Murder Most Foul in Florida

It almost seems that I should start a weekly column featuring the latest news of torture and murder committed by military or law enforcement authorities. Here’s the latest.

Martin Lee Anderson was the 14-year-old boy who died January 6 in a Florida juvenile boot camp. He was beaten on the 5th, but survived. However, the incident was caught on a security tape. After months of official lies and coverups, the truth of how Anderson actually died was revealed in a second autopsy Friday. Anderson died of suffocation at the hands of guards who held his mouth shut and forced him to inhale a lethal dose of ammonia. Some of the beating video is available here.

Here’s the best version of the general story line I can gather from the various newspaper accounts of the story:

  • 1/4/2006: Martin Anderson arrived at the Bay County boot camp.
  • 1/5: Anderson was beaten until he collapsed by seven or eight guards. This was caught on security tape.
  • 1/6: Anderson died.
  • 2/13: The Miami Herald and CNN sued to obtain copies of the security video.
  • 2/16: The local medical examiner (Dr. Charles Siebert) reported that Anderson died of sickle-cell trait.
  • 2/17: The video tape was released to the public.
  • 2/22: Sheriff’s closed the boot camp and placed officers on administrative leave.
  • 3/2-8: Several experts make statements that it was extremely unlikely that Anderson died of sickle-cell.
  • 3/10: Anderson’s body is exhumed.
  • 3/14: Pathologist Dr. Michael Baden stated that Anderson did not die of natural causes.
  • 4/12-21: Thousands of students and political leaders meet, rally and march protesting the murder and subsequent coverup.
  • 4/20: Commissioner Guy Tunnell of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement resigned Thursday following a meeting with Jeb Bush.
  • 5/5: Dr. Vernard Adams said Anderson died from suffocation.

At this time, no charges have been filed, but it appears that Governor Jeb Bush has been forced to become sympathetic to the cause. Perhaps Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour can follow Bush’s lead and pardon Cory Maye.

There are several very distrurbing trends. To begin, a good deal of these stories are coming from the south, like the Lester Eugene Siler torture case. The even more disturbing trend is that all of these cases (including Abu Ghraib) are coming to the light of day because they were somehow filmed or taped. How many of the recent accusations of torture have been dismissed because there was no camera available. Worse yet, how many murders have been covered up?

posted May 7th, 2006 by Stephen Gordon
  • GreginOz

    This makes me sick to my stomach. As an Aussie I have to tell you that there is something SERIOUSLY WRONG in the U.S. This is fuckin’ murder by the state…and a bloke just resigns and it’s over?!? Fair dinkum, if that was my brother there would be some fuckin’ dead guards tonight, I would frag the lot of them and hunt down their first born.
    “When Injustice becomes law, Resistance is DUTY”

  • habman

    Hey GreginOz,

    I totally agree with you something is wrong here, but you folks let them take your guns. We at least still have the means to protect ourselves, something that you are lacking.

    G’day

  • http://www.siriusmaju.com Shelley Garcia

    To you guys down under and to the rest of the world: SOME OF US have refused to release our guns! SOME OF US completely recognize the move toward fascism happening here in the US and acutally, tho you will never hear it from our mainstream media, MOST OF US are outraged at the trends happening here! Personally, I am sorry to the world for this government and want you all to know that I didn’t vote for him, nor did anyone I know nor do i know anyone who KNOWS someone who did! Our elections were hijacked and we are to a very great degree being held hostage by a malevolent government regime. Many of us are trying to change things, ANOTHER THING you’ll not hear on the news. See http://www.strike-the-root.com FYI!
    PEACE!
    siri

  • GreginOz

    G’day guys, Habman…yeah they’ve got the guns, alright. Still, I dunno what a Magnum is gonna do to a Blackhawk or SWAT tank (SWAT tanks! WTF!). On the other hand, we know where the armouries are…heh heh. It was after the Port Arthur massacre in the state of Tasmania that the tightest restrictions came in. I have always felt incredulous that one 20-something loony could nail 36 people, a bloody SAS dude would find it a challenge! Shit, WHERE IS my tin hat. Am reminded of a Pink Floyd song “Wish you were here” and the lines ‘…do you want a walk on role, in the world, or a lead role, in a cage…?’ Shelley…Yeah, I’ve been reading of the Diebold scandal, rigged? Too right they were. A great blog on this can be found here… http://www.bradblog.com/ & thanks for Striketheroot! Regards.

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