UC San Diego Student's Life Ruined by DEA after they forgot about him for 5 days!

[kcchiefs6465]

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[KCIndy]

The DEA’s story was that Chong was simply "forgotten." A likelier explanation is that he was ignored, or even singled out for deliberate abuse. Chong shouted and screamed for help, kicking against the heavy door of his cell. Although his hands were cuffed, he managed to tear a small fragment from his jacket, which he shoved under the door in an effort to get the attention of his jailers.

Since Chong had no difficulty hearing conversations and other sounds outside his cell, there’s no reason to doubt that his pleas were heard, and simply disregarded.

I don't know if he was singled out for deliberate abuse or not. I'm guessing the DEA creeps are in the habit of ignoring ALL the pleas shouted by their prisoners. After all, they're just prisoners, right? Troublemakers? Just ignore 'em and eventually they'll quit yelling....

 

[Anti Federalist]

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[helmuth_hubener]

The DEA’s story was that Chong was simply "forgotten." A likelier explanation is that he was ignored, or even singled out for deliberate abuse. Chong shouted and screamed for help, kicking against the heavy door of his cell....Since Chong had no difficulty hearing conversations and other sounds outside his cell, there’s no reason to doubt that his pleas were heard, and simply disregarded.

Exactly. As I wrote in my last post, that's how these people think. They're petty. They're vindictive. They're small. I've experienced it first-hand.

I was arrested for alleged electrical code violation, and obviously the pig knew *nothing* about electricity and was totally wrong and all charges were completely dropped later, but, as I say these people are vindictive and they can feel when someone has utter contempt for them. They don't like it. So my piggie didn't like it, so rather than accepting that he was wrong, ignorant, and a moron, he decided to tackle me, literally, and then drag me down the steps of the city hall (that's where building inspection is), again literally. Now who gets arrested for electrical code violation? Someone with a "bad attitude," that's who. Someone who ticks the pig off by making it clear how worthless he thinks the pig to be. Who then gets left in the cell until three days later with the water turned off? Again, someone who needs to be taught a lesson. From when I was tackled, I had simply gone limp and refused to get up, talk, or cooperate in any way (thus the being dragged down the city hall steps). So they needed whole a bunch of Heroic Detention Professionals to carry me from the squad car to the cell where they laid me, so that didn't make them happy, and I'm obviously not talking to them -- if they want to act like animals, I'll treat them like animals, and talking to animals is futile -- so they decide that if I'm going to ignore them, they can ignore me. That'll teach me to mind my betters and show some respect.

Well, I held out for 24 hours or so, but then finally it was not clear that anything would ever happen. Trying to sleep with the bright lights on, with no blankets, no bed, nothing, in a T-shirt on a concrete floor that really was quite cold, it was taking its toll, it was really not fun, and paranoia starts to set in. A little bit of fear, I guess. "Am I ever getting out of here, or is this where my life ends?" kind of thing. Mainly it was just too cold, I couldn't sleep, and that was driving me crazy. So, I broke down and knocked on the window. And knocked. No answer. Not even any eyes flitting my direction acknowledging that they'd heard me. Oh, they were good.

"Give us the silent treatment will he? We'll show him the silent treatment. We'll show him who's in control," the goons had clearly decided amongst themselves.

It was clear enough what they were doing and so then I was mad at myself for breaking before they did, though of course they could go without "breaking" indefinitely, it wouldn't even be a challenge. Nothing to "break." They just go about their lives and ignore the bad monkey in Cage #5. So I think I went back to ignoring them for a couple hours, a while anyway (no way to really know how long), figuring maybe they'd come over eventually once they'd let me stew sufficiently, and rub it in with a good "So now are you ready to cooperate?" But they didn't. And it's really boring in there, and there's no time markers (except for 3 times a day when they bring everyone else's food), and there's no end in sight to any of this, and as satisfying as it seemed to be a martyr, outrageously murdered by starvation for an alleged electrical code violation, I decided that realistically, even if I were to take it all the way and die, there would be no retribution come down upon my goons. Most people would not care. It wouldn't make national news. My side of the story would not be around to be told. It would be a tragic accident, brought about by the extremely bizarre behavior of an unstable and self-destructive young man, who clearly was mentally ill somehow, for who else would have any problem cooperating with Authorities? Any investigation would exculpate the jailers and pigs completely, no doubt concluding they had done their duties in an exemplary fashion and recommending paid leave for all involved to allow them to recuperate from the psychological trauma.

So rather than die and by so doing have the satisfaction of "winning" and yet actually accomplish nothing, I decided to do what I could to get out. So I went back to knocking and knocking and knocking. The detention staff (many of whom I could clearly see right in front of me, the "command center" being only about 30 ft. away) kept up a strong front: they never flinched; no acknowledgement whatsoever. I think that I'd then stop for a while and go back to plan A of ignoring those bozos until the world ends. So I'd do a few minutes of knocking, and then spend an indefinite period waiting in righteous dignified silence, and then give up and go back and knock some more. I did seriously think that "well, maybe they just can't hear me," but looking back, obviously they could hear me. But you start questioning things after a while, at least I did. After alternating back and forth between these activities for who knows how long -- an hour? half a day? -- I started kicking the door. And just kept steadily kicking it. Hard. Loud. And after just a minute or two of this, success! Some loud burly guy comes over and starts screaming at me to stop. Needless to say, I keep kicking, because that's me. He is making some sort of ridiculous threats, as if anything could be worse than what they're already doing. Bring it on, I'm saying to myself.

Anyway, I forget exactly how that all ended, because certainly I could have kept up my kicking for hours and hours on end, especially now that I knew it was irritating my captors. Finally something marginally fun to do. Maybe that was when one of the lady guards came over and finally had the "Are you ready to cooperate with us now?" talk with me and assured me they'd start processing me for court. In any case, I was somehow convinced to stop kicking (too bad, in retrospect. I should have kept it up for a couple hours, at minimum). And wheels were set into motion eventually leading to my release.

So anyway, this is a long post, but I've never written about this whole experience before and I guess it's like a catharsis. Hopefully some of you have enjoyed reading it. I guess I should have recorded it all right after it happened and I wouldn't have forgotten some of the details.

The moral of the story? For one thing, I didn't know then that legally they can only keep you for up to 3 days, 72 hours, before they must bring you before a judge. If I would have known that, I would have kept my cool, stayed strong, and silently (and metaphorically) spit in their faces as they dragged/carried me limply to go see the judge. Having a deadline would have changed everything -- it was thinking that they could easily go on caging me forever with no repercussions that finally broke my resolve. I was coming up to the 72 hour mark, so I could have hung in there until then. I would have gotten out at the same time anyway, because another overnight and I would have been over the 72 hour limit, so cooperation or no cooperation I was going in to court that 3rd morning, and getting released that 3rd afternoon/evening.

Another moral? These goons are definitely twisted and corrupted with power. It no doubt gives you a rush to be able to ignore the incessant knocking from the pathetic specimen who, though just feet away from you, is utterly at your mercy. I'm sure that's an empowering and exhilarating feeling. That's why they ignored me, and that's probably why they ignored Mr. Chong. As I say, Mr. Chong had probably slighted them somehow. I'm sure he wasn't doing my F.—I.W. type of total non-cooperation, but he upset them somehow. Perhaps he swore at the arresting officer. Perhaps he was ranting and raving about "his rights." Perhaps he had in some tiny way refused to kowtow and humiliate himself sufficiently. For whatever petty reason, he needed to learn a lesson. They needed to make him pay for his insolence. Because that's the kind of people these are. Believe it. Believe it in your bones.

 

[alucard13mmfmj]

20million dollars... seems like a horrible lottery.

 

[mrsat_98]

"There has to be repercussions if people do not follow the safety and the care when they have a human being in their custody."

So the DEA agents are people and those in their custody are a species of animal.

This woman is a lawyer, with this grammar?
I, for one, would not trust such a suit to a woman whose attention to detail mirrors that of the DEA's jail system employees.

She to looks at us as an animal.

They said they're sorry!

But did they apologize.

 

[Danke]

 

[Bruno]

Forgot= purposely ignored. No doubt about it. Animals!

 

[Noble Savage]

often those that have no control over their own life seek to control others

 

[Noclone]

I hate to hear this, but I can only think this is one story that actually surfaced. Think of how many others the public never even hear about.

 

[kcchiefs6465]

SAN DIEGO -- A 25-year old college student has reached a $4.1 million settlement with the federal government after he was abandoned in a windowless Drug Enforcement Administration cell for more than four days without food or water, his attorneys said Tuesday.

The DEA introduced national detention standards as a result of the ordeal involving Daniel Chong, including daily inspections and a requirement for cameras in cells, said Julia Yoo, one of his lawyers.

Chong said he drank his own urine to stay alive, hallucinated that agents were trying to poison him with gases through the vents, and tried to carve a farewell message to his mother in his arm.

It remained unclear how the situation occurred, and no one has been disciplined, said Eugene Iredale, another attorney for Chong. The Justice Department's inspector general is investigating.

"It sounded like it was an accident – a really, really bad, horrible accident," Chong said.

Chong was taken into custody during a drug raid and placed in the cell in April 2012 by a San Diego police officer authorized to perform DEA work on a task force. The officer told Chong he would not be charged and said, "Hang tight, we'll come get you in a minute," Iredale said.

The door to the 5-by-10-foot cell did not reopen for 4 1/2 days.

Justice Department spokeswoman Allison Price confirmed the settlement was reached for $4.1 million but declined to answer other questions. The DEA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Detective Gary Hassen, a San Diego police spokesman, referred questions to the DEA.

Since attorney fees are capped at 20 percent of damages and the settlement payment is tax-free, Chong will collect at least $3.2 million, Iredale said. Chong, now an economics student at the University of California, San Diego, said he planned to buy his parents a house.

Chong was a 23-year-old engineering student when he was at a friend's house where the DEA found 18,000 ecstasy pills, other drugs and weapons. Iredale acknowledged Chong was there to consume marijuana.

Chong and eight other people were taken into custody, but authorities decided against pursuing charges against him after questioning.

Chong said he began to hallucinate on the third day in the cell. He urinated on a metal bench so he could have something to drink. He also stacked a blanket, his pants and shoes on a bench and tried to reach an overhead fire sprinkler, futilely swatting at it with his cuffed hands to set it off.

Chong said he accepted the possibility of death. He bit into his eyeglasses to break them and used a shard of glass to try to carve "Sorry Mom" onto his arm so he could leave something for her. He only managed to finish an "S."

Chong said he slid a shoelace under the door and screamed to get attention before five or six people found him covered in his feces in the cell at the DEA's San Diego headquarters.

"All I wanted was my sanity," Chong said. "I wasn't making any sense."

Chong was hospitalized for five days for dehydration, kidney failure, cramps and a perforated esophagus. He lost 15 pounds.

The DEA issued a rare public apology at the time.

U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, the Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican, on Tuesday renewed his call for the DEA to explain the incident.

"How did this incident happen? Has there been any disciplinary action against the responsible employees? And has the agency taken major steps to prevent an incident like this from happening again?" he said.


hxx p://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/30/daniel-chong-settlement-dea_n_3678217.html?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl27|sec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D351752

 

[KrokHead]

At least he got some scratch out of the ordeal. But I wouldn't want to do that even for four million.

 

[green73]

No one punished

http://www.policestateusa.com/2014/daniel-chong/

 

[Anti Federalist]

No one punished

http://www.policestateusa.com/2014/daniel-chong/

Beat me to it.

 

[tod evans]

"We the People" tolerate this....