Mentally Disabled Forced Into 'Fight Club' at Texas Home

Night Shift Made Cell Phone Videos of Residents at Facility in Corpus Christi

By ANGELA M. HILL, JOSEPH RHEE and BRIAN ROSS

May 12, 2009—

Terrified residents at a Corpus Christi, Texas, state school for the mentally disabled were forced to be part of a brutal "fight club" operated by night shift employees, who made videos of the sessions with their cell phones, the newly released videos show.

On the videos employees can be seen and heard laughing and prodding the residents to fight.

Watch "Nightline" at 11:30 p.m. ET for Brian Ross' full report.

One resident is seen on the video trying to run away from his attacker and a large group of employees and residents tracking him through the halls. When cornered, he wails and moans and tells the employees, "I will behave."

A judge ordered the tapes released to an attorney suing the state on behalf of a former resident also forced into the "fight club."

"It happened for over a year and it happened for many nights out of the week," said the attorney, Bob Hilliard.

Hilliard's client, Armando Hernandez, says he was told he would "go to prison" if he did not fight.

Hernandez, who is mentally disabled, says he was fearful to even tell his mother of what was happening inside at night.

"They say 'snitches get stitches,'" Hernandez told ABC News.

A judge ordered police to provide the tapes to Hilliard on Friday for use in his lawsuit against the state, without any restriction on their use. They were played twice in open court.

"There are no words as strong as the faces of these residents," Hilliard said. "It's a place past fear. It's a place where they have almost accepted that the school where they're locked into could very well end up being a coffin for them."

A spokesperson for the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, which oversees the state schools, says the agency was "shocked and disgusted by the unconscionable actions of a few employees." Spokesperson Cecilia Fedorov said the department has taken a number of steps to "stop this kind of abuse again," including hiring additional security and increased supervision of night shifts.

Former Employees Indicted, Charged With Causing Injury to a Disabled Person

Six former employees were indicted last Thursday on charges of causing injury to a disabled person.

Prosecutors identified the ring leader as Timothy Dixon, 30, who police say can be heard on the video calling the play-by-play of the fight as if he were a ring announcer.

Dixon and the others are to make their first appearance in court at an arraignment hearing next week.

The cell phone videos are the latest example of troubling conditions at the 12 Texas schools for the developmentally and mentally disabled.

More Than 800 Employees Suspended for Abusing Facility Residents

A federal civil rights investigation, completed last December before the cell phone videos were discovered, found that more than 800 employees had been suspended or fired "for abusing facility residents" since 2004.

The federal report, sent to Texas Governor Rick Perry, concluded, "numerous conditions and practices at the Facilities violate the constitutional and federal statutory rights of their residents."

Perry, a Republican, introduced "emergency legislation" in February designed to make the state schools safer.

Some state legislators say the problems began with Perry administration budget cuts in 2003 that reduced money for health and human services in Texas.

"I think what you are starting to see now are the negative effects of those decisions," said State Representative Abel Herrero, a Democrat who represents Corpus Christi.

A spokesperson for Governor Perry told ABC News the governor was too busy dealing with the state legislature to provide an interview on the new cell phone videos.

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this is truly the most disgusting thing i've ever seen!!!!! there needs to be a SERIOUS overhaul of all the schools in texas for the mentally-challenged. the story i saw on abc's "world news now" said that there have been complaints of abuse at ALL of texas' state schools for the mentally-challenged. if you watch the video, you'll see that the residents are being treated like animals.-fallon

www.invisiblechildren.com

__________________

What musical tastes reveal…

By Bob Strauss

There comes a time in every dater’s life when he happens to glance at the CD rack (or iPod play list) of the gal he’s dated two or three times and instantly knows: It Is Not Going To Work. I once made an excuse for a quick exit when I glimpsed (out of the corner of my eye, from the couch) a Billy Joel box set, and I’m sure the gal in question would’ve done the same if she’d seen my collection of historical Arturo Toscanini recordings. (Of course, in my view, Arturo Toscanini is objectively more talented than Billy Joel. That’s the thing about how we all feel about music—what I like speaks to my taste and intelligence, while what you like means you’re a benighted lowbrow.)

So what does your taste in music convey to the opposite sex? Read on:

Classic rock. “If a guy likes classic rock, he’s going to be very middle of the road,” says April Masini, author of Date Out of Your League. “This isn’t a bad thing—in fact, classic-rock listeners make great partners. They go for the normal things in life, like dinner and a movie, a two-story house in the suburbs with an SUV or station wagon, a couple of kids and a dog.” And what about a gal who likes ’70s hair bands? “She’s in denial of the aging process and may have general image issues,” says Andrew Feinstein, coauthor of Opening Lines, Pinky Probes and L-Bombs: The Girls & Sports Dating and Relationship Playbook. “Be prepared for a lot of ‘Oh, you look fantastic’ pep talks throughout the relationship.”

Heavy metal. “Watch out for hidden anger issues,” Masini says. “Most guys who are into heavy metal aren’t necessarily tattooed and pierced; they may just as well be suited and coiffed. But the songs, the melodies and the rhythms of heavy metal are aggressive and overpowering on purpose. You may be surprised in bed, in a good or a bad way.” Speaking for the distaff side, Feinstein says, “She hates her parents, and if you’re a nice guy, she’ll hate you, too. The good news is that she’s probably hard of hearing, so you can get away with saying things like ‘What do you mean I can’t go to Vegas with the guys this weekend? I told you I was going weeks ago!’”

Country. “If a guy likes country music,” says Masini, “chances are that he’s sentimental and romantic. He’s got a moral compass and clear ideas of what’s right and what’s wrong. He also knows that breaking hearts, and getting them broken, are part of life.” And what about women who favor this kind of music? “She’s a good girl from the heartland, so you’re not getting any action anytime soon,” says Feinstein. “You may want to consider square-dancing lessons.”

Classical. Take it from your writer: Everyone knows that single guys with huge classical music collections (especially ones featuring Arturo Toscanini) are uncommonly smart, sensitive, and good you-know-where. And seriously, based on my own experience, single women who like classical music tend to be very smart, because they often come by their interest from having mastered an instrument in their childhood years.

Now that you’ve plowed through the points above, here’s the fine print, courtesy of Feinstein: “It doesn’t really matter what a guy’s musical tastes are and what they mean for his dating life, because he won’t unveil his true interests until he’s already hooked up with someone. The fact is, when a guy meets a girl, he’ll just play whatever music he thinks might get her in the mood.” Strike up the band!

Bob Strauss is a New York-based freelance writer and the author of Who Knew? Hundreds & Hundreds of Questions & Answers for Curious Minds. Email him your thoughts here.

#63  PRINCESS

I am a princess
A beautiful, prized jewel in the Eyes of my Father-
The King

My Father loves without limit
Without measurement
Without doubt

He will love me
Untill the end of time and back again
Throughout everything I have ever done
Or ever will do
He loves me not because I have earned it
But simply because I am His

I am a princess
A precious little lady
Who is meant for greatness

I can come to my Father
Anytime of day or night
No matter the thoughtsr
Weighing on my mind

I am a princess
Who has been given gifts
Meant just for me
No one else in the world has the exact gifts I do
My Father loves me that much
I am that precious

I am a princess
I am part of the largest kingdom the world has ever seen
My Father told me and my brothers and sisters
To tell you about Him
His name is Jesus

I am a princess
A beautiful, prized jewel in the eyes of my Father-
The King
And you can be His princess too

                                                   Fallon Marie

i wrote this poem yesterday morning after i read megan's blog "hungery for jesus!!" she talked about how they had a speaker at chapel (bethel's on campus church) who was talking to the women about how they are princesses because they are daughters of Christ. I thought, "wow, a princess? i've never thought about it that way!" and then this just sort of spilled out of me.-fallon

megan's blog