There have been a couple stories about this place in that year or so: when I saw this title I recalled the story of a nameless boy being identified and finally bringing some closure for his family after DECADES of just not knowing.
Dozier School is already going to be a permanent black eye for Florida and the US as crap like this was tolerated and doubtlessly going on to this day in different areas and places.
it is a heinous monument to racism and the perversions of a dominant conservative culture.
Over the Fleur-du-Kos for the details. Needless to say this is an ugly story so 'trigger warning' for those who need such things presented clearly to them.
'Rape dungeon' allegations emerge in abuse report on Florida's notorious Dozier School for Boys
Forensic researchers sifting the grounds of a notorious Florida reform school at the centre of a decades-long abuse scandal have identified the remains of two more bodies from 51 recovered so far from unmarked graves.
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The researchers found that officials 'consistently underreported' the number of deaths that occurred at the school between its opening in 1900 and 1960, the latest date for which records are currently publicly available, and that numerous bodies were buried with slack or missing documentation outside the marked cemetery known as Boot Hill.
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Among the allegations of a group of survivors known as the White House Boys, nicknamed for the building in which they say they suffered the worst abuse, are accounts of youths being beaten unconscious while chained to walls or beds, raped by staff and other students in a basement or simply disappearing after excessive punishments for minor infractions such as smoking or truancy.
I did NOT know that this school was actually just closed down in 2011?
wikipedia
The Florida School for Boys, also known as the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys (AGDS), was a reform school operated by the state of Florida in the panhandle town of Marianna from January 1, 1900, to June 30, 2011.[1][2]
Nothing, really, was ever actually done about. line of politicians walked through over the years, expressing repugnance but accomplishing nothing of substance:
In April 2007, the acting superintendent of the school and one other employee were fired following allegations of abuse of inmates.[20]
In late 2009, the school failed its annual inspection. Amongst other problems, the inspection found that the school failed to deal properly with the large numbers of complaints from the boys held there, including allegations of continued mistreatment by the guards. State Representative Darryl Rouson said that the system was struggling to move on from a longstanding "culture of violence and abuse".[12]
Translation:That's Florida!
Florida has an amazing history of violence and abuse: appears to actually relish it. It wasn't just violence: it was sexual abuse and exploitation. It was people who think they are better than others but who were royally fucked-up human beings who relished sex with children.
What could be sicker? Having a place where this could go one and never quite be held accountable, that's what. This place stopped short of having ovens to dispose of their victims.
Over the period of 111 years, they just couldn't find people to arrest and try, the 'statute of limitations' ran out, completing the sheer disposal of these kids. Probably because they didn't see a need to hold any of the good people accountable.
This ugliness is entrenched in Florida culture - most probably all over the US - but Florida also gave us the Rosewood Massacre, Marrisa Alexander and George Zimmerman.
It's still there. Almost daily we get news of some ugly weird crap from Florida. As if it's either a contest with other states or just a commitment to being racist and wrong.
I say the state is racist to the core and uninterested in changing, believes things are the way they should be.
And, no, really, it's not just the US: I cannot help but also recall the Catholic Orphanages in which hundreds of babies were found buried. The conservatives of Florida and the Holier-Than-Thou Catholic Church all abusing and killing children, totally savaging the 10 Commandments and failing in their quest to be better than the rest of us.
This is doubtlessly going on other places in the US, hidden, protected the same way: by decent "good" conservative people who will tell you how "God-fearing" they are and who will pride themselves on how conservative they are.
I will remind people about "Straight Inc" a now-defunct adolescent deprogramming center run by Mel and Betty Sembler,now of Florida. Straight was abusing and torturing teens too as a front for hyper-religious nutbag bible-thumping conservatives.
They fled to Texas from Georgia when the law FINALLY caught up with them. They relocated to Florida and have become big friends of the Bush family. They changed the name of Straight in to "The Drug-Free America Foundation" and continue to pump out heinous misinformation.
Mel was appointed Ambassador to Australia for awhile and was the chairmen of Scooter Libby's defense fund.
Just more really bad people with a lot of power and money and closets full of skeletons.
Florida is perfect for people like them.