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Do what you can locally. (none / 0) (#18)
by Packratt on Thu Jan 10, 2008 at 12:17:46 AM EST
As I read, your state has similar problems with the treatment of suspects and pre-trial detainees. But it sounds like there has been some progress there with the torture cases coming to light out of Chicago, the recent settlements, and the restructuring of the Chicago PD though.

So, while I usually urge people to look into how detainees are treated in their own communities, if you're in the C-Town area it seems like there are good efforts going on to fix problems with police misconduct and detainee abuses.

Here in Seattle, there isn't anything like that. So far as I can tell I'm the only person doing anything, let alone any organization. The media reports on cases of mistreatment by the police and the jail, but sporatically and do not share stories, so reporting is scattered.

So, I do what I can with my limited time, money, and mental capacity to research how to file suits without lawyers since the lawyers won't help most people here and I consolidate all the reports of abuse to give people a clearer picture of the extent of detainee abuses and police misconduct that happen here. I also work with local politicians who see the need for accountability before the problems get as bad as they did in Chicago... It's hard because of my injuries and my jobs as a single earner dad, but nobody else is doing it, so it's up to me.

So, to make it short, I don't ask that you do anything for me or Seattle, do what you can for your community with the knowledge that no other organization, the ACLU included, will care or help the victims of abuse near you. It's up to us individuals now, victims like me have been left to out in the cold on our own and must do what we can with what we have. So I'm determined to do what I can to not be a victim anymore and help others who have been through what I have locally, and there are a lot of us here... and i'm sure many near you.

Remember, the ACLU and other "human rights" organizations like them don't care about you or your rights, just politics and publicity. So we're all on our own, fighting for our own human rights by ourselves. So do what you can to help the victims near you.

...and don't worry, since I was severely beaten last year and denied access to medical care as a form of torture my mind doesn't work nearly as well as it used to, so it takes me a while to think things through and, as you can tell by my awful writing, it takes me a while to get a point across.

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