oversight, but nobody ever checked out "Colonel" Chuck Long's background, or asked about his qualifications to be a child counselor or run a "tough love" child rehabilitation camp.
It turns out that Charles Long had a history of criminal violence and shady dealings:
Charles "Chuck" Long II, the camp's operator, was investigated in the year 2000 over allegations of child abuse at a boot camp on the Fort Apache Reservation in Whiteriver.
In July 2000, some youths in Long's program claimed they had been kicked, choked and subjected to other cruelty by drill instructors. Fort Apache officials imposed stricter standards and Long responded by moving the camp off of the tribe's land.
Fort Apache's Tribal Council first ordered the boot camp closed while federal officials launched a criminal investigation. That order was rescinded after Long's backers rushed to the Buffalo Soldiers' defense. Still, council spokeswoman Chadeen Palmer said Long pulled up stakes because he could not accept conditions imposed by the tribe.
Ed Hall, a spokesman for the FBI, said the agency completed the investigation and forwarded it to the U.S. Attorney's Office, which declined to pursue the case. The Justice Department also declined to pursue possible civil rights violations.
In 1989, according to Phoenix police, Long was arrested after using a sledgehammer to break down the door of a residence occupied by his ex-girlfriend.
In 1991, Long was arrested again for punching the woman during a dispute over their 3-year-old son. According to court records, the woman told police Long had previously abused her and their child. He was fined and put on probation.
On 1992 resumes, Long claimed a political science degree from Wilberforce University in Ohio. A university spokeswoman said Long never earned a degree. Long also claimed to be a former director of the National Academy of Broadcasting. A letter from the academy says there is no record of his employment.
Long had originally founded the Buffalo Soldiers Re-Enactors Association to provide troops for a movie that he wanted to make, based on a screenplay titled Cry Vengeance, about Black cavalrymen who served as Indian fighters in the late 1800s. Long failed to produce the movie Cry Vengeance, leaving some investors crying foul.
Then, for a while, the Buffalo Soldiers Re-Enactors Association focused on education, appearing in parades and delivering school talks, and acting as honor guards for visiting politicians in Arizona.
Charles Long II with a young politician from Texas named George. W. Bush
Then, Long added a new twist: programs for troubled kids. Long claimed that it was Gen. Colin Powell who suggested that he go into the children's boot camp business.
Again, the Buffalo Soldiers' web site brags:
After coming to Arizona, ABSRA's Colonel "Chuck" Long was asked by General Colin Powell to use America's Buffalo Soldiers' desire, dedication and discipline existing in its adult program to additionally give something back to the community by helping America's youth and adolescents with difficult and often times, violent histories; to redirect their considerable negative energy in a positive and productive manner — so was born and added the present America's Buffalo Soldiers CAPSAG Youth Programs for America's Promise. Because of Long's attendance and experience at Hall of Divine Child Military Academy (Monroe, Michigan), St. Thomas Military Academy (St. Paul, Minnesota) and the United States Marine Corps, ABSRA's Colonel Long believed that with a military style boot camp discipline program, these troubled youths could be taught and redirected to become positive members of society rather than lost souls, troubled teenagers and some future baby face criminals of America.
Colonel Long's philosophy, stemming from America's Buffalo Soldiers' history of adversity, was to teach these youth Sacrifice, Honor, Respect, Desire, Dedication and Discipline. Starting with honor and respect for themselves and a belief that if one respects himself or herself, he or she will then deal with and treat others with that same respect.
"Bulletin", at . (Dead Link. Domain Name is now owned by sedoparking.com)
Harlan Robinson, a 74-year-old veteran of World War II, who once served in the Buffalo Soldiers 9th and 10th cavalries, said most of the unit quit years ago out of disgust over Long's financial dealings and management style. "He's got a lot of B.S.," Robinson said. "...He always needed money for this, that and the other. ... To tell you the truth, I didn't like him very much."
On several occasions, creditors have accused Long of financial misconduct. In 1993, Pamela Abbott and Darryl Khalid of Phoenix sued Long, alleging that he failed to pay about $25,000 they invested in a failed attempt to produce Cry Vengeance, and for a Wild West show. Long denied owing the money and filed a countersuit. The Superior Court case was dismissed. But Abbott and Khalid won a partial judgment in small-claims court and began investigating Long's background. They encountered a trail of civil judgments and fraud claims, plus the dubious resume. Abbott and Khalid asked the state Attorney General's Office to investigate, but were informed that the case was not big enough.
"To me, that man doesn't have any integrity," Khalid said. "You can't have a leader like that."
Charles Franklin Long II identifies himself as a "Colonel" in the Buffalo Soldiers 10th Cavalry. He has claimed to be a Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War, a former police officer, and a stunt double.
Fact: Long may have given himself the rank of "Colonel" for the purpose of kicking children, but Newsweek magazine reported in their July 16, 2001, issue that his real rank while he was in the service was Lance Corporal.
On Aug 24, 2001, Charles Long II announced that he was recruiting new staff members and preparing to launch another camp the following month. Long maintained that the camps help to steer children in the right direction.
"We are coaches in helping young people get through life," Long said. "Trying to be the nice guy doesn't work with some."Long said he has no regrets about incorporating "tough love" boot camps into the Buffalo Soldiers Re-Enactors Association, an organization that he says he founded to honor the contribution of African-American soldiers who served in the Spanish-American War and other military campaigns.
"I never have, and I never will," Long said. "No matter what happens, my goal is to die doing this. When I started this, it was about faith, not sight. It was in order to keep the history alive, and pass it along to our youth."
Sheriff Joe Arpaio said there was nothing he could do to stop Long. Well, actually, the Sheriff did find one thing: in February, 2002, he arrested Long for child abuse and murder, and put him in jail, where he still sits, in lieu of bail.
On February 21, 2002, camp counselor Troy A. Hutty pled guilty to negligent homicide in the death of Anthony Haynes in a plea arrangement that stipulates that Hutty will receive probation. Prosecutors explained the deal by saying that they wanted to get the truth in the case. It sounds like a deal for testimony against Charles Long II. At least, that's what Long said.
On March 5, 2002, Charles Long II announced that he was really angry about the unfairness of the situation. (See The Arizona Republic 03-05-2002.) He had been arrested in front of his children, he complained.
"My wife has suffered severely," he said. "Neighbors don't look at me the same way. ... (Deputies) arrested me in front of my 13-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter. My son will see that the rest of his life."
Long didn't speak of the boy who died in his care, however, or of the effect that it had on the Haynes family, or of what Anthony Haynes saw for the rest of his short life.
UPDATE: Charles Long II was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 6 years in prison. His assistant Troy Hutty got off by testifying against Long. Long complained that it was unfair and Anthony's death wasn't his fault. Long's macho lectures to the children about "taking responsibility for your actions" were forgotten.
Note that convictions of such child-killers are very rare. Such child abusers are almost never held responsible for their actions. (It's the kids' fault for being "bad".)
