JAILING KIDS IN FLORIDA: NOT ONLY INHUMANE BUT LUCRATIVE FOR DC CAPITAL INVESTORS...AT OUR EXPENSE OF COURSE.

Likely unknown to most northern Floridians, the Homestead Detention Center for Children has been operating since March 2018 in our state, to our shame. There are currently more than 2000 minor children detained there with plans to expand to 3200 this month. These kids are 13-17 years old; about 75% male and 25% female. It is operated under the federal department of Health and Human Services and is not only the largest child detention facility in the country, it is the only for profit center and the only shelter deemed “temporary”, thus avoiding the 20 day Flores amendment restriction. It’s also unique in that it sits on federal land and is not required to meet Florida state standards and licensing. DC Capital is the private, for profit company running this facility. Their board is stacked with former top military and intelligence officials, most with ties to NSA, CIA and DOD. Why is this important? While other child detention centers in the US charge $256/day/child, Homestead Detention center charges $750/day/child. With the imminent expansion, the daily cost to taxpayers (directly into pockets of shareholders) will rise to approximately $2.5 million a DAY.

For over 70 days, small groups have been showing up in Homestead and bearing witness. They climb on ladders when the kids are let outside and raise signs in English and Spanish to let them know we’re there. Groups have held up big red hearts and sing to the kids. The kids respond with smiles, waves and make heart signs with their hands. Over Easter weekend, members of Indivisible Clay and Indivisible Flagler bore witness and connected with the other various groups who’ve been there all this time. The Miami Herald and the Sun Sentinel seem to be following this disaster, but it hasn’t yet risen to state let alone national attention.

What can we do? Take 3 days and go there to witness. Visit the Facebook page: Witness: Tornillo Target: Homestead. There are resources to help you get there and a GoFundMe page to help those who cannot afford housing once there. It’s a tight organized group that will even help with transportation from Miami and Ft Lauderdale airports. More and more groups are signing on and showing up. Write to Senators Scott and Rubio and demand this facility be shut down, not expanded. Talk about this to your neighbors and friends. If you’re not enraged over the immorality of jailing children, then consider the enormous transfer of tax payer dollars upwards to DC Capital and its shareholders. Whatever motivates you, act.