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Mitt Romney's connections to the troubled teen industry
Reddit TroubledTeens:
The TTI forum is being eaten alive with trolls so I'm starting a thread here. I'll be adding to it when I have time, hopefully later this week. In the meantime, you can find info about Romney here: http://www.reddit.com/r/troubledteens/s ... rict_sr=on
Please, if anyone has constructive articles or comments to add, join in!
Anonymous:
--- Quote from: "Reddit TroubledTeens" ---The TTI forum is being eaten alive with trolls so I'm starting a thread here. I'll be adding to it when I have time, hopefully later this week. In the meantime, you can find info about Romney here: http://www.reddit.com/r/troubledteens/s ... rict_sr=on
Please, if anyone has constructive articles or comments to add, join in!
--- End quote ---
You came here to get away from trolls?
:hug:
Reddit TroubledTeens:
--- Quote from: "Wayne Kernochan" ---You came here to get away from trolls?
:hug:
--- End quote ---
It says this forum is moderated but I haven't been around enough to find out if it really is. My last post got invaded by someone advertising a sex site and another person with a racist username, it would be nice if this thread could be something we can link to in the future.
Reddit TroubledTeens:
I just found out about this connection between Mitt Romney and another abusive teen program: the head of a controversial boarding school with a history of physical and sexual abuse (The DeSisto School in Stockbridge, Mass.) served as co-chair of Romney’s presidential campaign in Arizona.
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2012/02/emba ... le-student
Embattled sheriff once ran boarding school, lived with male student
Staff Reports
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Related:
Outed Arizona sheriff ‘110 percent in the race for Congress’
PHOENIX — Embattled Pinal County, Arizona sheriff Paul Babeu — who came out as gay amid allegations that he threatened to have an ex-boyfriend deported — once ran a Massachusetts boarding school with a history of physical and sexual abuse, and for a time lived with one of the school’s male students.
According to a new report by KNXV-TV, for three years, from 1999 to 2001, Babeu ran The DeSisto School in in Stockbridge, Mass.
Paul Babeu
The school was plagued with controversy, including allegations of that students were forced to wear sheets, sit facing walls for hours, undergo strip searches and take group showers.
KNXV reported that “several students” knew a secret about Babeu, that his sister Lucy Babeu discovered one day after visiting his home that Paul Babeu was living with one of his male students:
“Lucy Babeu told the ABC15 Investigators she confronted her brother after finding a student from DeSisto school living with Babeu.
“I said what is this student from Desisto doing here? He says, ‘Lucy, he’s my boyfriend. I love him’.”
Lucy Babeu told us her brother was having a relationship with the male student.
“I said Paul get a hold of yourself here,” said Lucy. “You were his teacher! You were his Executive Director! You can’t do this.”
KNXV-TV did not identify the former student, but reported that at the time he was 17, the legal age of consent in Massachusetts.
Watch the report here:
The school closed voluntarily in June 2004, three years after Babeu’s tenure, amid accusations of failing to create a safe environment for its students.
Babeu, 43, who is seeking the GOP nomination for an Arizona congressional seat, publicly came out as gay earlier this month, after news broke that he allegedly threatened to deport his former boyfriend, Jose Orozco, who is Hispanic, if their past relationship was made public.
A rising star in the Arizona Republican party, Babeu had also been serving as co-chair of Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign in Arizona, a position he resigned at the same time as coming out.
Babeu remains a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the state’s fourth congressional district, says if he’s elected to Congress he’ll support pro-LGBT initiatives and help change perceptions lawmakers have about gay people, reported the Washington Blade.
Reddit TroubledTeens:
http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/local_new ... ical-abuse
Documents: Babeu ran private boarding school with history of physical abuse
Video
Photo
Related Links
Babeu: School abuse details
Ex-boyfriend worked for Babeu's brother
Pinal County reacts to Babeu…
VIDEO: Sheriff Babeu confirms he's gay
Sheriff Paul Babeu confirms he's gay
Posted: 02/26/2012
By: Dave Biscobing
By: Mark LaMet
By: Maria Tomasch
The DeSisto School sits abandoned in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
It was a private boarding school for troubled teens with a long and troubled history of its own.
Pinal County Sheriff and U.S. Congressional candidate Paul Babeu was the school's Headmaster and Executive Director from 1999 to 2001.
He touts his experience there on his campaign website.
While Babeu ran the school, the Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services launched an investigation into repeated allegations of abuse.
The ABC15 Investigators traveled across Massachusetts and tracked down reports that have never been released.
The documents show that during Babeu’s tenure the school was not licensed. Other allegations include detailed instances of physical and sexual abuse.
Holli Nielsen was a student of DeSisto while Babeu was Headmaster.
“It's not unreasonable to say we were cult-like,” said Nielsen.
SEVERE PUNISHMENTS
Click here to read more about DeSisto's controversial disciplinary methods
When the rules at the school were broken, student faced serious consequences.
Nielsen told us about strict punishments and how each punishment had a special name.
“Take a verb, add an -ed to the end and that's a DeSisto term,” said Nielsen.
One of the punishments was being “sheeted”.
Nielsen told us about her experience of being forced to strip down and wear nothing but a sheet in front of her peers.
“That’s how I spent my 16th birthday,” said Nielsen. “It was just miserable.”
The state documents obtained by ABC15 also reveal students "strip searched" each other and "routinely took group showers"... "leading to sexual abuse."
Being “cornered” was considered by many students to be the worst punishment.
That meant sitting, facing the wall for hours, days and sometimes weeks.
“You have to sit like this with your feed flat on the ground. You can't cross your legs,” said Nielsen. “From 7 in the morning to 9:30.”
In one case, records show a student with bi-polar disorder, ADHD and impulse control disorder was “cornered” for "weeks on end."
The student’s medication was not monitored properly. He began to "urinate and defecate" on himself. He was also taken to the hospital for pneumonia.
Days later, that same student was returned to DeSisto and sent back to the corner.
We asked Nielsen if Babeu was aware of students being “sheeted’ and “cornered”.
Nielsen replied, “He was there for that. Yes. He was certainly aware of that. There were a lot of things that happened there that probably shouldn't have.”
ADVOCATE FOR CHANGE
Andrea Watson founded Parents for Residential Reform in Boston after her daughter was raped at a different boarding school.
The group advocated for safer boarding schools. Watson helped work on the DeSisto case.
“They did not feel like they had to adhere to any standards or rules,” said Watson. “Those people were so good at covering things up. It’s still beyond my belief.”
QUESTIONABLE RELATIONSHIP
Several students we spoke with say they also knew a secret about Babeu.
It was a secret that Babeau’s older sister said she discovered one day after visiting his home.
Lucy Babeu told the ABC15 Investigators she confronted her brother after finding a student from DeSisto school living with Babeu.
“I said what is this student from Desisto doing here? He says, ‘Lucy, he's my boyfriend. I love him’.”
Lucy Babeu told us her brother was having a relationship with the male student.
“I said Paul get a hold of yourself here,” said Lucy. “You were his teacher! You were his Executive Director! You can't do this.”
ABC15 is not identifying the former student. He has not responded to our interview requests.
At the time, he was 17 which is the legal age of consent in Massachusetts.
“He was of age. He would be what we considered a high school senior,” said Nielsen.
Holli says she knew the student personally.
“It was widely known but not discussed. People were aware of it,” said Nielsen. “It was kind of swept under the rug.”
Babeu left the school in 2001. Three years later, the state investigation forced DeSisto to shut down.
Babeu declined our requests for an on-camera interview, but his spokesman sent us this statement:
"DeSisto Private School's mission was to save troubled, yet talented youth in a therapeutic environment. The Sheriff served three years and was recognized for helping restore financial stability of the school. He was never the target of any investigation or lawsuit. Sheriff Babeu is a recognized leader for Victim's Rights."
Earlier this month, Babeu came under fire after an ex-boyfriend said the sheriff had threatened to deport him if he told anyone that Babeu was gay. Babeu denied the claim, and an investigation into those allegations is underway.
Hotlines
Adolescent Crisis Intervention & Counseling Nineline
1-800-999-9999
National Runaway Switchboard and Suicide Hotline
1-800-621-4000
Self-Injury Hotline
SAFE (Self Abuse Finally Ends) Alternatives Program www.selfinjury.com
1-800-DONT CUT (1-800-366-8288)
Youth Crisis
Hotline
1-800-448-4663
1-800-422-0009
Conatct Dave Biscobing at dbiscobing@abc15.com if you have any questions or comments.
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