A review by the state of Virginia has confirmed immigrant teenagers were strapped to chairs and had mesh bags placed over their heads while being held at the Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center.
But the state concluded this harsh treatment did not meet its legal threshold of abuse or neglect, according to this report from Democracynow.org.
The state review came after the Associated Press revealed in June that children as young as 14 said they were beaten while handcuffed and locked up for long periods in solitary confinement, left nude and shivering in concrete cells.
I am beginning to think that I don’t live in the United States of America anymore. We have devolved into a third world country.
I have listened again and again as to the horror of NFL players “taking a knee” when the National Anthem is played as a protest against police brutality.
There has been so much energy and anger directed over this, while issues like the abuse of children at the hands, the dirty hands, of our government are ignored. Why?
As a population, as human beings, as mothers and fathers we should collectively be furious and ashamed by the actions of our government that WE have permitted through silence and, in some cases, wink & nod approval.
Currently, there still are 416 children separated from their parents.
While we, the American people, took our kids or grandkids to the beach or camping in the mountains this summer; while we were buying pretty clothes for the start of school, there were 416 kids still locked up, given less than “good” food, allowed out in the sunshine for only one hour a day, and left crying for their parents every night with no one to kiss them goodnight or hug them during a thunder storm.
Quite honestly, our priorities are truly screwed up when we feel that someone taking a knee in protest deserves more attention then 416 kidnapped children.
We should all be truly ashamed.
Sandy Kohn is the former administrator of a long term substance abuse program and a former critical care nurse. Sandy has said that if she had her life to do over, she would be an author.