It sounded like we were being given a pitch for a timeshare in Tahiti rather than a pitch for a contract between SWR and ICE hundreds and hundreds of pages long assuming responsibility for immigration enforcement and removal. Well, given some timeshare agreements, maybe the high pressure sales pitch associated with an almost mind numbing contract that locks you up for life, practically, maybe it is like a timeshare pitch after all. Only, we are talking about a prison in our backyards and not some vacation dormitory in Bora Bora.
Moreover, it sounded like something from a Stanley Kubrick movie titled Dr. Strangelove, How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Private Prison Industrial Complex.
First, what's in a name? CCA lawyer Sam Poole from Berger Singerman got very flustered when Country Estates resident Jim Laskey presented his reams of research demonstrating that this facility will not be used for merely incarcerating people, but will be used as a processing, convicting, treating and monitoring center for monitoring tens of thousands of more detainees electronically who will be released to the community.
You do get certain incidental facts right, like the name of the Houston facility, and the fact that the South Florida facility was described as a “processing center” at the November 5 Town Hall Meeting. --Sam PooleI quickly remembered that at the November 5th ICE meeting, their very own entrance card called the facility the South Florida Processing Center. Sam Poole insisted I was wrong and that it was called a Detention Center. I pointed this out to Mr. Poole.
Mr. Poole was asked the name of the Houston facility. He said that it was called the Houston Detention Center. This is yet another bit of misinformation from Sam Poole of the prestigious law firm Berger Singerman that he is becoming widely noted for.
CCA's very own website and signage call it the Houston Processing Center. Why are they intentionally lying about something as simple and as provable as the name of the SWR facility or the Houston facility? Why? Because the real name validates Laskey's research that THIS IS MUCH MORE THAN A PRISON.
Again, what's in a name? The ladies went out of their way to tell us all how this is a "Civil Detention Center" and not a prison. This wikipedia article nicely lays out what we all know, a "detention center" is a prison. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison.
You do get certain incidental facts right, like the name of the Houston facility, and the fact that the South Florida facility was described as a “processing center” at the November 5 Town Hall Meeting. --Sam PooleMore games with names.
Why are they lying about this being a prison? One of the reasons is public perception and image. They think you will accept a "civil detention center" but not a prison. Another reason is that SWR resolutions specifically PROHIBIT maximum security incarceration. Yet, this facility MUST have maximum security incarceration for ICE to grant the contract to SWR.
The ladies gushed about how clean the facility was. They gushed about the cook out the fireman were having next door. They were impressed that they did not see a single gun inside the prison. They must not be aware that standard practice is that no guards internal to a prison are armed; otherwise, THEY become the source of weapons for prisoners rioting. There most certainly where many guns at that prison.
The ladies gushed about how there was a primary school 1/4 mile from the facility and that CCA provided training to the children at the school! When asked for specific examples of training or who paid for it, they didn't have answer. When asked the question, "what could my primary school children possibly want for training from CCA?" or "was the training teaching them how to be private corrections officers?", they had no answer.
In fact, the two ladies in addition to Councilmen Jablonski and Breitkreuz all left after the snake oil sales pitch from CCA and their resident's choir group and before the HOA residents spoke their mind on the subject.
It's all one way. They want you to listed to their propaganda, but they don't want to hear the facts. Such as this battle has gone on for months. Now we know why they wanted a cone of silence.
If you were CCA and trying to sell a prison, they're not going to show you the problem facilities, theyre going to show the model facilities, much like showing a new house. Ask to visit the facility in Idaho where nurses had to arm themselves during a riot because they were so short staffed, or Eloy, where the town is named as a defendant in a sexual abuse/harassment case where a guard attacked female inmates. Let's visit Hernando FL facility, where CCA left after 20 years and left behind millions of $$ in damage for the County to clean up. Why not visit any of the numerous cities where CCA has broken indemnification contracts or used tax shelters and tax evasive strategies to bilk counties and towns of much needed tax dollars for schools etc? Let's visit those facilities!
ReplyDeletethere was a gentleman at the HOA meeting that kept saying he wanted to go to a certain facility. i beleive CCA said they would make arrangements for him to go when he wanted to. i beleive he said he would like to talk to someone in charge there. which one of the facilitys that you named would you like to vist , i am sure it could be arranged.
DeleteSo CCA can put on another dog and pony show? the Houston facility is under investigation for filling and producing falsified and inaccurate reports. Did they tell you that on your visit?
DeleteAt Houston's contract detention center,ICE inspectors have quietly documented dozens of deficiencies in internal reports over the past few years,with problems involving medical care,the use of excessive force and "abusive treatment" of detainees,the reports show. Yet the agency has posted only positive inspection reports prepared by private contractors who toured the Houston facility on its website,not its own internal reports.
http://privateci.org/private_pics/ICEBleak.htm
HEY ICE WHERE'S THE REQUIRED NEPA STUDY??
ReplyDeletethey are working on it now and should be done with it in a mo. or two. vacations, holidays etc. effect the time frame.
Deletei will be writting something for the rolling oaks magazine and maybe the waggler. there were 8 of us that went and each of us saw it thru our eyes not someone elses. there were a few things the questioned me on at the HOA and i got the information documented for you all. one was i said a gentleman in uniform was overseeing the hospital and he was with ICE. The other question was about the partnering of the facility with the elementary school. the reply is rather long so i will be happy to e-mail anyone the information just call me at 954-325-1220
ReplyDeleteNo explanation and description of your encounter is too long. Just post it here for all of us to read and comment on. Why are you hiding the facts?
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