DEA "Forgets" Student in Cell for Five Days

[Dan Clore]

News & Views for Anarchists & Activists:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo

[The Drug Warriors lock the guy, handcuffed, in a five-by-ten-foot
holding cell with no food or water (but with a bag of meth!) and no way
to get their attention, then "forget" him there for five days.

Your tax dollars at work.--DC]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/05/03/student-forgotten-in-cell-by-dea-files-20-million-torture-lawsuit/
Student forgotten in cell by DEA files $20 million torture lawsuit
By Stephen C. Webster
Thursday, May 3, 2012 8:54 EDT

Daniel Chong, the 23-year-old student at UC San Diego who was left in a
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) holding cell for five days without food or
water, has filed a $20 million lawsuit against the agency, according to
NBC San Diego.

“The deprivation of food and water for four and one-half days, while the
person is handcuffed the entire time, constitutes torture under both
international and domestic law,” Chong’s claim says. Senator Barbara
Boxer (D-CA) has asked Attorney General Eric Holder for a formal probe.

“Given the seriousness of this incident, I urge you to personally ensure
that the Department of Justice conducts a full and thorough
investigation to find out what happened, who was responsible and what
steps must be taken to make sure it never happens again,” the senator
wrote. “After the investigation is completed, I ask that you please
provide me with the results and the actions the department will take to
make sure those responsible are held accountable and that no one in DEA
custody will ever again be forced to endure such treatment.”

On April 21, DEA raided an apartment where Chong and his friends were
smoking marijuana. Nine people were arrested and the agents reportedly
seized ecstasy pills, marijuana, prescription medication, psychedelic
mushrooms and weapons. Seven of those arrested were taken to jail and
one was released.

Chong, however, was left handcuffed in a 5 ft. by 10 ft. holding cell.
There he sat, unattended, for nearly five long days, allegedly losing
over 15 pounds and drinking his own urine to survive. “I had to do what
I had to do to survive… I hallucinated by the third day,” Chong said,
according to NBC San Diego. “I was completely insane.”

Chong said he screamed and kicked the door, but to no avail. After days
without any human contact, he tried to kill himself by breaking his
glasses with his teeth, and using the glass to cut himself.

Surprisingly, Chong says he found a bag of methamphetamine in the
holding cell, which he used to stay awake. Finally, almost five days
after his ordeal began, Chong’s cries were heard by a DEA worker who
immediately called paramedics.

He spent three days in intensive care near kidney failure, but appears
to have physically recovered. Speaking to reporters in San Diego, Chong
called the incident “life-altering.”

The DEA has since apologized to Chong, and special agent William
Sherman, director of the San Diego DEA, said in a prepared statement
that he was “deeply troubled” by the incident. “I extend my deepest
apologies to the young man and want to express that this event is not
indicative of the high standards that I hold my employees to,” he added.

The agency said it is conducting an internal probe into Chong’s ordeal.

--
Dan Clore

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All laws are good, to those who draw a salary for
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