2015/10/15
CALIFORNIA – Though police harassment of minors is nothing new, the case of three San Luis Obispo officers takes matters to an entirely new level.
At risk youth are some of the most vulnerable members of society, often coming from parentless, broken, or abusive households – and only cop logic would consider beating them bloody would solve any of their behavioral issues.
South Gate Officers Edgar Gomez, Carlos Gomez-Marquez, and Marissa Larios are charged with inflicting physical punishment on teens that sounds more fitting in a CIA black site than at disciplinary camp.
The officers worked at the Leadership Empowerment and Discipline Boot Camp Program in San Luis Obispo, and were tasked with helping to reform teens that had behavioral or disciplinary.
Perhaps their difficult behavior caused officers to see them as criminals in the making, and therefore treat them as they do many perceived threats – use physical force to submit them.
The children, aging from 12 to 17, were subjected to regular beatings and other painful punishments if they did not perform to the standards of the officers.
Several students had serious injuries, receiving broken fingers, fractured hands, and bloody thrashings at the hands of the sadistic officers.
In a society where police claim to be the first line of defense against criminals, they continue to set a “do as I say, not as I do” example, especially to young and impressionable children.
These at-risk teens, who were likely sent to the camp for a lack of respect for authority, will have even greater trust and respect issues when it comes to authority.
Subjecting the children you are meant to protect and positively influence to torturous conditions in the name of ‘reform’ highlights further the need for police to face stricter guidelines in how they interact with the public, especially in non-arrest situations.
Watch the video below:
