Texas school forced mentally challenged students into their own "Fight Club."

[doublejs07]

[h2][size=+2]'Fight club' videos of residents prompt suspension of admissions to Corpus Christi state school, officials say[/size][/h2] [h5][size=-1]05:42 PM CDT on Tuesday, March 10, 2009[/size][/h5][size=-1]By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News
eramshaw@dallasnwews.com[/size]
AUSTIN - State officials have suspended admission to the Corpus Christi State School, following police allegations that profoundly disabled residents have been forced into "fight club"-style battles by the employees hired to care for them.

Corpus Christi Police Capt. Tim Wilson said vivid video footage captured on cell phone cameras shows staffers goading young, male state school residents into physical altercations, then shoving them at each other until fights ensued.

The brawls are captured on repeated videos filmed during 2007 and 2008 - with one that appears to have been taken last month. Wilson said they show "staged events" where mentally and physically disabled residents push, kick and punch each other, then have their arms raised in victory when they "win."

Eleven current or former state school employees were identified in the videos, state officials said. Police said it's unclear whether the employees were betting on the outcome of the fights, and said they've found no evidence the videos have been uploaded onto the Internet.

"Workers were staging fight clubs with the residents for their own entertainment. It's child abuse -- some of the worst I've seen in over 30 years," Wilson said. "I've heard of isolated incidents before, but what's most appalling is that it's obvious this is organized."

The news comes while lawmakers are debating how to reform the embattled state schools for the disabled, which came under fire by the U.S. Department of Justice late last year for systemic abuse and widespread civil rights violations.

On Monday, the Texas Senate unanimously approved a bill to protect state school residents from mistreatment - a measure deemed an emergency by Gov. Rick Perry.

Perry's chief of staff, Jay Kimbrough, traveled to Corpus Christi on Tuesday afternoon and said he planned to stay until safeguards had been implemented at the facility.

The Corpus Christi allegations are "disgraceful, unacceptable," said Rep. Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs, who, in addition to filing the House state school safety bill, has authored legislation to close some of the state schools in favor of community living. "It provides further proof of the fact that we need greater oversight and accountability in our state school settings."

The video images, which also include audio, were discovered on a cell phone - one that was turned in to an off duty police officer at a local hospital after being found lying in the road. The videos were so clear that investigators were able to determine that they were captured in public "day rooms" at the state school, which is home to 350 residents.


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*if posted already, go ahead and lock....

 

[n o r e a g a]

I'm sorry but

at the thought of ******s fighting.

 

[koolkatz]

Originally Posted by N O R E A G A

I'm sorry but

at the thought of ******s fighting.

yeah me 2 this is just plan comedy L

L

 

[b0ssldy]

 

[mr monday niight]

poor river bear

 

[assistantsupervisor81]

man thats just so wrong

 

[rpappy6]

That ain't right. What is wrong with that staff?

 

[coolnificent]

vids?

 

[queencitysneakerqueen]

That's messed up

 

[mc otaku]

 

[ogbobbyjohnson773]

What were they thinking?

 

[haiti5]

i have to admit i lol'd when i read the title..but thats pretty inhumane..hope they get some years for that

 

[frankthekingdtx]

why does this post say Dallas,tx forced mentally challeneged kids to fight if it was a Corpus Christie school
??

 

[drsfinest72]

sorry but this reminds me of:



unfortunately someone talked about fightclub

 

[bonafide hustla]

Originally Posted by frankthekingdtx

why does this post say Dallas,tx forced mentally challeneged kids to fight if it was a Corpus Christie school
??

word. either that was a typo or OP might a thought corpuswas some small town outside of dallas, but corpus and dallas are two very seperate entities

 

[jawnyquest]

Originally Posted by MR MONDAY NIIGHT

poor river bear

texas

 

[emkicks]

Thats what I was thinking... had me thinking it was a school around my way

 

[joegalvan]

yo... corpus christi is no where near dallas. its just a DMN article.

at the story though.

 

[maza4ever14]

Originally Posted by MR MONDAY NIIGHT

poor river bear

ohhhh WOW

 

[brooklynnyc3000]

This ain't right yo.

 

[414hammerboi]

[Cartman] Crippled fight! [/Cartman]

 

[jj1223]

someone find the vids

 

[arqangel6]

Dude, that's messed up.

 

[keepzdasneakz]

Wow, seriously? Hell is wrong with some of these people. I would be pretty enraged if I were a family member of those who had been forced into that 'fightclub'. I hope they get sued and then jailed.

 

[mfury]

This sounds like some Battle Royale-type ^&&@!