Witness Our Crimes
I’m going to be honest, there’s nothing simple about this task, but it’s important. The ACLU has released a report of detainee conditions at Fort Bliss in Texas. The report is brutal. The willful cruelty made us sick to our stomachs. We, as a nation, are manually torturing people in ways that leave lasting damage, just to coerce them to “self deport.” The report is disturbing, but these crimes are being done in our name, with our money, so we can’t look away.
How to do it:
First I’m going to say that if you have PTSD or other triggers related to torture, proceed with caution. Consider having someone who knows you well read the report and then filter the information for you. We were sick to our stomachs after reading just a few “highlights” from the ACLU report. Alternatively, the Guardian has an article whose neutral journalistic tone may be easier to tolerate.
Once you have read the report, or had it distilled for you, your task is to make sure other people know we’re actively torturing people we can’t find an excuse to deport. If legitimate cause existed, they’d just deport them…so the folks they’re torturing to coerce “voluntary” deportation are folks they can’t build a case against. One victim is a teenager. Our taxes are paying for this.
If you share the report, include a content warning. You can also call Congress, or donate to the ACLU to fund the legal team documenting and prosecuting these crimes.
