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Employee Organized: Videos show disturbing fights at Texas School
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by Rhonda J Mangus | May 13, 2009 at 03:40 pm
503 views | 57 Recommendations | 13 comments
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Employee Organized: Videos show disturbing fights at Texas School
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Corpus Christi State School employees allegedly produced cell phone videos of disturbing scenes of developmentally disabled students fighting each other, and also organized the fights.
In one of the videos released Tuesday, two of the students at the Corpus Christi State School fight on the ground while a third person kicks them. A male voice can be heard egging on the residents.
In another scene, a student pins a peer against the wall and punches him in the face with an audible crack.
In March, police obtained the videos recorded on 16 days between late 2007 and early this year. Eleven former employees of the Corpus Christi State School are accused of organizing the fights.
Timothy Dixon, a 31-year-old former employee, is accused of filming the late-night fight clubs on his cell phone camera. He faces criminal charges along with Jesse Salazar, 25, Guadalupe De La Rosa Jr., 22, Vincent Johnson, 22, D'Angelo Riley, 22, and Stephanie Garza, 21. Garza faces the same charge but as a state jail felony. Garza was accused of failing to intervene.
The other accused employees were either fired or no longer worked for the agency at the time the scandal was revealed.
Police said in March that those charged were the ones who could be identified in fights where there were clear injuries.
The videos feature a cheerleading-type voice over commentary – "part two, part two" – as residents wrestle.
A man wearing a striped shirt holds a person down with a pillow over the face of another man. Footage shows as many as three people fighting each other at one time. People can be heard laughing as a resident sits on the floor and checks his lip for blood.
"The video is clear at how poorly people can treat the disabled," said Bob Hilliard, an attorney for one of the former residents at the school.
On December 1, 2008, the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice notified Texas Governor Rick Perry of numerous instances of abuse and violations of federal law in the care of the developmentally disabled in the state's 12 residential facilities.
More recently, United States Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, criticized Perry's handling of state schools. Perry fires back, here.
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Rhonda J Mangus
North Tonawanda, New York, United States
Recommendations (57)
jazzyzazzy
Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
Paschen
Narita, Chiba, Japan
albertacowpoke
Canada
francisrivera
Manila, Philippines
Barry Artiste
Vancouver, Canada
laurenatc
New York, New York, United States
Suranee
Ratnapura, Sri Lanka
158
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Barbara McPherson
Nanaimo, Canada
Sputnic
London, United Kingdom
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (13)
at 16:06 on May 13th, 2009
Disgusting and so wrong!
at 16:18 on May 13th, 2009
This is awful - there's just no excuse.
at 16:26 on May 13th, 2009
Thank you Tina and Amy for reading, commenting, and for the recommendations. It is true, there is no excuse and, in my opinion, Governor Perry (at the very least) needs to be held accountable for this.
at 23:25 on May 13th, 2009
This just goes to show what is happening behind those closed doors to our vulnerable members of society.I really find this atrocious and if not seen by my own eyes would also find hard to believe. Mind you Mary Neil has been screaming from the rooftops about the abuse of Larry her beloved brother. As for the goveners they should really be brought to test about this barbaric behaviour seen right before their very eyes.But unfortunately I fear that it will be the same response as usual from officials when faced with the reality of the video.PUFF PUFF BLOW. Poor souls god love them. They dont seem to be safe anywhere.I bet you nearly puked at this video Rhonda,I did.
at 08:12 on May 14th, 2009
I also would like to add to this particular problem there is one just as horrible. Elder care
I have been taking care of my Mother and Father for nine years...5 Dad , 9 Mom. Hospice
is here now. The vulnerable and fragileness of these souls is something this country has
never brought to the real light. Nursing homes are horrible. People make money on them
and then they hire people , pay them nothing and also have the bare minimum of supplies
in the places The man here lives in the biggest , fanciest house (mansion) in town. Lives
like a king. His nursing homes has like two wheelchairs? It is corrupt.. Why doesn't anyone
face it? Guilt, shame. It is a huge ethical subject for families too. I have been on a long
sojourn here witnessing a slow death process. If I did not know and believe what I believe
I would not have finished the crossing line.
I say torture these creeps for doing this. Maybe we need eye for eye back..Prison is not
good enough punishment for anyone hurting a weak human being.
at 23:28 on May 15th, 2009
Queenshart, thank you for sharing your personal story and another area where the fragile and vulnerable are endangered, maltreated and abused. I don't however believe in torture or the eye-for-an-eye. Accountability is key here, and there is none. And, as I said earlier, the 'education system' is one of the largest and most corrupt systems in the US.
at 23:20 on May 15th, 2009
jazzyzazzy, thank you for reading, commenting, and for the recommendation. Endangering the welfare of children, abuse and maltreatment by those in the 'educational system' is more common than many realize. Most know it is going on (like Governor Perry, for example) and do nothing (if then) until it's 'leaked' to the media.
It is my opinion that not only governors should be brought to task, but the US Department of Education (first and foremost), state commissioners of education, board of regents, office of family and children services, and on down the line. It's a corrupt system, and at the expense of the nation's school children.
Any parent who believes his/her child[ren] is safe in US public schools, needs to think again. And should monitor their school district and state education commissioners closely.
Yes, jazz, I honestly wanted to vomit -- there is no excuse for this.
Thanks again.
at 14:48 on May 14th, 2009
Things like this should never happen.
at 23:23 on May 15th, 2009
158, thank you for reading, commenting, and for the recommendation. Things like this should never happen. --
at 23:42 on May 15th, 2009
Wish I had a magic wand Rhonda.
at 01:01 on May 16th, 2009
Me too, jazz. Thanks for stopping back.
at 13:17 on May 17th, 2009
Most know it is going on (like Governor Perry, for example) and do nothing (if then) until it's 'leaked' to the media.
Let me add, that in a lot of cases, even the media isn't reporting as it should on corrupt 'school officials' and violence in schools.
at 05:29 on May 27th, 2009
Ugh. Truly horrific.