We live in a very cruel country-- Read this and then watch the video.

[trumad]

The cruelty that I've seen within the last week (the torture pics) and now this has me convinced that we live in sick fucking country. What the fuck is wrong with us?

PANAMA CITY - The Florida Department of Law Enforcement released a videotape today that shows guards at a North Florida bootcamp repeatedly striking and forcefully restraining a visibly weak 14-year-old boy who died hours later.

The tape, intentionally blurred by the FDLE to protect the identities of the other youths at the camp, shows between three and five drill-sergeant-garbed guards pressing, wrestling and splaying 140-pound Martin Lee Anderson, who has rubbery legs and at no times appears to offer resistance. Also, the nurse on scene appears to offer no help.

The Miami Herald and CNN sued for the release of the video, and this newspaper plans to post the videotape online at MiamiHerald.com as soon as possible.
The Medical Examiner in Panama City ruled that the teenager died of natural causes and not from an altercation with guards, adding that the youth suffered from a genetic blood disorder, sickle cell trait, that caused him to bleed to death.

But experts say that dying from the trait, which overwhelmingly affects blacks, is exceedingly rare. At a Friday press conference, Sen. Gary Siplin, an Orlando Democrat and leader of the black legislative caucus, called the finding ''ridiculous.'' He said Martin was ``murdered.''
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13898115.htm

The video:

http://www.cbs4.com/video/?id=[e-mail]

[ThomCat]

1. It was Murder, plain and simple

I hope there is enough local outrage to get those guards locked away for a long, long time!

[acmejack]

2. Harvard Medical School Professor calls bullshit

snip>
In a report released Thursday, the Bay County Medical Examiner concluded that Martin Lee Anderson, the 14-year-old boy who died after an altercation with guards while in state custody, was killed by complications of sickle cell trait.

But the autopsy report showed none of the signs associated with such a death, a professor at Harvard Medical School said Friday.

''That report is not plausible at all,'' said Dr. Kenneth Bridges, the former director of the Center for Sickle Cell and Thalassemic Disorders in Boston, who reviewed the report at The Herald's request.

Sickle cell trait is not considered a disease. About eight percent of African-Americans have the trait, and the vast majority live their lives without any symptoms. In rare cases, though, the trait may contribute to sudden death caused by extremely vigorous exercise coupled with dehydration.

But the autopsy report of a patient who died in that way would look different than the report on Anderson, Bridges said.
snip>

Just another outrage, will they ever stop? Will we ever make them stop, I wonder what it was this child ripped off that cost him his life.

[samdogmom]

3. Barbaric! What is wrong with our country? Have we lost our senses?

Good grief. Why is this behavior acceptable and condoned? I just can't believe the depths this county has sunk to in the past five years. I have wanted to scream out "WAKE ME UP WHEN IT'S OVER!" so many times I've lost count. Please, bring back sanity and reason and compassion and a true appreciation for LIFE before it's too late for all of us!

P.S. I couldn't watch the video, the verbal description was enough to deter me. Please, I'm begging you U.S.A. WAKE UP!!!

[dusmcj]

8. Connected and Under Control: teen dies in FL juvey "boot camp"

samdogmom pointed out this thread after I had already posted in LBN:

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/LAW/02/17/bootcamp.death/in...

In a Florida "boot camp" for juveniles as an alternative to prison, a teenager collapsed and later died after being abused and restrained by law enforcement officers.

These "training programs" are another fascist outgrowth of the Bush Sr. social engineering attempts to condition us all to be Connected and Under Control.

I guess it had a little too much Impact in this case.

Fascists use the law to control people.

Normal societies control people when necessary to uphold the law.

[boobooday]

4. Totally disgusting

THIS footage, and the images from Abu Grahib are the evidence of the real moral decline in this country.

We had a similar case recently here in Indiana -- the kid didn't die, but he was beaten by a guard at a juvenile detention center while he was tied up. Brave, macho men. :puke:

Inhumane, without compassion, sadistic and perverted.

[Ron Green]

5. Florida again. What's up with that? n/t

[samdogmom]

6. Kick.

Come on everybody, this is our "government in action". Do you approve????

[hfojvt]

7. something like 20,000 homicides a year, 30,000 suicides

and 6.3 million crimes of violence out of 25 million crimes. I believe we also have the world's largest prison population.

I think it is lack of social cohesion myself, but that's just a theory. Plus our society is based on dog-eat-dog, every rat for themself.