Candor Takes a Beating at Oak Hill

The D.C. Council held hearings this week on youths who are released from the Oak Hill detention facility before they are ready to rejoin the community -- an issue I have addressed in several columns.

The hearing focused on the behavior of troubled youths on D.C. streets. Today, we venture inside the barbed-wire fences.

Another day at Oak Hill? More like the anatomy of an assault.

On Sept. 30, a government source alerted me that youths had attacked an Oak Hill correctional officer two days earlier. I posed several questions to the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services.

A day later, DYRS responded: "We can say that there was a physical altercation between a staff member and residents of Oak Hill on Sept. 28, which resulted in injury to the staff member."

"Physical altercation"? As in Webster's "noisy, heated angry dispute; noisy controversy, quarrel" with, perhaps, a little pushing and shoving?

DYRS has a way with words.

Let's go to the records (Oak Hill residents are identified by initials):

Youth correctional officer Leroy Duncan reported: "On Sept 28 approximately 12:45 pm . . . DB asked to use the restroom. I informed D to wait for 5 [minutes] due to another resident using the restroom -- LF. While escorting LF to his assigned room, I went to DB's room to escort him to the restroom.

"In the process of escorting D to the restroom he began to call me 'Bitch Ass Nigger.' At that time DB hit me in the back of my head, then in my face, seconds later CB, RH, MP, and DB all began to throw punches hitting me in the head, neck, back as well as hitting me with a [video-game] controller."

A fellow correctional officer, identified only as Isaacs, "called for assistance. While waiting on assistance, the residents were beating me. Ms. Issac [sic] opened the door for assistance to come in and the residents ran out[,] continuing to beat me. Staff assisted with helping me off the ground, I need medical attention and want to press charges."

"Physical altercation"?