Fornits

Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => The Troubled Teen Industry => Topic started by: Reddit TroubledTeens on October 27, 2011, 05:03:09 PM

Title: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot camp
Post by: Reddit TroubledTeens on October 27, 2011, 05:03:09 PM
TRIGGER WARNING!!

Footage like this is extremely rare, facilities usually don't allow the abuse to be documented. I fail to see how this 'treatment' would help any kid. http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19202271 (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19202271)

Longer story and more info here: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19202277 (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19202277)

One of the men in the video was arrested in May for trying to extort money from a family. He demanded $100 as a down payment to enroll their daughter in his boot camp or he would bring her to a juvenile detention facility for truancy. http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_18495489 (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_18495489)
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: cmack on October 27, 2011, 05:17:03 PM
Thanks for posting. Those are disgusting videos.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19202277 (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19202277)

Quote
McFarland said he is a recovering alcoholic who at one time was homeless. He said he was turning his own life around at the same time that he was trying to reform troubled children.

The two boot camp instructors parted ways in 2009, when McFarland failed to pass a background check and allegations emerged of inappropriate training methods, Gibbs said.

McFarland launched Family First Growth Camp in Pasadena in 2009. Gibbs said at that time McFarland began recruiting children and instructors away from Gibbs' operation.

McFarland was arrested on May 27 and charged with kidnapping, child abuse, false imprisonment, extortion and unlawful use of a badge. The charges stem from a May 16 incident during which McFarland allegedly handcuffed a truant Pasadena Unified School District high school student and extorted money from her family.

According to testimony given in a pre-trial hearing, McFarland told the victim's family that he would take the girl to a juvenile detention center unless the family enrolled her in his Family First Growth Camp.

Read more: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci ... z1c1Fbl9tD (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19202277#ixzz1c1Fbl9tD)

Just the kind of people you want working with kids.
Title: Man arrested after allegedly posing as truancy officer...
Post by: Ursus on October 27, 2011, 05:23:07 PM
For previous coverage of this case, see:


Here's an earlier article I had originally prepped for posting in that thread, but didn't get around to doing so in time... Might as well post it here so we know who we're dealing with:

-------------- • -------------- • --------------

abc7 · KABC-TV · Los Angeles, CA
Man arrested after allegedly posing as truancy officer, handcuffing teen (http://http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=8177889)

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

(http://http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/images/kabc/cms_exf_2007/news/local/los_angeles/8178086_448x252.jpg)
Kelvin McFarland, 40, was arrested after police said he posed as a truancy officer and handcuffed a 14-year-old girl.  (KABC Photo)

PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- A man who runs a boot camp for kids in Pasadena was arrested after police said he posed as a truancy officer and handcuffed a 14-year-old girl.

Pasadena police said Kelvin McFarland, 40, then took the teen to a family member's house and demanded money for his services.

McFarland then allegedly tried to persuade the family to enroll the child in his business, Family 1st Growth Camp.

McFarland is being held on $285,000 bail and faces charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment and extortion.


Copyright ©2011 ABC Inc., KABC-TV/DT Los Angeles, CA.
Title: Comments: "Man arrested after allegedly posing as truancy...
Post by: Ursus on October 27, 2011, 06:41:19 PM
Comments (http://http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=8177889) left for the just above article, "Man arrested after allegedly posing as truancy officer, handcuffing teen (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=38063&p=407409#p407401)" (June 08, 2011; abc7/KABC-TV):


1 Cause_I_Do_Care · 6/8/11 9:11 AM PDT
2 ldlovesmusic · 6/8/11 9:11 AM PDT
3 rainjarden · 6/8/11 9:18 AM PDT
4 mrharleyquinn87 · 6/8/11 9:51 AM PDT
5 srodrigu · 6/8/11 10:45 AM PDT
6 rock5ash12 · 6/8/11 11:02 AM PDT
7 luvwhenuhateme · 6/8/11 11:02 AM PDT
8 MISSE2U · 6/8/11 11:46 AM PDT
9 much_smarter_than_you · 6/8/11 12:43 PM PDT
10 Mike.sigmond · 6/8/11 1:17 PM PDT


Copyright ©2011 ABC Inc., KABC-TV/DT Los Angeles, CA.
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Reddit TroubledTeens on October 28, 2011, 12:39:15 AM
First link I posted:

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19202271 (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19202271)

Watch: videos show tactics of teen boot camps in Pasadena
Posted: 10/26/2011 09:07:48 PM PDT

Before viewing the videos in question, readers should be aware that they are disturbing and not suitable for viewing by children.

PASADENA - Two disturbing videos obtained by this newspaper offer an inside look at Pasadena-based boot camps.

The videos were created at least two years ago. One shows Kelvin "Sgt. Mac" McFarland forcing children to gorge themselves on water. The children in the video struggle to drink the water and several are seen vomiting as a result.

The second video shows a boy crying as he carries a truck tire around his neck. McFarland and three other boot camp instructors - at least one of whom was allegedly on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps at the time - can been seen screaming at the boy and coaxing him to say he "loves his sergeant."

The boy falls to his knees in tears and for a time it appears that he too is going to vomit.

**************************

COMMENTS:

Reddit TroubledTeens
This is extremely rare video as most 'troubled teen' facilities are closed environments and don't allow the abuse to be documented. Kudos to Pasadena Star News for obtaining it and publicizing it. There are hundreds of facilities in the US that use similar tactics to 'break' a child. Forced water and scream therapy are just a few, they also use sleep deprivation, isolation, withholding food, physical exertion, forced labor and many other torturous techniques. These places exist in all 50 states, it is a billion-dollar industry. More info here: http://www.reddit.com/r/troubledteens/c ... like_most/ (http://www.reddit.com/r/troubledteens/comments/l7r94/welcome_rfirstworldproblems_if_you_are_like_most/)
Reply · 1 · Like · Unfollow Post · 5 hours ago

David Lutzeier
Don't these idiot's know that drinking too much water can lead to Hyponatremia??? They can certainly die from being forced to drink too much water, if you have a decrease in Sodium in your blood that's great enough you would have a dead child. If this is how you instill discipline in children this is disgusting. Why don't one of these "soldiers" pick on a person their own size? Do parents voluntarily put their children in these programs? If so they should be punished as well as the people abusing the kids on the video.
Reply · 3 · Unlike · Follow Post · 13 hours ago

Frank Larez · Los Angeles, California
I would Love to See All The Taggers And Gang Members Go there "
Reply · 1 · Like · Follow Post · 13 hours ago

Anthony Connelly · Cincinnati, Ohio
It's no wonder that kids are dying in these places. Google: Martin Lee Anderson, his death was captured on video, he was killed by several boot camp staff in florida.....and every one of the staff involved was acquitted. I guess murder is okay if you run a teen program. Federal legislation has been introduced to end this type of abuse and death: H.R. 3126 and S.1667
Reply · Like · Follow Post · 3 hours ago

Collin Mitchell · Ellison High School
Wtf is wrong with this people? They need a life. Trying to scar children for eternity is what Satin does and Satin lives in the underworld. That's why he is there burning in that wretched place, I oughta go beat some sense into these people.
Reply · Like · Follow Post · 2 hours ago

Daniel Dupill · University of Southern California
I agree that the videos are disturbing and should be seen; however, the blurring of the face of boy with the tire is totally inadequate. Anyone who knows him would recognize him. Please modify so that his privacy is protected.
Reply · Like · Follow Post · 4 hours ago

Sheila Wilson
These are troubled children that they are trying to "break". Just as they do in boot camp to adults. However... They are only showing a portion of a "clip" that was recorded.
Reply · Like · Follow Post · about an hour ago

George Martin Diaz · Alhambra, California
dood !!!there other ways to teach honor, loyalty ,courage ,....its called Little league baseball ...blow hards.just raisin MONSTERS!!
Reply · Like · Follow Post · 12 hours ago

Hailey Hubacek · Grafton, Wisconsin
I hope these boot camps are shut down and each of the "soldiers" who witnessed, made, and recorded these videos are arrested for ATLEAST 5 years
Reply · Like · Follow Post · 3 hours ago

Tony Venti · Surfside, California
LOOKS LIKE A WHOLE BUNCH OF UNDERACHIEVERS GOT TOGETHER AND OPENED A CAMP..
WHAT WILL THEY THINK OF NEXT?
Reply · Like · Follow Post · 11 hours ago

Anthony Connelly · Cincinnati, Ohio
This is sick....these staff are sick people and should not be allowed around children.
Reply · Like · Follow Post · 3 hours ago

James Smith · Pasadena, California
WHAT IS GOING ON? WHAT IS GOING ON? THIS IS NOT, AND I REPEAT NOT O.K.!!!
Reply · Like · Follow Post · 12 hours ago

    Reddit TroubledTeens
    No, it is not OK! There are hundreds of facilities like this one, more info here: http://www.reddit.com/r/troubledteens/c ... like_most/ (http://www.reddit.com/r/troubledteens/comments/l7r94/welcome_rfirstworldproblems_if_you_are_like_most/). They must be stopped, kids should not be abused like this!
    Reply · Like · 5 hours ago

James Smith · Pasadena, California
If no one is going to do anything about this, I will!
Reply · Like · Follow Post · 12 hours ago
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Reddit TroubledTeens on October 28, 2011, 12:43:45 AM
Second link: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19202277 (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19202277)

Exclusive videos detail tactics at teen boot camps in Pasadena
By Brian Charles, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/26/2011 09:24:24 PM PDT

In a frame grab image of a Commit II Achieve Boot Camp video a youth is seen wearing a tire while being yelled at by boot camp leaders. (HAND IN 10-2011)
Video: Watch: videos offer inside look at children's boot camps
Photo gallery: Inside look at controversial children's boot camps

PASADENA - Two disturbing videos obtained by this newspaper offer an inside look at Pasadena-based boot camps.

The videos were created at least two years ago. One shows Kelvin "Sgt. Mac" McFarland forcing children to gorge themselves on water. The children in the video struggle to drink the water and several are seen vomiting as a result.

The second video shows a boy crying as he carries a truck tire around his neck. McFarland and three other boot camp instructors - at least one of whom was allegedly on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps at the time - can been seen screaming at the boy and coaxing him to say he "loves his sergeant."

The boy falls to his knees in tears and for a time it appears that he too is going to vomit.

Child abuse legal expert and USC Gould School of Law Professor Thomas Lyons did not view the videos but said the behavior described on them could easily fit the broad definition of child abuse.

"A lot of statutes will include cruelty as part of the definition of child abuse," Lyons said. "If there is no justification for this and
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you are just trying to induce pain, that could be child abuse."

Lyons also raised questions about the efficacy of the methods used in the videos.

"He can argue that this is all part of the program and part of necessary discipline," Lyon said. "But there are plenty of experts that will tell you that the behavior is beyond the pale and not effective."

McFarland, a Monrovia resident, is the operator of Family First Growth Camp in Pasadena. He denied he was in either video, although he declined the opportunity to view them. When asked about his role in the videos, McFarland acknowledged they existed. However, he said "if you look at that video, you will see Keith `Sarge' Gibbs in the video."

Gibbs operates Sarge's Community Base, Inc./Commit II Achieve Boot Camp, also based in Pasadena.

While Gibbs is not seen in either video, his voice is heard off camera in one of the recordings. Children in both videos are seen wearing Commit II T-shirts.

Gibbs denied being present during the filming of the videos. He offered no explanation for why his voice was heard on one.

He said he deplored the instructors' behavior in the videos.

"It's not the way I would run a camp," Gibbs said.

Before they were rival boot camp operators, McFarland worked for Sarge's Community Base, Inc./Commit II Achieve Boot Camp, which Gibbs owns and operates.

Both men have served in the military, with McFarland serving in the Persian Gulf War.

McFarland said he is a recovering alcoholic who at one time was homeless. He said he was turning his own life around at the same time that he was trying to reform troubled children.

The two boot camp instructors parted ways in 2009, when McFarland failed to pass a background check and allegations emerged of inappropriate training methods, Gibbs said.

McFarland launched Family First Growth Camp in Pasadena in 2009. Gibbs said at that time McFarland began recruiting children and instructors away from Gibbs' operation.

McFarland was arrested on May 27 and charged with kidnapping, child abuse, false imprisonment, extortion and unlawful use of a badge. The charges stem from a May 16 incident during which McFarland allegedly handcuffed a truant Pasadena Unified School District high school student and extorted money from her family.

According to testimony given in a pre-trial hearing, McFarland told the victim's family that he would take the girl to a juvenile detention center unless the family enrolled her in his Family First Growth Camp.

The girl was never enrolled in the boot camp, according to court testimony.

Pasadena police have not broadened their investigation into Pasadena boot camps or their operators to include allegations outside of the May 16 incident, according Lt. Tracey Ibarra.

Gibbs' boot camp operation has not been free of controversy.

He was kicked off Pasadena Unified School District campuses in 2009, after allegations emerged that McFarland was "too rough" on the children in his program and forced several children to clean the bathrooms in the school.

Boot camps operate with little in the way of oversight, according to a 2007 Government Accountability Office report.

Boot camp staff members are often untrained, discipline hawks and many of the trainers are convinced the children under their command are faking injuries, the report said.

Children are pushed past their physical breaking points day-after-day; injuries occur, go untreated and the children often die slowly, the report said.

According to the GAO report, more than 1,600 teens have been victims of abuse in juvenile boot camp programs since 1990, and 10 have died.

In its report, the GAO admitted that the lack of oversight "hampered" efforts to count child abuse incidents at juvenile boot camps.

Rep. George Miller, D-Richmond, subsequently sponsored two bills to regulate boot camps. Both passed the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008 and 2009, respectively, but failed in the U.S. Senate.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci ... z1c33pAMg1 (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19202277#ixzz1c33pAMg1)

**********************

COMMENTS:

Johnny Romero
where do i sign up for this!?!
Reply · Like · Follow Post · about an hour ago
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Reddit TroubledTeens on October 28, 2011, 12:47:05 AM
Third link: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_18495489 (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_18495489)

McFarland case delayed until August
By Brian Charles, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/17/2011 07:02:49 AM PDT

PASADENA - Police in Pasadena have failed to turn over vital evidence in the Kelvin "Sgt. Mac" McFarland case, causing two delays this week in the criminal court proceedings, according to the suspect's attorney.

McFarland, 40, is a Pasadena juvenile boot camp operator accused of kidnapping, child abuse, false imprisonment, extortion and unlawful use of badge.

"Investigators have presented nothing in the way of discovery," said McFarland attorney Bill Paparian, a former mayor of Pasadena. "When (the police) interrogate somebody they tape record the interview. I requested those tapes. I haven't received (the tapes) yet."

McFarland heads back to court Aug. 1.

Paparian said the responsibility lies solely with the Pasadena Police Department and not with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office prosecutors.

"It's not a prosecution issue. I have worked with Carolina Lugo and I think highly of her... The problem is with the Police Department and I don't know why," he said.

Pasadena police Chief Philip Sanchez said he did not have "intimate knowledge of the case," but added that any request by attorneys to obtain interrogation tapes is normally honored.

McFarland became embroiled in controversy after he was arrested in a May 16 incident where he allegedly handcuffed a 14-year-old and drove her to the home of a relative.

Police allege McFarland threatened to take the girl to a juvenile detention center for being truant if the family failed to pay him $100 as a deposit for enrollment into his Family First Growth Camp, a Pasadena-based juvenile boot camp the money.

He pleaded not guilty in June.

During a contentious preliminary hearing in June, Paparian attempted to impeach the credibility of the young victim in the case, dubbed Lady M in court.

On the first day of preliminary hearing testimony, Lady M failed to pick McFarland out in court despite the fact that he was sitting less than 30 feet from her.

He also has questioned whether she was truthful with her parents and other adults on the day of the May 16 incident.

Paparian put in a request for the victim's school records with the Pasadena Unified School District. The PUSD provided Paparian with those documents, he said.

[email protected]

626-578-6300, ext. 4494

***********************************

COMMENTS:

Ignacio Ruiz
wow, if this guy was white he wouldnt be introuble , he would be getting praised!
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Oscar on October 28, 2011, 03:54:51 AM
Both Wiki-pages are now updated:

Sarge's Community Based Training (http://http://wiki.fornits.com/index.php?title=Sarge%27s_Community_Based_Training)
Families 1st (California) (http://http://wiki.fornits.com/index.php?title=Families_1st_(California))
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Reddit TroubledTeens on October 28, 2011, 06:35:36 AM
Awesome, you rox, Oscar!
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Inculcated on October 28, 2011, 11:31:39 PM
Quote
Before viewing the videos in question, readers should be aware that they are disturbing and not suitable for viewing by children.
My eyes landed on that disclaimer after viewing the videos of children being abused *for their own good*—yet again and I just…I can’t even…
Seriously, this sickness must stop, but it seems to fester in the hearts of people who DVR Scared Straight and Lock Up. How the hell did our culture get so hung up on the punitive bent that these tactics which amount to nothing less than degradation, subjugation and potentially life threatening physical punishments have become what passes for guidance?
At least the comments accompanying the OP's link (http://http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19202271) were appropriately outraged. When there isn’t a video, it’s usually just a lot of drive by remarks of the usual troubled teen pandemic panic variety and of the trollish calloused indifference sort. That presence of outrage is good, but they seem to not know how sickly commonplace this abuse is (with the exception of its' video documentation).So it was very nicely done of you to chime in there and include a link to more discussion, Reddit TroubledTeens.
While rousing to the public the videos probably wouldn’t even be admissible (to establish a pattern of his behavior toward minors),in *Sarge* McFarland’s trial for kidnapping the girl off the street and driving her around in handcuffs and extorting her family, because they were hired by the parents of the kids in the videos to *treat* them this sickening way.
So sick of this sickness being peddled as a path to wellness or even just compliance.
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Reddit TroubledTeens on October 29, 2011, 03:09:14 AM
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19220182 (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19220182)

Pasadena boot camp head defends operation
By Brian Charles, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/28/2011 09:28:59 PM PDT

PASADENA - As the national media spotlight on the practices of two Pasadena- based boot camps intensified Friday, the proprietor of one of those camps - Keith "Sarge" Gibbs - began damage control, defending his actions in an interview aired on radio station KFI 640 AM.

In an interview with Bill Carroll, Gibbs commented on the two videos published on this newspaper's website Thursday. One showed children being coerced to binge drink water to the point of vomiting. In the other, a boy was forced to carry a truck tire around his neck while being taunted by boot camp instructors. At one point the boy collapses in tears.

Gibbs told the KFI radio host the tactics merely teetered on the edge of being unacceptable.

"I would say that's borderline," Gibbs told Carroll.

The 2009 videos have been described as disturbing by experts in the fields of child development and child abuse law. The tactics depicted also have been called "ineffective" by experts.

Kelvin "Sgt. Mac" McFarland is clearly visible in both videos, and can been seen in one coercing the children to binge on water despite their inability to hold the water down.

In the other video, McFarland can be seen screaming in the ear of the boy wearing the truck tire around his neck.

At the time the video was shot, McFarland worked for Gibbs at his Sarge's Community Base/Commit II Achieve Camp. Gibbs can be heard talking on one of the videos.

And while
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both men deny being present during the filming, Gibbs' answers during the midday KFI broadcast "frustrated" Carroll.

"The `Sarge' can't make up his mind about what we see on those tapes," Carroll said in an email. "Is this appropriate behavior that provides results he's proud of? Or is this a crime he wants to distance himself from? I still don't know."

When asked how his voice was recorded on the videotape without him being present, Gibbs told Carroll: "If that's my voice on tape, I don't know how it got there."

Gibbs went on to allege that someone may have doctored the digital files to embed his voice on the video, perhaps to bring down Gibbs' operation.

"It's like a pirate ship," he said to the radio host. "They want to take me down with them."

During the broadcast, Gibbs described the daily ritual at his Commit II Achieve Boot Camp, which he said included exercise, academics and plenty of motivational talks.

He said his tactics have never been as harsh as those depicted in the videos. When asked him whether he would coerce a child to binge drink to the point of vomiting, Gibbs responded "No, I wouldn't."

Gibbs and McFarland split in 2009 when the latter failed to clear a background check, and both men quarreled over the camp's training regimen.

McFarland subsequently started his own operation, Family First Growth Camp in Pasadena.

McFarland was arrested on May 27 on suspicion of kidnapping, child abuse, child endangerment, extortion and unlawful use of a badge. The charges stem from a May 16 incident in which McFarland allegedly handcuffed a truant teenager and extorted money from her parents.

Gibbs' camp has not been without its share of controversy. He was kicked off Pasadena Unified School District campuses after officials found his tactics "too rough."

Meanwhile, the story garnered attention in the nation's Capitol again Friday as Rep. Judy Chu, D-El Monte, became the third member of the House of Representatives to condemn the acts in the videos.

"No child should face abuse at the hands of an adult, and juvenile boot camps are no different," Chu said.

Her comments echo those of Rep. George Miller, D-Richmond, who introduced a bill in early October that would regulate boot camps.

Staff Writer Frank C. Girardot contributed to this story.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci ... z1c9VEezU3 (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19220182#ixzz1c9VEezU3)
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Inculcated on October 29, 2011, 03:32:58 AM
What an abusive program director feigns an obtuse mix of innocence and ignorance whilst deflecting blame on his former colleagues even when confronted with compelling evidence like his own audio presence on the video documenting the abuses he claims to never have witnessed and to also disapprove of and to meekly defend as being tough love???…so sick of it!!!!!!
Quote
*Sarge* Gibbs: "It's like a pirate ship," he said to the radio host. "They want to take me down with them."
Oh, it’s a mutiny!
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Reddit TroubledTeens on October 29, 2011, 03:53:00 AM
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local ... 63648.html (http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Youth-Boot-Camps-Under-Fire-132763648.html)

Youth Boot Camps Under Fire

"It border-lined on humiliation disguised as physical activity."
By Robert Kovacik and Bill French
|  Friday, Oct 28, 2011  |  Updated 6:47 PM PDT
View Comments (4)
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Lolita Lopez and Sue Monroe

Newly released video seems to show questionable practices at so-called youth "boot camps" in Pasadena. But who was in charge?

Newly released videos from youth "boot camps" show heavy-handed tactics that might go beyond the sort of discipline that could be positive for some at-risk kids.

The Pasadena-Star News obtained the videos.

In one of the videos, a boy can be seen carrying a tire around his neck. He falls to his knees and screams and cries. The instructor screams at him to continue.

The videos depict activities at two Pasadena "boot camps."

"It border-lined on humiliation disguised as physical activity intended to instill discipline," said Pasadena City Councilman Victor Gordo.
Multimedia
Pasadena Boot Camps Under Fire
Pasadena Boot
Camps Under Fire
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In another video, children are forced to drink water to the point of vomiting.

"Potentially dangerous behavior on the part of the instructors toward the kids," Gordo said.

Gordo has asked the city's police department to investigate the incidents. An officer who viewed the tape was not ready to reach any conclusions.

"It's disturbing to see the video," said Commander John Perez. "But again we have to take the video for the entire content."

The investigation starts with Kelvin McFarland, apparently seen on both videos taken two years ago. McFarland operates Family First Growth Camp in Pasadena.

McFarland was arrested in May for allegedly handcuffing a girl he saw skipping school, then demanded money from her parents to enroll in his boot camp.

Friday, the operator of a second Pasadena boot camp, "Sarge's Community," defended his operation.

"In our camp, we yell," said Keith "Sarge" Gibbs. "But it's a one on one individual. We don't surround and yell all at the same time."

Gibbs and McFarland used to work together. Now police will sort out the timing of the videos, to see who is ultimately responsible, and whether any laws were violated.

So, what do parents think of this?

"It appears that some of the parents have okay-ed it, from discussions with other people, " Perez said. "We're not sure if that's absolutely true. And did the parents know what the format was?"

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COMMENTS

Sara Aguilar Figueroa · West Covina, California
Yes, parents are willing to take their children to SCB Inc...I am one of those parents. My son, age 13 has been attending SCB since June 2011. Despite the generalization, my son is not a 'troubled child' (whatever that may mean) my son is a GATE student w/ a 3.8 GPA attending 8th grade at a local Arts Academy w/ accepted enrollment to IPoli (Cal Poly Pomona High School). There are no words to describe his improvement; exceeding confidence, high level of respect towards himself, peers & superiors, empowered & controlled expression & communication. I have received nothing but praise from his teacher as to the level of maturity he displays. There is value w/in the yelling. Discipline is the foundation of all success. During quiet time the kids and sargeants do bond. And quiet the contrary, there is a level of respect and 'love' for one another. I highly recommend SCB Inc. to any parent seeking a higher level of order in their child's life.
Reply · Like · Follow Post · about an hour ago

Margarita Gamero
Given, these examples are extreme, but life itself has worse ways to humilliate and torture some at-risk kids in the future. We have to agree that some kids need more 'strict' education (note I did not say "extreme") to help them in their futures.
Reply · Like · Follow Post · 12 hours ago

Donnie Trent · CSUN, Northridge, CA
As a 54 year old man, I wish to volunteer as a participant in this program. If these sadistic people touch me, I would respond with an awesome explosion. Then I would teach the children to explode also--especially to the man getting the money!
Reply · Like · Follow Post · 9 hours ago

Jerry Cohen · Santa Monica College
UN-REGULATED places that are in it for the money only. Sadistic employees that get off on the power. This kind of program needs to be closely watched.
Reply · Like · Follow Post · 13 hours ago
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Reddit TroubledTeens on October 29, 2011, 03:59:36 AM
http://laist.com/2011/10/27/boot_camp_i ... l_made.php (http://laist.com/2011/10/27/boot_camp_instructor_on_trial_made.php)

Boot Camp Instructor on Trial Made Kids Carry Tires and Drink Water Until They Puked

bootcamp.png
Screenshot (Pasadena Star-News)

A local boot camp instructor on trial for kidnapping, child abuse, extortion and more used disturbing methods for disciplining troubled children in his program.

Videos show kids at the boot camp led by Kelvin McFarland aka "Sgt. Mac" being forced to drink until they puke — and then being forced to drink some more. Another video shows a child in tears being screamed at to carry a tire — the child also nearly pukes. Two videos of McFarland's disturbing methods were obtained by the Pasadena Star-News and can be viewed here.

Until his arrest, McFarland ran the Family 1st Growth Camp in Pasadena and Altadena. He was arrested in May after police said he took one of his students home, after handcuffing him and demanded money for transporting him. They said he also tried to get the parents to enroll the kid in his after school program. Since his arrest, police have been looking into other incidents and allegations of abuse as well, according to the Pasadena Star-News.

Not many people are paying attention to what happens in boot camps — to the detriment of teens, the paper reports. More than 1,600 teens have been abused in boot camp programs since 1990 and 10 have died, according to a 2007 Government Accountability Office report. Boot camp staff members are not trained and they assume kids in pain are faking it. They don't notice until it's too late.
Contact the author of this article or email [email protected] with further questions, comments or tips.
By Emma G. Gallegos in News on October 27, 2011 9:40 AM
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Reddit TroubledTeens on October 29, 2011, 07:48:43 AM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/2 ... 51216.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/kelvin-sgt-mac-mcfarland-boot-camp-video_n_1051216.html)

Kelvin 'Sgt. Mac' McFarland: Boot Camp Video Emerges Detailing Abuse Of Teens (Warning: Graphic Video)
Warning: The below video is graphic and might not be appropriate for children.

The Huffington Post   Sasha Bronner First Posted: 10/27/11 05:38 PM ET Updated: 10/28/11 02:47 PM ET
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Two disturbing videos have emerged that show shocking and abusive treatment of kids at a Pasadena teen boot camp. The videos come courtesy of the Pasadena Star-News and further the case against Kelvin "Sgt. Mac" McFarland, who was arrested on May 27, 2011 under charges of "kidnapping, child abuse, false imprisonment, extortion and unlawful use of a badge," reports the Pasadena Star-News.

In the video above, McFarland and other instructors scream and yell at what looks like a pre-teen boy as he is forced to hold a heavy car tire. The boy is brought to his knees as he cries and is terrorized by the adults around him.

McFarland's May arrest sparked much controversy. CBS has more on what lead to the arrest:

    Officials say he spotted a 14-year-old girl downtown cutting school. Pasadena police say he approached the girl, insinuated he was a police officer and handcuffed the girl. In addition, police say McFarland then demanded money from the parents to provide his boot camp/after school services.

And yet, many clients of McFarland's came to his defense. Friends and supporters rallied to his defense, reports Altadena Patch, speaking out about "how important the program was to their children."

The video below chronicles teen participants at McFarland's boot camp being forced to drink water until they vomit. McFarland has not seen the videos but admits he is aware of their existence. He tries to deflect some blame by calling out a former colleague: "If you look at that video, you will see Keith 'Sarge' Gibbs in the video," Pasadena Star-News reports.

Keith Gibbs and McFarland both served in the military and used to work together at Gibbs' boot camp. Yet in 2009, McFarland left to start a competing boot camp in Pasadena called the Family First Growth Camp. Gibbs tells the Pasadena Star-News that the split occurred when McFarland "failed to pass a background check and allegations emerged of inappropriate training methods."

As for why the boot camp activities were filmed, investigators have yet to find out.

******************************************
COMMENTS (NOTE: There are 77 pages with 2,948 comments. This is the first page.)

juicyazzmarie
6 Fans
 
34 minutes ago (7:04 AM)
Discipline

Since no child's behavior is perfect all of the time, discipline is an important way to teach children self-contr­ol and what is expected of them as a family member, a playmate, or a student in a classroom. The primary goal of discipline is to teach these important lessons to children, not to punish them. When adults need to stop a child's bad behavior, they should to do it with self-contr­ol and without violence.

Whether at home or in the classroom, adults can establish an atmosphere where children can get attention for doing the right thing—not the wrong thing. To do this, they need to take the time to praise and reward. They need to establish a safe environmen­t for playing and sharing. They need to establish simple rules that children understand­. When the rules are broken, adults need to step in, calm the child down, then discuss alternativ­e nonviolent ways to resolve the conflict with appropriat­e sanctions for the behavior.

if YOU as a Parent cannot raise your child right and teach them right from wrong at a young age then you should not even have them anyways! YOU have NOTHING to OFFER!!

if your child is bad then more than likely its YOUR FAULT, NOT that child dont go putting the blame on someone who learned what you taught them!!!
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Rustie Kuntsz
1 Fans
4 hours ago (3:23 AM)
What's the problem? She he have given fatbody a timeout? puuuuleeaz­zz
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Dale Birmingham
Conservative and REAL American
893 Fans
5 hours ago (2:21 AM)
I have been to bootcamp not once but twice. And this type of training builds character and will. This is NOT torture in any way shape or form. It's mental discipline to adjust to each and every situation you come across. Its typical the weak minded sees this as what they think it is. That's nothing compared to other bootcamps. Nothing.
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G D
42 Fans
3 hours ago (4:49 AM)
Dude being forced to drink water until you throw up is torture. You can die from drinking too much water. With that said I see the value in these boot camps but let's not act like they should be able to do as they please.
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dbrett480
222 Fans
6 hours ago (1:56 AM)
These boot camps need officers with actual training in juvenile correction­s; it seemed like they just hired some knucklehea­ds who could shout.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Longrifle1
????? ????
60 Fans
6 hours ago (1:14 AM)
Nothing wrong here. If you think there is, you may be contributi­ng to the decline of America. Just ask the Chinese. . .
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Tuigim
The perils of benefactors...
442 Fans
 
7 hours ago (12:49 AM)
Do not sign up.
No soldiers, no wars.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
AG creative
Ba Gawk!
464 Fans
 
7 hours ago (12:33 AM)
That'll be 100k for a lifetime of psychologi­cal bills, thanks.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Azrael1701
69 Fans
7 hours ago (12:21 AM)
Those officers deserve very harsh treatment in a maximum security prison. Anybody who victimizes the helpless deserves nothing but misery.
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Jimmy Smitz
12 Fans
8 hours ago (11:31 PM)
That kid looks a bit...tire­d.
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Jim bob
Be the change you wish to see.
590 Fans
9 hours ago (10:16 PM)
That's more than disturbing and it's more than torture, it's child abuse. Those people should be in jail.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
AG creative
Ba Gawk!
464 Fans
 
7 hours ago (12:34 AM)
That's like a military exorcism. Horrible, the kid will be messed up for life.
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Jim bob
Be the change you wish to see.
590 Fans
7 hours ago (12:55 AM)
Imagine the PTSD associated with that, and imagine how he's going to feel about authority figures. Wow. What a delight. And those paid profession­al bullies get to walk away without anyone even saying what it is.
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Sixteenthkid
11 Fans
 
9 hours ago (10:16 PM)
What is wrong with these people? These are adults! And these kids are kids. Not adults who choose to join the military. You can teach a child self discipline and help them change their behavior without being abusive. If it is harmful to the child, physically or psychologi­cally then it is abuse. And what these people are doing is over the line.

And for all of you who keep saying "well then you come up with a solution", all I have to say is that I don't need to come up with a solution to condemn these adults. Do I have a solution, no. But does that make the behavior of these adults acceptable­? NO
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worldsam
147 Fans
10 hours ago (10:06 PM)
When parents have trouble with their children they tend to turn to any help they can find in the hope these strangers might somehow turn their children around. The trouble is nobody knows how. Troubled children need help which most parents may not be able to find or afford. It is not fault of the parent or the child. The problem is with the opportunis­ts who get in for the money and subject the children and the parents to unimaginab­le levels of pain.
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elsquibbs
Socially liberal, fiscally prudent atheist.
162 Fans
 
10 hours ago (9:53 PM)
That kid is too young for this stuff.
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django707
360 Fans
11 hours ago (8:12 PM)
May I volunteer to give 'Sgt. Mac' a taste of his own medicine?
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mdipary2004
46 Fans
11 hours ago (8:54 PM)
Sgt. Mac has allready done basic training. You cant give him a tatste of anything. You can try but you will lose. He is a highly trained troop..
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oldsilkhat01
11 Fans
10 hours ago (9:22 PM)
Depends on what we find out about why he was trying to force that little boy to be nice and talk love to a strange man. Who were they promoting their little videos to?
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Jim bob
Be the change you wish to see.
590 Fans
9 hours ago (10:17 PM)
You don't seem to know "out of control" when you see it. Not surprised.
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oldsilkhat01
11 Fans
10 hours ago (9:08 PM)
Since the whole gang of them decided they wanted to play Baby Doc Duvalier by necklacing the kid with a tire, I frankly think that the grown up thugs should get the grown up version - light the tires on fire until they tell us how much they love us while we scream at them and tell them how they stink like kerosene. Those bastids!
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django707
360 Fans
6 hours ago (1:18 AM)
I'm down with that.
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oldsilkhat01
11 Fans
10 hours ago (9:23 PM)
Only if you let me help with the interrogat­ion of that piece of garbage.
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django707
360 Fans
11 hours ago (8:12 PM)
Institutio­nalized child abuse is a scourge on any culture.
Putting troubled children into the hands of these twisted psychopath­s only creates more twisted psychopath­s.
Highly discipline­d psychopath­s, but psychopath­s, nonetheles­s.
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mdipary2004
46 Fans
11 hours ago (8:55 PM)
Then you should take the trouble girls and boys in and come up with a program for them. Bet you will give up first
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Reddit TroubledTeens on October 29, 2011, 07:56:11 AM
KFI radio interview with Keith Gibbs, head of Sarge's Community Base, Inc./Commit II Achieve Boot Camp, who is being investigated by police in the Pasadena boot camp abuse. He denies involvement, yet calls the tactics in the videos "borderline" abusive. The host, Bill Carroll, holds his feet to the fire and won't let him squirm out of answering questions.

http://www.kfiam640.com/cc-common/podca ... _26543.mp3 (http://www.kfiam640.com/cc-common/podcast/single_page.html?podcast=BillCarroll&selected_podcast=Carroll10281112P_1319839986_26543.mp3)
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Oscar on October 30, 2011, 09:49:55 AM
Boot camp abuses cited (http://http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19222653)
By Brian Charles, Pasadena Star News, October 29, 2011

-+-+-+-


PASADENA - A man who attended Pasadena-based youth boot camps run by Kelvin "Sgt. Mac" McFarland said episodes of harsh treatment were commonplace. And the man's adopted mother said children of immigrants and the illiterate were targeted for membership.
William Edwards, 18, of Pasadena, said in one 2010 instance instructors at the Family First Growth Camp, which was run by McFarland, targeted a young girl for discipline by handcuffing her to a fence and kicking dirt on her.

Edwards also recalled camp attendees having to drink large volumes of water that caused vomiting and nausea.

"The drill instructors would say `we will be here all day until you finish that water and if you take too long we will just make you drink more,"' Edwards said.

Neither McFarland nor his attorney Evan Dicker of the Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender's Office, returned calls seeking comment.

In recent days, questions have been raised about McFarland, his former employer Keith "Sarge" Gibbs and their respective camps after two disturbing videos were published on this newspaper's website.

In one of the videos, children - some as young as nine years old - are seen being forced to drink water to the point of vomiting. In the other video, a pre-teen boy is seen being screamed at by drill instructors, including McFarland, while carrying a truck tire around his neck.

At the time of the taping in 2009, McFarland was employed by Gibbs.

Gibbs can be heard on speaking on one of the videos.

Both men have denied being present during the videotaping.

Police investigating

The videos prompted the Pasadena Police Department to launch an investigation and the acts have been strongly condemned by politicians from Pasadena City Hall to the nation's Capitol.

Experts in the field of child development and child abuse laws have questioned both the efficacy and legality of the acts in the videos.

For Edwards, the images in the videos serve as a reminder of what he said he witnessed firsthand.

"(The drill instructors) would make you squat down with the tire around your neck," Edwards said. "It makes your neck and back hurt."

Edwards is one of four children adopted by Helen Edwards, a 74-year-old retired U.S. Postal Service employee.

Unlike many other parents who turn to boot camps, she said she didn't enroll her children to curb bad their behavior.

"I am raising them all by myself and I wanted to give them the experience of what a man's role in the world is," Helen Edwards said.

`A great, smooth talker'

She said she enrolled her two sons and two daughters in Gibbs' camp in 2008. After a dustup over training tactics and McFarland's failure to pass a background check, Gibbs and McFarland parted ways. Wooed by McFarland's charm, the Edwards family remained with McFarland when he branched off in 2009.

"He is a great, smooth talker," Helen Edwards said.

She said she was so taken by McFarland that she staked the operation, writing him a check for $2,000 to help start his camp.

McFarland promised to repay, but hasn't, the retired postal worker said. Helen Edwards said she has never filed suit to try to retrieve her money from McFarland.

For her investment, Helen Edwards served on the Family First Growth Camp's board of directors. For nearly a year she kept McFarland's books.

But, the relationship soured when Helen Edwards began to have doubts about McFarland's ability to manage money.

"In November of 2009, he went up on the monthly dues from $200 to $250 a month," Helen Edwards said. "And if you were late with the money it cost you a $25 late fee."

Immediately, 13 families left Family First Growth Camp. In March 2010, McFarland turned to a new "recruiting tool," Helen Edwards said.

"The third week of every month, he would come in with a child - who was skipping school - in handcuffs," she recalled. "And he would call the parents and make them pay $100 on the spot. And then $250 at the first of the month, as part of their dues."

`Walking-around money'

McFarland targeted some of Pasadena's most vulnerable residents, Helen Edwards said.

"He would go after the immigrants and the illiterate," she said.

Many of the parents who came in to pay McFarland for "finding" their children spoke little or no English and the boot camp used translators to help with the transactions, Helen Edwards said.

Helen Edwards said she would receive the $250 and deposit the money into a business account.

The $100 McFarland took from parents for capturing truant teens "was his walking-around money," Helen Edwards said.

On May 16 Pasadena police arrested McFarland on suspicion of kidnapping, child abuse, child endangerment, extortion and unlawful use of a badge.

McFarland allegedly handcuffed a truant Pasadena Unified School District student and told her parents, who spoke limited English, to pay him $100 or he would put their daughter in a juvenile detention center.

McFarland has pleaded not guilty and is out on bail awaiting trial.

Because of her financial dealings with McFarland, Helen Edwards said previous to seeing the videos she was reluctant to come forward with any information.

She and her family left McFarland's group after adopted son Tyrone and one of the drill instructors got into a fight, Edwards said.

A portion of McFarland's training forced children in the camp to wrestle adult drill instructors - at least one of whom as on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps, she said.

A match between Tyrone and a man identified only as "Sgt. Ronnie," turned into a brawl, she said.

McFarland intervened and broke up the fight by reportedly using a choke hold on Tyrone, his mother said.

"Tryone, who is a big boy, almost 6-feet-tall, got free by flipping (McFarland) over his back," Helen Edwards said. "McFarland took Tyrone for a walk and told him not to come back to the camp anymore."

A month later Helen Edwards said she pulled all of her children from the camp.
Title: Pasadena women step forward with more boot camp allegations
Post by: Reddit TroubledTeens on November 01, 2011, 01:14:28 PM
Pasadena women step forward with more boot camp allegations

By Brian Charles, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/31/2011 06:05:02 PM PDT


PASADENA - At least three Pasadena women say they witnessed what they considered abuse by drill instructors from Family First Growth Camp while the boot camp operated on Pasadena city property.

Pasadena residents Susan Lafferty and Nancy Rose and Sierra Madre resident Julie Unamuno said they forwarded their claims of abuse to the city by email in 2009, but nothing was done.

"I saw (someone) getting in their faces and screaming while the children were sobbing. Some of the (children) were as young as 8 years old," Lafferty said. "And I could not see how any of this could help a child."

"I would never even yell at an animal like that," Rose said.

There was "no formal investigation related to the tactics" but officials will review the 2009 emails, Pasadena spokeswoman Ann Erdman said in a statement Monday.

Erdman acknowledged that city officials were aware that Family First Growth Camp, operated by Kelvin "Sgt. Mac" McFarland, used the Arroyo and Hahamongna Watershed Park, both city properties, to train children. The camp was routinely ushered off city land for failing to have a permit, Erdman said.

"Anytime park safety officers encountered the operation on city-owned property, they ordered them to vacate the premises immediately," Erdman said.

Neither McFarland nor his attorney, Evan Dicker

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of the Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender's Office, returned calls seeking comment.
McFarland was arrested on May 27 on suspicion of of child abuse, child endangerment, kidnapping, extortion and unlawful use of a badge stemming from his encounter with a young girl in Pasadena.

His case is still pending.

In July, Judge Stan Blumenfeld decided to hold McFarland over for trial. McFarland remains free on $185,000 bail. He is due back in court Nov. 16.

McFarland's criminal record includes arrests and convictions for driving under the influence in 1991 and 2005, as well as a 2000 conviction for misdemeanor battery and a 2009 conviction for driving with a suspended license.

McFarland can be seen in two videos that provide an inside look at juvenile boot camps.

In one video, McFarland can be seen coaxing children to drink water to the point that several children began vomiting. In the second, he and several other adults can be seen taunting a child who has been forced to wear a tire around his neck.

Those videos were released by this newspaper last week.

The voice of boot camp instructor Keith "Sarge" Gibbs, who operates Sarge's Community Base/Commit II Achieve, can be heard on one of the videos.

Both men deny being present for the videotaping. Gibbs has not been charged with a criminal offense.

Lafferty, Unamuno and Rose all ride horses in the Arroyo and Hahamongna Watershed Park. They said the tactics employed by the Family First Growth Camp during their run-ins with the camp in 2009 bore striking resemblance to the scenes depicted in those videos.

Unamuno, who is a riding instructor in the Arroyo, said she first encountered McFarland in November 2009.

"I saw what appeared to be a drill sergeant was pointing his finger in a young girl's face while she was covered in dirt," Unamuno said. "She had been reduced to tears."

Lafferty, Rose and Unamuno came forward after seeing the videos. Rose, Lafferty and Unamuno said they didn't see any children being forced to drink large volumes of water, but they did see children being forced to carry truck tires around their neck.

During their horse rides, the women said they also saw children forced to scale steep hills during a heat wave in 2010 and also witnessed instructors regularly give obscenity-laced tongue lashings to the children.

"Do you think breaking them down to be nothing and using obscenities is going to make them any better? Rose asked. "They are not adults, they are kids and their minds are not even developed."

After a handful of run-ins with the camp, the women said they decided to report the acts to Pasadena City officials.

"We knew this was at the very least inappropriate behavior if not out-and-out abuse," Lafferty said.

Lafferty contacted the Pasadena Department of Public Works, directing many of her emails to Martin Pastucha, the department's former director, Lafferty said.

The women said they thought to call the Pasadena police, but were unable to make out a license plate on a car and were too afraid to approach the boot camp to ask for names, Rose said.

It remains unclear what happened to the email sent by Lafferty, but Pasadena Police Department officials said they had no knowledge of any of the activities in the Arroyo or Hahamongna Watershed Park.

"We do not have any prior complaints of child abuse against Mr. McFarland and Mr. Gibbs regarding boot camps," Pasadena police Lt. Tracey Ibarra said. Ibarra runs the Police Department's youth outreach program.

Despite not having a permit, the camps returned in 2010 and were spotted in the Arroyo as recently as last summer, Rose said.

The riding group began to alter its route to avoid the group, since Unamuno often takes her own children on the path.

"It's unnerving to see that type of drill going on in that setting and trying to explain that to young children," Unamuno said.

Meanwhile, no arrests have been made in the case, as investigators said they are still unsure a crime has even occurred, Ibarra said.

"The Pasadena Police Department has had discussions with the District Attorney's Office, but there has not been any cases opened," Ibarra said. "We are still trying to determine whether there has been criminal act with identifiable suspects."

The department has not contacted the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Service since it's unclear whether any laws were broken, Ibarra said.

The video contains episodes recorded during McFarland's time with Gibbs, according to multiple sources familiar with the camps.

Gibbs has not operated free of controversy.

In 2009, he was removed from Pasadena Unified School District campuses when accusations surfaced that his tactics were "too rough," according to district officials.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci ... z1cTVAfT7o (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19235352#ixzz1cTVAfT7o)
Title: Comments: "Pasadena boot camp head defends operation"
Post by: Ursus on November 06, 2011, 01:51:27 PM
Comment (http://http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19220182) left for the above article, "Pasadena boot camp head defends operation (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=38063#p407464)" (by Brian Charles, 10/28/2011, Pasadena Star-News):


Patricia Pennant · Mental Health Therapist at I work in the mental health field · October 29 at 10:50pm


Copyright ©2008 Los Angeles Newspaper group
Title: Comments: "Boot camp abuses cited"
Post by: Ursus on November 06, 2011, 01:56:10 PM
Comments (http://http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19222653) left for the above article, "Boot camp abuses cited (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=38063&p=407774#p407512)" (by Brian Charles, 10/29/2011, Pasadena Star-News):


Manuel Mackenzie · Fairfax High School · October 30 at 10:52pm
http://WWW.TRUENATION.ORG (http://WWW.TRUENATION.ORG)[/list]
Jasmine Velazquez · San Diego, California · November 1 at 9:40pm


Copyright © 2011 Los Angeles Newspaper group
Title: Comments: "Pasadena women step forward with more... allegati
Post by: Ursus on November 06, 2011, 02:00:08 PM
Comments (http://http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19235352) left for the above article, "Pasadena women step forward with more boot camp allegations (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=38063&p=407775#p407586)" (by Brian Charles, 10/31/2011, Pasadena Star-News):


Jessica Ann Unamuno · Receptionist at Dr.M Mofid Cosmetic Surgery and Dermatology Boutique · November 1 at 12:25pm
Tj Knight · Pasadena, California · November 1 at 8:06pm
Jasmine Velazquez · San Diego, California · November 1 at 8:10pm
Savannah Labate · November 1 at 8:14pm
Jasmine Velazquez · San Diego, California · November 1 at 9:24pm


Copyright ©2008 Los Angeles Newspaper group
Title: Pasadena cops open boot camp probe
Post by: Ursus on November 06, 2011, 02:06:52 PM
Pasadena Star-News
Pasadena cops open boot camp probe (http://http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19212486)

By Brian Charles, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/27/2011 11:17:32 PM PDT

PASADENA - The Police Department launched a criminal investigation Thursday into a pair of videos depicting children being taunted and forced to throw up while participating in a Pasadena-based boot camp.

The 2009 videos, obtained by this newspaper and shared on its website, have been viewed by officials at the Police Department. Cmdr. Darryl Qualls said detectives will question Kelvin "Sgt. Mac" McFarland, one of the adults participating in the camp.

McFarland already faces charges of kidnapping, child abuse, false imprisonment, extortion and unlawful use of a badge stemming from a separate incident.

"Looking at the video we can only see McFarland, so we will start the investigation with McFarland," Qualls said. "Based on what the newspaper published and what we saw, that's where the investigation starts."

Victor Gordo, who represents District 5 on the City Council, said he was highly disturbed by the videos.

"I would certainly not subject my son or daughter or any child I know to this type of activity," he said.

Gordo described the videos as the degradation of children being masked as discipline.

"The short clips that I reviewed appeared to be more of a situation of intimidation and humiliation appearing to be employed under the guise of physical activity and discipline," Gordo said.

Sources close to both boot camps said at least one of the adult instructors seen on video was an active member filming of either video.

Qualls said police cannot be sure that Gibbs was present during the taping.

"I can't tell whose voice that is on the video," Qualls said. "It's best to do the investigation and ask the questions."

The videos appear to have been shot at the Firestone Boy Scout Reservation, a popular retreat for Boy Scout troops.

Firestone Camp Ranger Matt Halsig said he is familiar with both Gibbs' and McFarland's boot camps.

McFarland's camp was banned from Firestone before Halsig's arrival for reasons the ranger said he was not familiar with.

But as critics pounce on boot camps for what they see as extreme tactics, Halsig defended the instructors urging the children to gorge themselves on water.

"Unfortunately, if you are not familiar with first-aid tactics, you should be not making assumptions," Halsig said. "Unfortunately, if that person is dehydrated, you have to pump fluids in them and sometimes they throw up."

Halsig said he knows Gibbs personally. He defended the actions he has seen at Gibbs' camp.

"From Firestone's perspective, we have not witnessed anything that is not consistent with tough love," Halsig said.

The videos prompted reactions from City Hall to the U.S. Capitol on Thursday.

"The behavior described in reports of these videos is appalling, and if accurate, those responsible should never again be entrusted with the care of young people," Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, said in a statement.

"It also reinforces the need for greater oversight of so-called `boot camps,' which have all too often been the subject of unsafe and unscrupulous conduct."

McFarland was arrested on May 27 and charged with kidnapping, child abuse, false imprisonment, extortion and unlawful use of a badge. The charges stem from a May 16 incident during which police say McFarland handcuffed a truant Pasadena Unified School District high school student and extorted money from her family.

Gibbs was kicked off Pasadena Unified campuses when questions were raised about the harshness of the tactics employed at his boot camp.

An expert in the field of juvenile development questioned the effectiveness of such tactics and pointed to a recent study to support her claim.

"We did a research study with 1,300 serious felony offenders. These were kids who committed aggravated assault and in some cases murder. We followed them for seven years and conducted interviews every six months," said Elizabeth Cauffman, a professor of psychology and social behavior at UC Irvine. "We did not find any support for the notion that incarceration in harsh setting promotes the development of self-control or responsibility. And those are the things that are asserted by the proponents of boot camps."

Rep. George Miller, D-Richmond, a longtime boot-camp critic, introduced a bill earlier this month that calls for closer oversight of the camps.

This marks the third time in four years that Miller has introduced such a bill. This version calls for staff training, makes boot-camp instructors mandatory reporters of child abuse and creates a federal database parents can use to check operators' credentials.

"Without regulations and enforcement, this profitable industry will continue to have actors that present unacceptable risks to the children they serve. It is unacceptable that as each year passes without adequate oversight, more children suffer," Miller said in a statement.

"This legislation will help put an end to these horrific abuses that put the lives of too many children in jeopardy. It has passed with bipartisan support in previous Congresses, and I hope my Republican colleagues will take swift action for congressional consideration soon."

While such regulations are outside of the purview of the City Council, Gordo said he supports ramped up oversight of the camps and the tactics used by instructors.

"What should be regulated is whether tactics such as these are appropriate when applied to young people," Gordo said.

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Title: Comments: "Pasadena cops open boot camp probe"
Post by: Ursus on November 06, 2011, 02:16:02 PM
Comments (http://http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19212486) left for the above article, "Pasadena cops open boot camp probe (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=38063&p=407778#p407777)" (by Brian Charles, 10/27/2011, Pasadena Star-News):


George Martin Diaz · Alhambra, California · October 29 at 6:02pm
George Martin Diaz · Alhambra, California · October 30 at 7:11am
[/list]
Jasmine Velazquez · San Diego, California · November 2 at 11:03am


Copyright © 2011 Los Angeles Newspaper group
Title: Video prompts investigation of child abuse at youth boot cam
Post by: Ursus on November 06, 2011, 03:06:16 PM
Addressing the somewhat perplexing query du jour:

The two videos currently making the rounds supposedly date from 2009, during which time Kelvin "Sgt. Mac" McFarland was still working for Keith "Sarge" Gibbs' boot camp Commit II Achieve.

It is my understanding (which may well be wrong), that Gibbs currently claims or tries to infer that McFarland then set up his own boot camp Family First shortly after leaving Gibbs' employ sometime in 2009, and it is at this (slightly later) timepoint that the videos were shot.

So... at WHICH boot camp were these videos shot?

In the accompanying video to the below article (see title link for access), some of the kids in it are clearly wearing T-shirts displaying the "Commit II" logo (from Gibbs' allegedly "non-abusive" program). Gibbs claims that McFarland took the T-shirts from him:

He left and took 28 families and kids with him, with my shirts and some paperwork," Gibbs told The Associated Press on Friday.[/list][/size]
What gives? :D

-------------- • -------------- • --------------

New York Daily News
Video prompts investigation of child abuse at youth boot camp (http://http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/video-prompts-investigation-child-abuse-youth-boot-camp-article-1.968748#ixzz1csOL0A9X)

Boy shown with tire around neck; Children forced to chug water until one vomits

BY The Associated Press
Originally Published: Saturday, October 29 2011, 4:31 AM
Updated: Saturday, October 29 2011, 4:31 AM

(http://http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.968766.1319879390!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_485/image.jpg)
Shocking video (below) shows a child being screamed at while wearing a tire around his neck. SVGN.com

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) Police will investigate whether a crime occurred at a youth boot camp after videos surfaced showing instructors shouting at a boy wearing a tire around his neck and children being told to drink water until some vomited.

Investigators will question boot camp operator Kelvin "Sgt. Mac" McFarland, police Cmdr. Darryl Qualls told the Pasadena Star-News (http://http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19212486) on Thursday.

"Looking at the video we can only see McFarland, so we will start the investigation with McFarland," Qualls said.

McFarland earlier denied to the newspaper that he appeared in the videos. A call left for him Friday was not immediately returned.

McFarland was charged earlier this year with child abuse, extortion and other crimes.

Prosecutors contend that he handcuffed a truant 14-year-old girl in May and told her family that she would be sent to juvenile detention unless she was enrolled in his camp. She was never enrolled.

The Star-News this week released short video clips it said were made in 2009.

On one, several instructors in military-style fatigues surround and shout at a boy who is wearing a heavy auto tire. At one point, the boy falls down crying but is ordered to stand again.

In the other, several girls and boys are repeatedly ordered to drink water from colored plastic bottles. Several youngsters vomit.

"I would certainly not subject my son or daughter or any child I know to this type of activity," City Council member Victor Gordo told the newspaper.

"The short clips that I reviewed appeared to be more of a situation of intimidation and humiliation appearing to be employed under the guise of physical activity and discipline," Gordo said.

The Star-News said the videos appear to have been made in Pasadena but did not indicate how it obtained them.

McFarland runs Family First Growth Camp in Pasadena, which like other boot camps uses military-style discipline and exercises with a goal of instilling character and keeping at-risk youngsters away from drugs, alcohol and crime.

The camp "doesn't believe in corporal punishment, nor will it be tolerated," according to a camp website.

"The young men/women who come to us are good kids who have begun to make some poor choices with friends, school, drugs, alcohol, attitude with peers and family members," the website said, adding that through the camp, "these kids seek out, find, then learn to love themselves so they can love their families and start to move in a positive direction."

The camp is funded through a combination of fees and charitable donations. Enrollment is through parents, although in some states juvenile justice systems send some offenders to boot camps.

However, some studies have shown that juvenile offenders sent to boot camps were no less likely to commit new crimes than those who were placed in juvenile detention or given probation.

The Star-News did not specify whether the videos were taken at a Family First training session and noted that some children seemed to be wearing T-shirts from another camp.

Keith "Sarge" Gibbs, who runs Sarge's Community Base/Commit II Achieve Boot Camp, said that some of the children appear to be wearing his camp T-shirts.

McFarland worked for him in 2009 but left to form his own camp after Gibbs learned that he had lied about taking a required background check, Gibbs said.

"He left and took 28 families and kids with him, with my shirts and some paperwork," Gibbs told The Associated Press on Friday.

Gibbs said he doubted that the video was shot during one of his camps.

"Those individuals (in the videos) belong to Sgt. McFarland's team. Those are his teammates," he said.


© Copyright 2011 NYDailyNews.com.
Title: Comments: "Video prompts investigation of child abuse..."
Post by: Ursus on November 06, 2011, 03:18:23 PM
Comments (http://http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/video-prompts-investigation-child-abuse-youth-boot-camp-article-1.968748#ixzz1csOL0A9X) left for the above article, "Video prompts investigation of child abuse at youth boot camp (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=38063&p=407780#p407779)" (October 29 2011, Associated Press/New York Daily News):


[email protected] · 10:21 AM Oct 29, 2011
Ezekiel12 · 02:59 PM Oct 29, 2011


© Copyright 2011 NYDailyNews.com.
Title: Boot camp instructors forced children to drink water...
Post by: Ursus on November 06, 2011, 04:15:04 PM
Chances are, these boot camp instructors haven't had a whole lotta training in "electrolyte management." From the below article:

On Tuesday, an expert in the affects of fluids on the body said drinking too much water could easily turn deadly.

Dr. Harlan Bixby of Arcadia, a retired nephrologist who worked at City of Hope, said "tap water, unlike liquids that include normal concentrations of electrolytes (salts), freely enters every cell in the body and results in cellular swelling."

While such cellular swelling does little damage to muscle cells, it can wreak havoc in the brain, Bixby said.

"There is nowhere for the swelling to expand, except to push against the brain stem," he said.

The results can be similar to a stroke and can lead to brain damage or death, especially in children, he said.

"The cellular swelling from a glass or two extra of electrolyte-free water for an adult is multiplied in children because it is distributed over a smaller volume of body fluids," he said.[/list][/size]

-------------- • -------------- • --------------

Pasadena Star-News
Boot camp instructors forced children to drink water as form of discipline, former cadet says (http://http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19243438)

Brian Charles, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/01/2011 07:20:04 PM PDT

PASADENA - Drill instructors commonly forced children to drink water until they vomited as a form of discipline at Pasadena-area boot camps, according to a former cadet.

Alejandra Montagner, 18, of West Covina, said Tuesday the practice known as "smoking" was meted out as a punishment.

Montagner said she attended Keith "Sarge" Gibbs' Sarge's Community Base/Commit II Achieve Camp between 2008 and 2009.

"They would have the bad kids getting smoked," Montagner said. "The instructors would make us hold the water bottles over our head to make sure we were finished. If any drops fell on our heads, they made us refill the bottle and drink more."

Alejandra's father Silvino Montagner, 38, said he also witnessed the use of "smoking," but said he trusted that the technique was safe.

"It was something new for us," Silvino Montagner said. "We thought it was OK for them to `smoke' them."

This newspaper released two boot camp videos on its website last week. One shows Kelvin "Sgt. Mac" McFarland urging children who have vomited to drink more water.

In the second video, boot camp instructors, including McFarland, are seen screaming at a boy, who is wearing a truck tire around his neck. The boy subsequently falls to the ground in tears.

Gibbs is heard on one of the videos. He denies that he was present during the taping of either video.

McFarland worked for Gibbs during the time of the taping. In August of 2009, McFarland started his own rival boot camp, Family First Growth Camp. McFarland also denies being in the videos.

Gibbs claims the Montagner family is trying to incriminate him.

"Those are also the people that left with Mr. McFarland and of course they are going to say that," Gibbs said Tuesday. "The proof of the matter is I am not in the video."

McFarland was arrested on May 27 on suspicion of kidnapping, extortion, child abuse, child endangerment and unlawful use of a badge.

The charges stem from a May 16 incident where McFarland allegedly kidnapped a truant Pasadena school girl and extorted money from her family. He is scheduled to return to court Nov. 16.

Meanwhile, the Pasadena Police Department last week launched an investigation into whether any crimes occurred in the two videos. So far, no arrests have been made and no charges have been filed.

Parents of children enrolled in both camps have been reluctant to come forward with information and some have not been fully cooperative with the authorities, sources close to the investigation said.

On Tuesday, an expert in the affects of fluids on the body said drinking too much water could easily turn deadly.

Dr. Harlan Bixby of Arcadia, a retired nephrologist who worked at City of Hope, said "tap water, unlike liquids that include normal concentrations of electrolytes (salts), freely enters every cell in the body and results in cellular swelling."

While such cellular swelling does little damage to muscle cells, it can wreak havoc in the brain, Bixby said.

"There is nowhere for the swelling to expand, except to push against the brain stem," he said.

The results can be similar to a stroke and can lead to brain damage or death, especially in children, he said.

"The cellular swelling from a glass or two extra of electrolyte-free water for an adult is multiplied in children because it is distributed over a smaller volume of body fluids," he said.

Video: Exclusive: Inside teen boot camps (http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6Vh0xLW0Ps)
Uploaded by SGVNews on Oct 31, 2011
Disturbing video obtained by the Star-News offers an inside look at Pasadena-based children's boot camps. Read more: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19201990 (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19201990)[/list]

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Title: Re: Boot camp instructors forced children to drink water...
Post by: Ursus on November 06, 2011, 04:22:57 PM
Ah, the courage, honesty and accountability of boot camp directors... it doesn't get much better than this. From the above article (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=38063&p=407790#p407789):

This newspaper released two boot camp videos on its website last week. One shows Kelvin "Sgt. Mac" McFarland urging children who have vomited to drink more water.

In the second video, boot camp instructors, including McFarland, are seen screaming at a boy, who is wearing a truck tire around his neck. The boy subsequently falls to the ground in tears.

Gibbs is heard on one of the videos. He denies that he was present during the taping of either video.

McFarland worked for Gibbs during the time of the taping. In August of 2009, McFarland started his own rival boot camp, Family First Growth Camp. McFarland also denies being in the videos.[/list][/size]
Title: Comments: "Boot camp instructors forced children to drink...
Post by: Ursus on November 06, 2011, 04:36:49 PM
Comments (http://http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19243438) left for the above article, "Boot camp instructors forced children to drink water as form of discipline, former cadet says (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=38063&p=407790#p407789)" (by Brian Charles, 11/01/2011, Pasadena Star-News):


Pat Cardamone · November 1 at 11:07pm
Jasmine Velazquez · San Diego, California · November 1 at 9:38pm


Copyright © 2011 Los Angeles Newspaper group
Title: Parents turn to boot camp for discipline
Post by: Ursus on November 06, 2011, 05:43:28 PM
Pasadena Star-News
S P E C I A L · R E P O R T
Parents turn to boot camp for discipline (http://http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19271957)

By Brian Charles, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/05/2011 07:09:13 AM PDT

(http://http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site206/2011/1105/20111105_104126_SX06-BOOTCAMPS.jpg)
This still image is taken from video obtained by the Pasadena Star-News. In portions of the video, Family First Growth Camp owner and operator Kelvin McFarland can be seen while children are being forced to exert themselves to the point of vomiting. McFarland and other boot camp operators are also seen in the video yelling at a child as he cries. McFarland was arrested on May 27 and charged with kidnapping, child abuse, false imprisonment, extortion and unlawful use of a badge stemming from a separate incident in Pasadena.

PASADENA - Boot camps often serve as hired disciplinarians for parents fearful of the fallout that could result from spanking their children, according to a parent who enrolled three of his children in a Pasadena camp.

"In Mexico, you hit your children and the police don't get involved," said Silvino Montagner, 38, of West Covina. "In America, you hit you kids and the police and the social workers get involved. So you send your kids to boot camp because you can't discipline your kids."

It is legal to spank your children in California, as long as the discipline is reasonable and doesn't inflict bodily harm, according to state law.

However, fearful of what a spanking might lead to in terms of involvement from the authorities, Montagner sent his two girls, Alejandra Montagner and Marlene Montagner and his son to Sarge's Community Base/Commit II Achieve Camp in Pasadena in 2008.

"My girls weren't listening to us," Montagner said. "They were getting into trouble, they were cursing and had boyfriends."

As social norms shift away from corporal punishment, and parents lose their sense that they have control of their children, boot camps have become appealing, said Robert Larzalere, professor of human development and family science at Oklahoma State University and an expert on parental discipline.

"When we look at these parents, they don't feel empowered and that leads to people looking at these boot camps, because they don't feel they have parental authorities," Larzalere said.

The parents entrust the boot camps to mete out discipline and often don't object to harsh treatment such as "smoking," a practice where children are forced to drink water to the point of vomiting, Montagner said.

Smoking was employed as a tactic at Sarge's Community Base/Commit II Achieve Camp, Montagner said.

Tough love boot camp have come under scrutiny in recent weeks after this newspaper published two videos on its website showing harsh treatment of children in the care of boot camp drill instructors.

In one of the videos, drill instructors are "smoking" children - urging them to binge on drinking water to the point of vomiting.

According to Dr. Harlan Bixby, an expert on the effect of fluids in the body, "smoking" could be fatal.

In a second video, a pre-teen boy is seen carrying a truck tire around his neck. Drill instructors, including one active duty Marine, can been seen berating the boy until he falls to the ground in tears.

Kelvin "Sgt. Mac" McFarland, who runs Family First Growth Camp can be seen in both videos.

The voice of Keith "Sarge" Gibbs can be heard on one of the videos.

Both men deny being present during either taping.

Boot camp operators promise parents marked improvement in their child's behavior; they also play on the fears of parents insisting that boot camps are their last resort.

"The system can't help you until your child gets into trouble," Gibbs said.

But any claims that boot camps can make permanent changes in a child's behavior ignores what development experts know about the adolescent psyche.

"I think many of them believe it changes people for life, but the adolescent brain is not wired like that," said Joyce Burrell, director of the juvenile justice program in Human and Social Development for American Institute for Research. "The adolescent brain is malleable as a three-year-old."

Far from a cure-all, Silvino Montagner found boot camps did little to change his daughters' behavior.

He pulled Alejandra Montagner from the boot camp after she initiated what her father termed an inappropriate relationship with a drill instructor.

"It wasn't illegal because of their ages, but I thought an instructor should never date one of the cadets," he said.

Marlene Montagner, who ascended to the rank of junior drill instructor at Gibbs camp, is currently in jail for theft.

"In general boot camps make kids worse," Larzalere said. "Boot camps are the number one example of a scared straight style treatment where kids get worse."

Larzalere, an advocate for the proper use of spanking, said the shock treatments used in boot camps are less effective than appropriate spanking.

Boot camps were stylish in the 1990s. Juvenile detention experts in states across the country "thought the discipline and the regimentation was effective."

Since then, states, school districts and municipalities have cooled to the idea of contracting with boot camps.

"Once these programs were evaluated, we saw they were no better than leaving children alone," Burrell said. "They are modeled on a military training or get-tough approach, but it didn't have a long-lasting impact on children."

During her time as the director of Division of Juvenile Justice for the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Burrell gained first-hand knowledge of the dangers of boot camps and the drill instructors who are often bent on discipline.

"In the boot camp some of the officers kicked children and held children on the ground some with their knees in the children's backs," Burrell said.

Many of the children in boot camps are saddled with a host of emotional problems, which require more attention than what's available at a boot camp.

"A lot of times (the children) have undiagnosed special needs, it may be reaction to traumatic exposure," Burrell said. "We need to get to the source of that so we can teach some different behavior and it's not a boot camp that's going to teach that."

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Copyright © 2011 Los Angeles Newspaper group
Title: Comments: "Parents turn to boot camp for discipline"
Post by: Ursus on November 06, 2011, 06:00:14 PM
Comment left for the above article, "Parents turn to boot camp for discipline (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=38063&p=407796#p407794)" (by Brian Charles, 11/05/2011, Pasadena Star-News):


Phd Everit · Top Commenter · 15 hours ago


Copyright © 2011 Los Angeles Newspaper group
Title: An update
Post by: Oscar on November 11, 2011, 07:57:40 AM
Pasadena boot camp leader heads back to court (http://http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19307909)
By Brian Charles , Pasadena Star News, November 10, 2011

-+-+-

PASADENA - With controversy boiling around juvenile boot camps, Kelvin "Sgt. Mac" McFarland will head back to court on Nov. 16 to face charges of kidnapping, extortion, child abuse, child endangerment and unlawful use of a badge.

McFarland will appear in Pasadena Superior Court.

The charges stem from a May 16 incident where McFarland allegedly handcuffed a truant Pasadena school girl and extorted money from her parents.

The embattled boot camp instructor, who runs Family First Growth Camp in Pasadena, allegedly told the girls parents that he would take the teen to a juvenile detention center if they refused to pay money to enroll her in McFarland's camp.

Helen Edwards, a parent connected to Family First Growth Camp, said the May 16 incident resembled a recruiting tactic McFarland employed repeatedly dating back to 2010.

She alleges McFarland targeted "immigrants and the illiterate" when he canvassed Pasadena and handcuffed children to enlist in his program
Title: Another Update
Post by: cmack on November 14, 2011, 12:25:33 AM
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me ... 2275.story (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sarge-20111113,0,4902275.story)

For teen program's chief, tough love may have turned criminal
The operator of a Pasadena 'boot camp' aimed at turning around troubled lives with military-type discipline faces trial on charges of kidnapping and extortion for his treatment of a girl and her family.


By Ricardo Lopez, Los Angeles Times

November 13, 2011
The surprise visit to Alberto Ruiz's house was swift.

Dress quickly, he was told. You're going to boot camp.

His parents, worried about his drug use and habit of skipping school, had followed a friend's advice and called Kelvin McFarland.

Ruiz's behavior had earned him a spot in McFarland's Family First Growth Camp in Pasadena, a place with a reputation for breaking gang-bangers and drug addicts and turning them into law-abiding teens.

A former Marine who likes to be called "Sgt. Mac," McFarland founded the camp two years ago and boasted that his tough-love tactics and military-strict discipline were the perfect formula for reforming gang members, taming runaways and getting through to troublemakers.

Ruiz, who is now 18, credits McFarland's intervention for helping him finish school and quit drugs.

But authorities say McFarland's scared-straight approach crossed the line and veered into criminal behavior earlier this year when he crossed paths with another Pasadena teen.

Investigators allege that in May, McFarland was driving in Pasadena when he spotted a girl walking along the street during school hours. He stopped to question her, then handcuffed her, placed her in his car and told her to direct him to a relative's home. At the relative's home, he demanded money from her father to enroll the 14-year-old in his program. The girl's father mistook McFarland for a truancy officer when he flashed a badge, Pasadena police said.

McFarland is facing trial on felony charges of kidnapping, extortion, false imprisonment and child abuse, and unlawful use of a badge, a misdemeanor.

Now Pasadena police are investigating possible abuses that allegedly occurred at a rival Pasadena boot camp where McFarland once worked. The Pasadena Star-News recently published videos allegedly filmed in 2009 in which McFarland can be seen yelling at teens, forcing them to gulp down water even as they retch and vomit. In one scene, McFarland and other drill instructors appear to scream at a youngster, inches from his face, as he collapses in tears under the weight of a car tire on his shoulders.

The publicity has had a chilling effect on McFarland's Family First boot camp. Parents have pulled their kids out in droves. Where several dozen cadets once attended, only a handful remain.

"I'm not going to lie… we don't have 75 cadets, but we're still continuing," said Elpidio Estolas, one of Family First's directors.

McFarland is quick to defend his work in the community, as is Keith Gibbs, the director of the rival boot camp. Both say they offer a last resort for exasperated parents who have nowhere else to turn.

In interviews with McFarland, his cadets, their families and those who have worked with him, a complex portrait emerges. Critics describe him as a fast talker, easily seducing working-class Latino families with his authority-laden persona. Supporters say McFarland is a man filled with good intentions, who has overcome his flaws such as convictions for DUI and a misdemeanor assault.

McFarland says his criminal history allows him to dissuade cadets from a life of incarceration. He talks openly about the months he was homeless and his continuing struggle with alcoholism. These attributes, he says, make him a relatable figure.

McFarland is set to stand trial Wednesday, though the case has been delayed several times — once after his boot camp could no longer afford to pay his attorney, a former Pasadena mayor. He is now represented by a public defender.

But McFarland continues to operate his program throughout Pasadena, in local parks and occasionally a small strip-mall church.

In fact, it didn't take long for the boot camp to resume after McFarland got out of jail

In mid-June, from the stage of Faithworks Ministries church, McFarland — freshly released on bail — thanked his cadets and their families, quoting the Bible as he spoke. For days, they had rallied on his behalf outside a Pasadena courthouse, hoping a judge would reduce his bail.

McFarland, a deeply religious man raised by an aunt in rural Georgia, looked on quietly. Dressed in his signature military fatigues, he occasionally barked commands as the cadets stood in formation.

"I don't know of a boot camp that praises the Lord as much as we do," said McFarland, who granted The Times access to his boot camp last summer but has since refused to speak with the paper.

    After the morning drills, the group moved inside the church. The teens marched single file into a side room for a self-esteem workshop. Their families, meanwhile, sat in the pews, listening to a nutritionist. Involving parents in the program is a key component of success, McFarland says.

"The program has benefited the children tremendously," said Mirza Balvaneda, who enrolled her son when he was only 8. "The other parents said I was brave to bring him in because he's so young, but he needed to learn some discipline."

In addition to the instilling of discipline, parents — most of whom don't speak English — said they hope their children will take more initiative in their studies.

When news of McFarland's arrest broke, some thought Gibbs, who operates Sarge's Community Base, was the one who had been arrested.

The men have similar authoritative demeanors and dress — usually camouflage pants with dark polo shirts. They even have similar nicknames. McFarland is "Sgt. Mac," Gibbs is simply "Sarge."

"People were calling me because they thought I was the one who had been arrested," Gibbs said.

Gibbs said that he hired McFarland in early 2009 and that his new employee became his right-hand man. But now the two compete for recruits and offer differing views of how their relationship fell apart.

Gibbs said he fired McFarland when he discovered his criminal history and heard complaints from staff that he was using excessive force when disciplining cadets. McFarland said he only followed Gibbs' orders.

Gibbs has also faced allegations of child abuse. In a 2010 letter from Edwin Diaz, superintendent of the Pasadena Unified School District, Gibbs was told his permit to use school district facilities for his camp had been revoked.

School officials had received reports from parents that Gibbs' boot camp tactics amounted to corporal punishment. Another parent charged that he had engaged in "an inappropriate sexual relationship" with a minor. Pasadena police investigated but never filed charges because the teen recanted her claims, Diaz wrote.

Gibbs calls the allegations lies spread by disgruntled cadets who wanted out of his program.

As his court date approaches, McFarland has kept a low profile, quietly running his boot camp and dismissing his critics, who he said are trying to destroy his business with baseless accusations.

He says that at the end of the day, "it's all about the kids."

http://bit.ly/nQYYhA (http://bit.ly/nQYYhA)). To turn a child around you have to turn around their belief system.  For the record I can refute every statement made in the evil argument and so should you.  

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mikeasr at 3:15 PM November 13, 2011

It's old news that neither the boot camp programs nor the "scared straight" programs work.  They sound great, they get sold to a credulous audience, they provide drama--but they don't work.

Worse yet, those who operate them often are untrained persons who are chosen for their size, not their ability to work with people.  This commonly leads to abuses and those abuses over the past 20 years have, in some programs, included the negligent deaths of those who were made to participate.

This article just provides additional proof of this.

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steveg68 at 2:50 PM November 13, 2011

I'm curious to know what type of training or background/credentials Gibbs and McFarland have in education, psychology and/or criminal justice.   What type of licensing is required to run a camp like this?

What is the guy licensed as, a teacher, a rehab counselor, a criminal justice officer, a psychologist?   There must be a State Board that issues a permit for the job as "Professional Idiot"--otherwise how could this guy be legally operating?

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dwobjector at 2:17 PM November 13, 2011

If bootcamps work so well to change anti-socal behavior, why are there so many military vets in prison? I was a correctional officer in the 80's when an embarassing percentage of American's prison population were Vietnam vets. We are seeing the pattern repeating itself today.

Bootcamps feed our desire for a tough recation to crime. Society wants a tough approach to appease our appetite for vengence - there's little emperical evidence that it works.

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chanteuse at 6:02 AM November 13, 2011

I've always had a "problem" with folks that wear military uniforms who are not in the military.  Why does it seem that lately (the past few years anyway) that more and more police, firefighters, paramedics, corrections officers, etc. are wearing uniforms that look just like U.S. Marines?  If I were I current Marine, I might be a bit upset at all the non-Marines playing dress-up.  Police should go back to the traditional "police" uniform.  I think they'd find they would be more appreciated and people might be less fearful of them if they didn't look like tactical combat soldiers.  We're not living in Iran or Russia, are we?

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DanielLovejoy at 9:54 AM November 13, 2011

It's part of the plan. Police are para-military. A portion of the patriot act allows the president to mobilize or activate them, putting all law enforcement under the direct control of the president.

Firefighters, paramedics are auxillary. Not for law enforcement, but for clean up if thing go bad.

We have been becoming more like Cuba since 2001. The transition isn't complete, but it isn't stopping either.

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Computer Forensics Expert at 5:12 AM November 13, 2011

"Critics describe him as a fast talker, easily seducing working-class Latino families with his authority-laden persona."

Sounds like Obama.

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DanielLovejoy at 9:51 AM November 13, 2011

Way to add to the conversation troll.

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mikeasr at 3:21 PM November 13, 2011

Entirely beside the point, superficial, and ad hominem--a Republican profile of effective argument.  Childish at best--pathetic in this context.

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azlefty at 6:11 PM November 13, 2011

So I see the  Best Buy geek squad ins on break!

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steveg68 at 8:54 PM November 13, 2011

pretty funny...'cause its true

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Bundling at 5:00 AM November 13, 2011

A follow-up article on these types of facilities in general would be useful.  How common are such reported abuses?  Just reports or actual confirmations?  What is their success rate-- not just anecdotal evidence, and not just immediately after the camp.  I remember the "Scared Straight" programs, where juvenile offenders were taken to jails and supposedly scared enough by the prisoners that they did their best to always avoid jail after that.  I also seem to remember that the lasting effect was much less than hoped-for.

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steveg68 at 2:51 PM November 13, 2011

then, you've got to see the show called "beyond scared straight", it's a laugh riot

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marsaro at 2:55 AM November 13, 2011

Hi;

this guys sounds like he went over the line. He probably had some good intentions, but went too far. Shame becuase we need more programs to help kids, and not lock them up in cages. I grew up in a military family, and it was not easy. I used to have a lot of problems with my father being over borad. But, growing up in NoHo I was lucky looking back. I do not smoke cigarettes thanks to dad making me smoke a cigar in the garage until I was green. Harsh, but it worked.
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Awake on November 14, 2011, 09:17:04 PM
I wonder how common it is for these troubled teen boot camps to force kids to drink excessive amounts of water to the point of throwing up? At Ascent that was a daily practice as well, right after lunch, and before intense workout regiments. I threw up, and witnessed it happen often. It was in the back of my mind after awhile, even though we only had 5 min to eat each meal so it wasn’t too hard to watch how much you ate. Amazing how badass those staff felt about themselves, pretty clearly from the video, for making a like13 yr old kid puke and cry.
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Oscar on November 17, 2011, 04:50:40 AM
Press-release from: Domestic prisoners of conscience (http://http://domestic-prisoners-of-conscience.weebly.com/blog.html)

For once a DCFS investigation could mean all the difference

For nearly a decade absent parents in the Californian town of Pasadena used private boot camps to straighten up their kids so they could avoid the burden of leaving the TV and miss out of their favorite show.

Needless to say the parents must have known the extend of abuse the private boot camps put their children through. The Boot Camp operators and employees have posted a lot of videos online where they boast about their treatment of the so-called unruly children.

Children were shouted at and they were forced to drink water in such a huge amount that they were vomiting in the videos.

Once side of this case is the police investigation of the acts committed by the boot camp employees. Another side is the permit these parents gave the boot camp operators to mistreat their children. Should parents which grant such permits be allowed to keep their children at home or should the DCFS start their investigation and if possible remove not only the children but also their siblings from the parents?

Of course they should research this matter to its full extend and if the result is that some of the children should go to the foster care system, then it should be so.

The boot camp operations in Pasadena are far from a single incident. It is a worldwide problem!

Parents must step up and investigate the options they choose if they want to continue their absent role in the lives of their children or they must choose to be a part of the lives of their children.

Either way they must be held accountable.

If some of these parents related to the Pasadena boot camp scandal are brought to justice this could be the very step forwards fewer deaths and less institutional child abuse.

Never have a DCFS investigation counted as much.

Source:
Cops turn to DCFS in Pasadena youth boot camp investigation (http://http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_19353747) (Whittier Daily News)
Title: Teen boot camp instructor may face more charges
Post by: Reddit TroubledTeens on January 26, 2012, 08:16:14 AM
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2 ... arges.html (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/01/scared-straight-teen-boot-camp-instructor-could-face-more-charges.html)

‘Scared-straight’ teen boot camp instructor may face more charges
January 25, 2012 |  3:40 pm
 
(http://http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0163001f9464970d-640wi)

Kevin McFarland
The operator of a Pasadena-based juvenile boot camp known for his "scared-straight" approach may be facing more criminal charges in connection with alleged misconduct against wayward teens.

Kevin McFarland, operater of Family 1st Growth Camp, is already facing extortion and false imprisonment charges for a May 2011 incident in which he allegedly handcuffed a girl and took her to a relative's home, then demanded payment from the girl's parents.

The Pasadena Sun reported that Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Caroline Lugo told L.A. County Superior Court Judge Teri Schwartz on Wednesday that she needs more time with McFarland's case. "We may be filing on other" matters, Lugo told the court. "That decision has not been made."

After the incident with the girl, Pasadena police began to investigate videos of boot camp activity in which one juvenile was forced to walk with a car tire around his neck as adults yelled at him from inches away and other juveniles appear to have been forced to drink water to excess. McFarland has denied that he had a role in alleged misconduct on the videos.

McFarland is a former Marine who likes to be called "Sgt. Mac." He founded the camp in 2009 and boasted that his tough-love, scared-straight tactics and military-strict discipline were the perfect formula for reforming gang members, taming runaways and getting through to troublemakers.

On Wednesday, Lugo declined to state whether the potential new charges may stem from the videos, though Pasadena police have interviewed more than a dozen witnesses related to the videos and forwarded the information to prosecutors.

Schwartz granted an extension in the case until Feb. 22.


-- Bill Kisliuk, Times Community News

Photo: Kevin McFarland, known to his students as "Sgt. Mac," runs a program called Family 1st Growth Camp in Pasadena.

Credit: Francine Orr / Los Angles Times
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @lanow
Facebook: Los Angeles Times Local News
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Reddit TroubledTeens on January 26, 2012, 08:25:36 AM
http://www.pasadenasun.com/the626now/tn ... 9466.story (http://www.pasadenasun.com/the626now/tn-626-0125-da-mulls-new-charges-against-boot-camp-operator-kelvin-mcfarland,0,4999466.story)

DA mulls new charges against boot camp operator

(http://http://www.pasadenasun.com/media/photo/2012-01/247036820-25123918.jpg)

(KTLA-TV)

(KTLA-TV)

    Topics
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January 25, 2012 | 12:47 p.m.

Prosecutors are considering new charges against juvenile boot camp operator Kelvin McFarland, who is already facing extortion and false imprisonment charges for a 2011 incident.

On Wednesday Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Caroline Lugo told L.A. County Superior Court Judge Teri Schwartz she needs more time with McFarland’s case. “We may be filing on other [matters],” Lugo told the court. “That decision has not been made.”

McFarland, operator of Family 1st Growth Camp for at-risk youth, has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from an incident involving a 14-year-old Pasadena girl. He is accused of demanding payment from the girl’s parents before handcuffing her and taking her to a relative’s home in May 2011.

Months later, Pasadena police began to investigate videos of boot camp activity in which one juvenile was forced to walk with a car tire around his neck as adults yelled at him from inches away and other juveniles appear to have been forced to drink water to excess. McFarland has denied that he had a role in alleged misconduct on the videos.

On Wednesday, Lugo declined to state whether the potential new charges may stem from the videos, though Pasadena police have interviewed more than a dozen witnesses related to the videos and forwarded the information to prosecutors.

McFarland’s attorney, Evan Dicker, said “I don’t believe [the potential new charges] have anything to do with events of that day,” referring to the May 2011 incident that prompted the current case against McFarland.

McFarland declined comment.

Schwartz granted an extension in the case until Feb. 22.

-- Bill Kisliuk, Times Community News

Twitter: @bkisliuk

Photo: An image from a Pasadena boot camp video. Credit: KTLA-TV.

Copyright © 2012, Pasadena Sun
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: none-ya on January 26, 2012, 11:31:50 AM
Hasn't this guy "Sgt.Mac",been on daytime television screaming at little kids? Rambo the clown.
Title: Support SB1089
Post by: Oscar on February 19, 2012, 05:19:21 AM
Legislation aims to improve boot camp oversight (http://http://articles.pasadenasun.com/2012-02-15/the818now/31064179_1_boot-camps-pasadena-girl-new-charges)
Pasadena Sun, February 15, 2012

Legislation that would protect children in military-style boot camps and increase state oversight was introduced by two Pasadena-area legislators in Sacramento Wednesday.

The bill, SB 1089, authored by State Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge) and Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) comes after the release of two videos depicting drill instructors forcing children to drink water to the point of vomiting, were released by the Pasadena Star-News.
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Reddit TroubledTeens on February 20, 2012, 02:16:38 PM
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19974766 (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19974766)

Portantino and Liu author boot-camp bill
Brian Charles, Staff Writer
Posted:   02/15/2012 07:51:32 PM PST

A bill to protect children attending military-style boot camps will be introduced by lawmakers Carol Liu, D-Glendale, and Anthony Portantino, D-Pasadena.

Liu, a state Senator, and Assemblyman Portantino co-authored SB 1089, which adds private boot camps and other non-traditional youth programs to the list of programs licenced under the state's Health and Safety Code.

The move comes after this newspaper published two disturbing videos and a series of articles on alleged abuses at Pasadena-area boot camps.

The videos feature Kelvin "Sgt. Mac" McFarland coercing children to binge-drink water. The binge-drinking, known as "smoking," can lead to brain swelling and death, according to medical professionals.

"As a father of two, I understand the concept of tough love. I also know that there is a line that should not be crossed in putting our children's safety at risk," Portantino said in a statement Wednesday. "I look forward to working with Sen. Liu to develop strict oversight for children's `boot camps' in California to make sure our children's well-being is maintained."

Liu said the first priority must be to protect children.

"We must make sure these boot camps are safe, and we need to know the background and training of any instructors," she said.

In addition to the binge-drinking of water, one of the videos shows a boy carrying a truck tire around his neck and being berated by McFarland and other boot-camp instructors.

The crying boy is shown falling to the ground.

McFarland's fellow boot-camp instructor, Keith "Sarge" Gibbs, can be heard talking on one of the videos.

Both McFarland and Gibbs deny being present during the video-taping.

At the time the video was shot, McFarland and Gibbs worked together, according to several sources familiar with the boot camps.

McFarland and Gibbs parted ways in August 2009, when McFarland started his own camp.

In May, McFarland was arrested on unrelated felony charges of kidnapping, child endangerment, extortion and child abuse, as well as a misdemeanor charge of unlawful use of a badge.

No additional charges have been brought against McFarland and no charges have been filed against Gibbs.

Boot camps remain largely unregulated as federal lawmakers have failed several times to pass boot-camp legislation.

According to a federal Government Accountability Office report in 2007, more than 1,600 incidents of child-abuse and 10 deaths occurred in boot camps nationwide between 1990 and 2007. The numbers could be worse, as the data is difficult to gather due to the lack of industry regulation, the report said.

Contact Brian via email, by phone at 626-578-6300, ext. 4494, or on Twitter @JBrianCharles.
Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: wdtony on March 29, 2012, 02:17:35 AM
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_2027 ... -two-girls (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_20277702/da-charges-boot-camp-operator-assaulting-two-girls)

DA charges boot camp operator with assaulting two girls

By Ruby Gonzales and Brian Charles, SGVN

Posted:   03/28/2012 08:47:13 PM PDT[/b]

PASADENA - The operator of a boot camp for troubled teens was charged Wednesday with sexually assaulting two 14-year-old girls in 2004.
Kelvin "Sgt Mac" McFarland, who operates Family First Growth Camp in Pasadena, pleaded not guilty to sexual penetration by a foreign object, forcible rape, oral copulation of a person under 16, lewd acts upon a child and unlawful sexual intercourse during a Wednesday arraignment in Pasadena Superior Court.

According to the criminal complaint, McFarland allegedly raped one girl on Dec. 12, 2004, and allegedly had unlawful sex with the second girl on March 19, 2004.

The court document doesn't say how the 42-year-old Monrovia man met the teens or where the alleged assaults occurred.

Pasadena police spokeswoman Lt. Phlunte Riddle said the incidents happened in an unincorporated area and that her department didn't do any of the interviews.

"We got some information and assisted the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department," she said.

Sheriff's investigators couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday night.

McFarland faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted, according to Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office.

Gibbons said this is a new case and separate from an existing criminal case against McFarland.

On May 16, 2011, Pasadena police said he handcuffed a truant high school student and extorted $100 from her family. The 14-year-old girl claimed he also flashed what she thought to

be a police badge when he approached her.
The incident resulted in prosecutors charging McFarland in June with felony child abuse, kidnapping, false imprisonment, extortion and a misdemeanor count of unlawful use of a badge. Gibbons said he faces a 12-year sentence if found guilty.

In October, McFarland became part of a controversy that erupted after the Star-News' website posted videos of a training session at the boot camp.

The videos showed children being urged by drill instructors to drink water to the point of vomiting and a boy wearing a tire around his neck being yelled at by instructors.

McFarland can be seen in both videos. But he denied being in the videos, which were shot in 2009 when he worked for another Pasadena-area bootcamp.

Booking records show McFarland was placed in custody in lieu of $275,000 bail. He has an April 11 pretrial hearing on the kidnapping case and an April 17 preliminary hearing on the assault case. Both are being heard in Pasadena Superior Court.

- [email protected]

626-962-8811, ext. 2230
Title: Trial update
Post by: Oscar on October 19, 2013, 06:30:44 PM
Quote from: Pasadena Weekly
Drilled into prison - Former boot camp operator faces 13 years after admitting to sex crimes and kidnapping (http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/drilled_into_prison/12287/)
By André Coleman 07/10/2013

Embattled former Pasadena boot camp operator Kelvin “Sgt. Mac” McFarland changed earlier pleas of not guilty to no contest in relation to felonies that include kidnapping, oral copulation with a person under the age of 16 and lewd acts with a child. 
 
McFarland, who ran Family First Boot Camp, which police said is now closed, faces a total of 13 years in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 21.

McFarland changed his pleas after his attorney Lawrence Forbes successfully filed a 995 motion to have a charge of forcible rape removed from a 2004 case in which McFarland was accused of sexually molesting two 14-year-old girls. A 995 motion is typically filed on grounds of insufficient evidence.

Forbes would not comment on the case against his client.

Assistant District Attorney Brooke White also declined to comment.

McFarland was charged in March with penetration by a foreign object, forcible rape, oral copulation of a person under the age of 16, lewd acts upon a child and unlawful sexual intercourse after detectives in Pasadena discovered a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department file indicating McFarland had been previously accused of sexual molestation. Sheriff’s deputies had taken DNA from the two victims but never followed up on either case, prompting Pasadena detectives to open their own investigation.

At that time, McFarland had already been charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment and extortion after he stopped a 14-year-old girl on Orange Grove Boulevard and Mentor Avenue, handcuffed her and placed her in his car. He then drove the child to her aunt’s house and refused to take off the handcuffs until he was paid $100.

Several months later, a videotape surfaced which showed McFarland and some of his employees forcing a child to guzzle excessive amounts of water until he vomited. McFarland and the other instructors also yelled at children and forced them to carry truck tires around their necks.

As a result of this case, then-Assemblyman Anthony Portantino and state Sen. Carol Liu introduced legislation to regulate juvenile boot camps, jointly authoring SB 1089, which would add regulations for boot camps and other nontraditional youth programs to the California Health and Safety Code.

Title: Re: Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot cam
Post by: Che Gookin on October 22, 2013, 09:27:36 PM
Quote from: Awake on November 14, 2011, 09:17:04 PM
I wonder how common it is for these troubled teen boot camps to force kids to drink excessive amounts of water to the point of throwing up? At Ascent that was a daily practice as well, right after lunch, and before intense workout regiments. I threw up, and witnessed it happen often. It was in the back of my mind after awhile, even though we only had 5 min to eat each meal so it wasn’t too hard to watch how much you ate. Amazing how badass those staff felt about themselves, pretty clearly from the video, for making a like13 yr old kid puke and cry.

I used to require the boys in my groups to regularly drink water. Not to make them puke, but to prevent heat related illnesses. This though, it really does seem like they were purposely intending to induce vomiting for whatever reasons they have. Don't really understand it myself, just doesn't make much sense.

Therapeutic puking maybe?

You are probably right, they get off on watching the detainees in such distressed situation.