NOTE: #OpTTIabuse has been re-named #OpLiberation to show respect and solidarity with an Op started over two years ago.

Greetings, we are AmeriSec:

It has recently been brought to our attention the abuse and death that occurs in the for-profit “Troubled Teen Industry”. Standard TTI practices could make the devil weep. Abuse and brainwashing are used to control and torture clients until they turn 18 or break, whichever comes first.

We will not tolerate the abuse and torture of teens. This has to end now. Every single day that goes by, more teens are enduring horrors that we cant imagine. But don’t take my word, see the Reddit link below for real-life accounts of what it’s like to be sent to one of these places:

One guy has nightmares about the kid who was restrained for hours before being moved upstairs, where he split the group’s ears with his screams. He was returned with rug burns across his face and a fractured wrist. Another girl describes her “simulated death” therapy. Each teen in the group of 60 had one minute to defend their right to live. Then the kids voted for which two, of the 60, deserved to survive. To vote, they had to look into their broken peers’ eyes and say “live” or “die.” Need more? http://redd.it/17y4pr

The abuse is cloaked behind celebrity endorsements (Dr. Phil, Josh Shipp, Lifetime Network) and glossy websites. (Copper Canyon Academy? One of Doctor Phil’s favorites. The website shows athletic girls flushed with J.Crew-ish wellbeing. The girls themselves, though, tell a different story. Copper Canyon is an Aspen Education Group program. Aspen has had six client deaths. So far.)

Parents are led to feel safe, believing they have found the help they desperately needed. Their savings account will take a big hit, but it’s worth any sacrifice, to save their son or daughter.

What parents don’t realize is that these facilities’ harsh methods of “treatment” set their child up for a lifetime of issues, including PTSD, depression, panic attacks, flashbacks, social anxiety, and suicidal tendencies. (For stories with long-term perspective, written by survivors of granddaddy TTI program Straight Inc., http://survivingstraightinc.com/)

The TTI has facilities in all 50 states. Such programs are easily recognized by their code-names: therapeutic boarding school, wilderness program, juvenile boot camp, behavior modification program, or residential treatment center. It is a billion-dollar industry, supported not only by its clients’ checkbooks, but also by corporate America, big name politicians, and you. Your tax dollars end up in their coffers, as the government sentences kids to these facilities via the court system and foster care.

Copper Canyon Academy is a subsidirary of Aspen Education Group, which is a subsidiary of CRC Health Group, owned by Bain Capital. There have been six deaths at Aspen programs.

PHASE 1: The Twitterstorm for #TTIabuseawareness began on February 6, 2013 at 9:00 pm EST and will continue until this issue has trended in the United States, and with time, Worldwide. Help us make the world aware of the human rights violations being committed against powerless minors in the name of “treatment.” Got more info? Let us know. Fired up? Share this with your social network. Between reddit and teh interwebs, we can blow the roof of this sucker. And I betcha we’ll save some teens along the way.

PHASE 2: Petition/ contact Legislators. At any given time, there are 10,000 to 100,000 kids locked up in these private- and publicly-funded programs. At an average cost of $50,000 a year per child, that’s a lot of tax dollars! Thanks to corporate clout and legal loopholes, state laws are often weak and unenforced. There is no federal oversight. Through lobbying and campaign contributions, the major players have successfully blocked reform on private residential “treatment” programs. Outraged? Find and contact your legislator at http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml. Tell him or her that you want federal oversight on these programs.

PHASE 3: Peaceful protests conducted in cities where TTI and their subsidiary programs operate. May include (but not limited to) Copper Canyon Academy, Aspen Education Group, CRC Health Group (owned by Bain Capital.) We will also sound our voices to anyone who endorses or protects these groups, as well as any program that follows their abusiveness.

TO THE SURVIVORS OF TTI ABUSE: You voices WILL be heard, safely, anonymously. You are not alone. Plans are underway to build a support network with other survivors to help you. Please be patient while we think this through.

Together, we will stop teen abuse and save lives.