Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

October 13, 2009

Private prison hustlers target Indian country

PRIVATE PRISONS: PROFITEERING FROM MISERY
By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogpsot.com

In the same way that coal mining, power plants, uranium mining and oil and gas drilling companies targeted Indian country for their cancer alleys, private prison profiteers and private security firms are now targeting Indian country, bordertowns and economically-desperate regions of the U.S. to profit from misery.
The private security firm American Police Force, operated by an ex-con in Hardin, Mon., is under probe. The links to CorPlan and the proposed Tohono O'odham migrant prison are now exposed.
Private prison profiteers proposed a migrant prison on San Xavier land of the Tohono O'odham Nation, near Tucson. Although the residents of nearby Sahuarita and O'odham halted those plans, the alternative plan calls for the migrant prison to be built east of Three Points, Ariz.
Tohono O'odham opposing the prison say the migrant prison violates their Himdaag, their sacred way of being.
Read Frank Smith's article for Censored News on the private prison fiascos in Montana, Oklahoma and Arizona:
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2009/10/corrupt-prison-hustlers-linked-to.html
More articles at Google News on the probe of American Police Force:
http://news.google.com/news/search?aq=f&pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=American+Police+Force
Also see: NM targeted by private prison scam
http://newmexicoindependent.com/39009/private-prison-developer-behind-montana-fiasco-involved-in-construction-of-nm-private-prisons
Private prison developer behind Montana fiasco involved in construction of NM private prisons
"The company that built a Montana private prison, which eventually led to a national embarrassment with the involvement of American Police Force, is also the company that constructed a number of prisons around New Mexico..."

Vice President Cheney profiteered from private prisons, migrant xenophobia
By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com

While vice president, Dick Cheney profiteered from private prisons by way of his investments. During the same time, the Bush/Cheney administration fanned the flames of racism toward migrants.
Private prisons flourished, especially in Texas and border states, and were filled with migrants and people of color.
Grossly mismanaged, the private prisons are now pits of sexual abuse, violence and murder.
In Nov. 2008, Cheney and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales were indicted in Texas.
Although they have not been prosecuted, their link to profiteering at private prisons was exposed. Cheney invested in Vanguard Group, which holds financial interests in the private prison operator GEO (formerly Wackenhut Corrections.)
AP reported in Nov. 2008, "Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales have been indicted. The indictment in Willacy County has not yet been signed by the presiding judge.
Cheney is charged with engaging in an organized criminal activity related to the vice president's investment in the Vanguard Group, which holds financial interests in the private prison companies running the federal detention centers. The indictment accuses Gonzales of using his position while in office to stop an investigation in 2006 into abuses at one of those privately run prisons."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks Brenda, perhaps this could explain the Phoenix shake-down against Native Americans by the Phoenix Police Department in a small way.

The PPD snares and traps NAs coming and going to Church dinners, and after they spend money at bottle shops. I watch this daily where I work at in downtown PHX.

Yet the arts and culture politics neutralize with entertainment venues. See: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/2009/10/13/20091013alexie1013.html