Charles’ Louis Gossett Jr. Residential Center Testimony

My name is Charles E Thorpe IV. I myself was a resident of Louis Gossett and my stay there was a horrible experience and made me worse with behavior due to mental health.

I remember a staff named Campbell he was very abusive and would restrain anybody that didn’t have there hands in a diamond form behind there back even if you were new to the facility and if you got even a little close to another resident when walking in line he would slam you to the ground and put his knee on the neck and smush your face in the ground and I was one of those people mind you not everyone walks the same pace. I also remember being restraint by him in the pod I think it was 5 not really sure but i do remember they all have carpet carved into numbers, I ended up getting to close to another resident on accident in line about to head out the pod and I immediately got slammed to the ground not even realizing why until after I was screaming telling him I can’t breathe resisting to be able to get a full breathe in then I remember staff coming from different pods and they picked me up brought me in the staff room closed the door hog-tied me from behind and smushed my face in the ground while another staff was sitting on my back my arms and legs and back felt like it was gonna break the other residents were hitting the glass telling them to get off of me which caused them to get off of me because they were all misbehaving refusing to get in there rooms. I remember thinking I was gonna die I felt my heart beating in my throat from all the pressure of them on me while I was tied up and I was slowly fading out I remember when they left me there still tied and I’m crying wondering if there gonna come back and finish me. My face was all rug burned and and my shoulder felt like it was out of socket I never got medical attention until a day after being locked in my room.

My mental health was so bad pleading for someone to get me out and this lady I don’t remember her name I think she was mental health but I told her what happened and I think she knew something wasn’t right but not long after they moved me to industry residential and nothing was ever done about it. I told my mom and she seen the burns on my face on a visit she asked what happened and they would lie and make it seem like I was so out of control and to this day I can’t grow a full beard. Terrible place a true nightmare for juveniles.