This is where we will post the most recent news involving the case, appeals made by the attorneys, media events, and rally information. We've gotten a couple of volunteers to post, so I hope this will be updated daily, if not more often.

Thank you all for your support. Continue to pray for the boys if you are so inclined, and keep them in your thoughts. The minute they are forgotten, even by a few, they are LOST.

Every visitor that has the boys best interests in mind has my utmost respect and gratitude. Together, we CAN remedy the injustices that have occurred in this case, as well as others!

Bob

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The State of Florida Sanctions Child Abuse

Pensacola, FL, October 8, 2002 - Concerned individuals are outraged over the blatant display of child abuse exhibited by Florida’s Assistant Prosecutor David Rimmer. Mr. Rimmer flagrantly disregarded the standard practice of requiring the testimony given by minors or victims of sexual abuse to be made during a session closed to the public and called the 13 year old victim of sexual abuse to testify on national television during the murder trial accusing a convicted child molester (also accused of molesting the 13 year old) of killing the boy’s father. There is little question that Mr. Rimmer intended that this victim be cast in the least favorable light by the jury by using his authority and power to humiliate and degrade the underage victim of a child molester.

Mr. Rimmer presented Alex King, an alleged child victim of sexual abuse in a courtroom to offer testimony against the defendant, Ricky Chavis. Alex King was forced to give testimony with both arms and legs shackled, and dressed in his prison uniform. This child was required to answer questions regarding a “sexual relationship” with the defendant which not only got into specifics, but also included reading "love" notes the child victim wrote. Florida law prohibits a “consensual sexual relationship” between a13-year old child and a 40-year-old adult, calling it statutory rape. It was Mr. Rimmers’ obligation to insist this testimony by this child sexual abuse victim be given in a closed session rather than parading a young boy shackled in handcuffs around the courtroom. Unfortunately, Alex King’s testimony was broadcast to millions of television viewers.

State sanctioned child abuse must be stopped. Mr. Rimmer’s unethical and immoral treatment of a 13-year-old victim of sexual abuse is not acceptable and he must be held responsible for his actions and be charged for child abuse.

Alex and his 14-year-old brother Derek King are in the Escambia prison awaiting their sentencing for second-degree murder without a weapon and arson. According to the jury, the boys opened the door of their home and allowed the murderer of Terry King, their father to enter the home. The minimum sentence for this crime is 22 years to life.

Don’t let Florida’s legal system fail Alex and Derek. Starting with one voice, laws can be changed. Show your support by attending a rally for Alex and Derek before a hearing motion for a new trial on October 17. Attend the rally and please stay for the hearing at 1:00 p.m. in Pensacola.
Rally Date: Thursday, Oct. 17, 2002
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Location: In front of the M.C. Blanchard Judicial Building
190 Government Street
Pensacola, Florida
Additional ways to show support for Alex and Derek are to sign an online petition for Governor Bush and the Honorable Judge Bell requesting justice for the King Brothers at http://www.petitiononline.com/Kingboys/. Defense donations are being accepted for Alex and Derek at the Bank of Pensacola. Please make checks payable to Bank of Pensacola, Alex and Derek King, Account #050016, Attn: Licia Steele, P.O. Box 12966, Pensacola, FL 32591. You can also visit the King Brothers store at www.cafepress.com/kingbrothers
Concerned individuals from around the world have formed a coalition to seek justice for Derek and Alex King and others. Working together with Rev. Thomas Masters and his Under Our Wings Organization, it is our goal to bring justice to the legal system in Florida. This coalition will not stop until justice is reached in the King Brothers case. For more information, visit www.derekandalexking.org or contact Mary at marys@derekandalexking.org.

RALLY for Justice to save Florida’s Children
INJUSTICE Continues it’s reign over Alex and Derek KING, Florida’s children

Do you agree with Florida’s brand of Justice for your Children?

Questions or to Help: Call: 1-877-288-1410

Attorneys James Stokes and Sharon Potter continue their fight for Justice to save Florida’s Children at the most important hearing in Florida’s History, October 17, 2002 1:00pm

Rally in support of Justice for Florida's children starts 9:00 am
The Judicial Center, downtown Pensacola
Wave your American Flag for Justice!

Speakers include: Cathy Corry founder of justice4kids.org, Karen Kaneer who's daughter was convicted at age 15 to life for taking a ride with a boy she hardly knew., Reverend Masters of the Under our Wings Organization, Lynne (Jury Foreperson), The King boys grandmothers, Joyce Tracy and Lisa French, Kathryn Medico(Author)and the list is growing. If you would like to be a speaker at the Rally for Justice please call 1-877-288-1410

Defense Donations Accepted, Bank of Pensacola account # 050016
Paid for by concerned Citizens at http://www.derekandalexking.org

I have recieved email from webtv users about the forum. I am not aware of a way to view the forum from webtv systems. If you are needing information about the King Boys or would like to help, please feel free to email me at derekandalexking@yahoo.com or call the 800 number listed on the hearing and rally information in this forum.

Friends,
Below are comments made by people who have signed the http://www.petitiononline.com/Kingboys/petition.html Justice For
The King Brothers, Florida, USA Petition . All signers are very clear
that they will never visit Florida because of what has happened to Alex and
Derek King.

"If I lived in Florida, I would take my children and get out of there."
Becky Bruce

"If this is an indication of the way the Florida judicial system treats
their children, then these people are no better than Hitler."
Sheila Stadler

"Words cannot express the unfairness of this situation. I will never
step foot in Florida again. I would actually be fearful of even visiting a
place that has such a corrupt judicial system."
Kevin Eckelhoff, Oklahoma

"The last few weeks trying and working to help the King boys that
reside in FLORIDA has brought such an UNPLEASANET indroduction and presentation of the
state of Florida. I am heart broken that a state as this exists in
America. I have never been there and can now whole-heartedly say I will NEVER
visit there."
Cari Barichello, Illinois

School for Kings
The King brothers belong in Boys & Girls Town, Nebraska. Originally Father Flanagan`s Boystown, they have had murderers in the past, turning them into productive citizens. Rev. Val Peter of Boystown has asked for Alex and Derek.
They would not be free. They would get psychological help along with a new way to live. This is a village covering 12 square blocks. I visited on Sept. 17, watched the children coming from school (no uniforms), laughing and talking as they walked home. One police car was watching. Homes are beautiful, with a resourceful, caring mother and father.
The village has its own middle and high schools, hospital, post office, field house, visitor center, music hall, vocational center, chapel, town hall, hall of history (alumni office), human resources, greenhouse and farm (they raise much of their own food), Protestant chapel, fire department and transition housing. The grounds are landscaped with trees, flowers and waterfalls.
They use a point system for conformity with a high regard for small successes along the way. The school just graduated 60 students. Some have earned the right to have outside jobs. Some will leave.
If you agree, send a letter to Judge Frank Bell. Immediately! - Merry Ettinger, Pensacola


Miscarriage of justice
Both the American people and many legal experts are calling the verdicts in the King trials a miscarriage of justice.
And that is even more reason why we are asking Judge Frank Bell to help bring both of the King boys to Girls and Boys Town in Nebraska.
The boys are guilty of being boys, that's for sure. Sending them to prison will not bring justice to anyone.
Please raise a human cry with us so that these two boys get a fresh start. We hope they will come and be part of Father Flanagan's dream. - Father Val J. Peter, Boys Town, Neb.

Kings need help
When it is time to pass sentence on the King brothers, Judge Bell can redeem himself by sentencing them to "time already served." If they need therapy, he should arrange it.
If additional time must be served, direct it be accomplished at The Village of Boys' Town in Nebraska, which has more than once made an offer to give them a home and proper care.
In a prison with hardened criminals they cannot get the protection they should be afforded as minors, as this is what they are. - Chuck and Gerry Olmstead, Pensacola

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


King Brothers Rally for Justice Scheduled
“Caravan of Hope” descends upon Pensacola Rally Seeking Justice.

Pensacola, FL, October 11, 2002 - Alex and Derek King remain incarcerated at the Escambia County Jail while lawyers prepare to argue their case. On Thursday, October 17 at 1:00 p.m. James R. Stokes and Sharon Potter, attorneys for Alex and Derek King, will present a motion for a new trial of their second degree murder conviction to Judge Frank Bell.
A rally is scheduled to take place before the 1:00 p.m. hearing on October 17 starting at 9:00 a.m. Rev. Thomas Masters and authors, Kathryn Medico and Mollye Barrows will be attending the rally to show their support for Alex and Derek. Rev. Masters has formed a new advocacy group spawned by this case called “Under Our Wing”, dedicated to fight the persecuting of children as adults.
Concerned citizens and individuals from around the world remain focused in their efforts to seek reform in the Florida judicial system. A “Caravan of Hope” starting in Arizona, will travel eastward through Missouri and North Carolina gaining force as they assimilate more supporters in the trail of vehicles as they descend on Pensacola for the October 17 rally.
Jury members from the King Brothers trial have stated on national television that they were convinced the boys did not kill their father. The jurors stated that their decision of second-degree murder was based on incomplete information presented in court. They found the boys guilty for unlocking a door of their home allowing the murderer to enter. They also expressed their disdain with Judge Bell’s decision to seal the verdict of Ricky Chavis’ murder trial from the previous week until the King Brother’s trial was over. The jurors said that they assumed Chavis was found guilty in the previous trial; otherwise, their decision to convict the King Brothers would not have been the same.
If the motion for retrial is rejected, sentencing has been set for December 4. Alex and Derek are facing 22 years to life for what the court says was their part in the murder of their father.
Don’t let Florida’s legal system fail Alex and Derek. Starting with one voice, laws can be changed. Show your support by attending the rally for Alex and Derek before the hearing for a new trial. Attend the rally and stay for the hearing at 1:00 p.m. in Pensacola.
Rally Date: Thursday, Oct. 17, 2002
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Location: In front of the M.C. Blanchard Judicial Building
190 Government Street
Pensacola, Florida
Additional ways to show support for Alex and Derek are to sign the online petitions for Governor Bush and Judge Bell requesting justice for the King Brothers at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/Kingboys/ and
http://www.e-thepeople.org/a-national/petition/3642/view.
Defense donations are being accepted for Alex and Derek at the Bank of Pensacola. Please make checks payable to Bank of Pensacola, Alex and Derek King, Account #050016, Attn: Alicia Steele, P.O. Box 12966, Pensacola, FL 32591. You can also visit the King Brothers store at: www.cafepress.com/kingbrothers.
Support groups for Alex and Derek began almost immediately on Internet chat groups and bulletin boards that evolved into a worldwide coalition. Its main goal is to bring justice to the King Brothers and a sense of what is right and proper back to the people of Florida and the country. The coalition involvement has resulted in a massive number of e-mails, and letters to the governor, legislators, and judges to protest this injustice. This coalition will not stop until justice is reached in the King Brothers case and Alex and Derek receive a fair trial.
For more information, visit www.derekandalexking.org or http://home.triad.rr.com/seekjustice/.
###
Media Contact: Mary Schelich marys@derekandalexking.org

Media Alert

King Brothers’ Rally for Justice Scheduled

What:
Rally for Justice

Who:
Citizens from around the US are gathering in Pensacola for a rally in support of Justice for Florida's children and to show support for Alex and Derek King. Distinguished speakers include Cathy Corry (justice4kids.org), Joyce Tracy (King brothers’ grandmother), Lynn Schwarz (jury fore-person), Rev. Thomas Masters (Under our Wings) and other guests concerned about the persecution of children as adults.

When:
Thursday, October 17 at 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Where:
M.C. Blanchard Judicial Building, 190 Government Street, Pensacola, Florida

Background:
Concerned citizens and individuals from around the world remain focused in their efforts to seek reform in the Florida judicial system. A “Caravan of Hope” starting in Arizona, will travel eastward through Missouri and North Carolina gaining force as they assimilate more supporters in the trail of vehicles as they descend on Pensacola for the October 17 rally. Support groups for Alex and Derek began almost immediately on Internet chat groups and bulletin boards that evolved into a worldwide coalition. Its main goal is to bring justice to the King Brothers and a sense of what is right and proper back to the people of Florida and the country. The coalition involvement has resulted in a massive number of e-mails, and letters to the governor, legislators, and judges to protest this injustice. This coalition will not stop until justice is reached in the King Brothers case and Alex and Derek receive a fair trial. For more information, visit www.derekandalexking.org or http://home.triad.rr.com/seekjustice/.

###

Media Contact: Mary Schelich at 877-288-1410 or marys@derekandalexking.org

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — Calling the murder case against two teenage brothers "unusual and bizarre," a judge tossed out the boys' convictions in their father's beating death. He ordered prosecutors and the defense to try to resolve the case in mediation.

Circuit Judge Frank Bell said Thursday the boys' rights were violated in part by the way prosecutors simultaneously presented two contradictory theories of the crime.

Prosecutors won the conviction of Alex, 13, and Derek King, 14, last month by arguing that Derek swung the aluminum baseball bat that killed their father. In a trial that ended a week earlier, the prosecution's star witnesses -- Alex and Derek -- testified an adult friend committed the crime.

"I inherited this case. It was unusual and bizarre," Bell said.

The judge said he will order a new trial for the boys, and in the meantime appoint a mediator who will try to work out a deal.

"I don't think there's a doubt in anybody's mind the jury was confused by the dual prosection," said Alex's lawyer, James Stokes. "Hopefully, we'll be able to resolve the issue in mediation."

Sharon Potter, one of Derek's lawyers, wasn't so sure.

"I would be a little surprised if we were able to mediate an agreement because the state attorney has drawn a really hard line up until now," Potter said. "So it would take a major shift in their position to actually come with something to the mediation table that was acceptable."

The brothers were facing prison terms of 20 years to life because they were tried as adults. They were convicted of second-degree murder without a weapon, as well as arson, for setting the house on fire to cover the crime.

"We're all ecstatic," said Linda Walker, the boys' maternal grandmother. "I saw Derek smile. I think they're happy about it. Now they know they've got hope."

The brothers' lawyers argued that Assistant State Attorney David Rimmer committed prosecutorial misconduct for pursuing the contradictory theories.

The boys' adult friend, convicted child molester Ricky Chavis, was acquitted, but the verdict was sealed until the boys' trial was over.

Jurors in the boys' trial said they believed Chavis was the real killer and that the brothers had only helped him commit the crime.

Rimmer defended his handling of the two trials. He said he never actually argued Chavis was the killer, and instead left it to jurors to decide.

Rimmer has said he was forced into that position when the brothers changed their story. They initially confessed in great detail but four months later told a grand jury Chavis committed the crime while they hid in the trunk of his car.

The brothers repeated the new story during Chavis' trial. Rimmer wanted to argue that Chavis was guilty for influencing the boys to kill their father, but Bell disallowed it for lack of evidence. The boys' testimony also contradicted that theory, the judge said.

Christopher Slobogin, a law professor at the University of Florida, said the judge made the right decision. He said the judge recognized a need to rectify an appearance of injustice, if not actual injustice, in the way prosecutors pursued conflicting cases.

"To many people, that smacked of risking inconsistent verdicts and allowing convictions when in fact there really wasn't proof beyond a reasonable doubt of guilt," the professor said.

The pictures of the Rally are placed at this link, some do not have captions, we regret the delay in getting the pictures on this site, Flaggy is away and the pictures will be added upon his return. Special thanks to Rich at www.youthhope.com for providing space and putting the pictures up for us. Thank you Rich!

Heres the Link:
http://www.youthhope.com/king/kingpvt

Mediation is Next Wednesday morning, Please remember the boys in your prayers that morning.Rimmers attitude is still wicked and dark, his comments to the media are still out to destroy the boys lives. Mr Stokes is not encouraged by his attitude and feels it will be a very short mediation because Rimmer is not going to give an inch. Mr Stokes says the boys only chance not to have a retrial is if Rimmer steps down or is removed, otherwise, the boys will be sitting for another several months waiting on a new trial!

This is a sample complaint that many are filing, feel free to add or delete and make it your own. Print the complaint out and postal mail it notorized with your signature. You do not have to live in Florida to file one.



You also can go to the Florida Bar's website - www.flabar.com and download the form that they provide, and send your complaint from there - while you don't have to be a Florida resident, it is important to get as many Florida residents as possible, since arguably, they are part of a class of Mr. Rimmer's "clients" - the people of Florida. You may use the complaint below and tailor it to your needs - remember that when writing to the bar you should avoid any emotionalism, and avoid arguing for the boys. The issue for them simply is: were any rules broken? I did some very quick and dirty research - am not an ethics attorney and the last time that I took a course was sometime ago, but based on some basic research, this should work - also note that this complaint might seem to favor Mr. Chavis rights - but that's OK - it's where the misconduct occurred; the rest of the misconduct isn't punishable by the bar


The Florida Bar
650 Apalachee Parkway
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2300

From: [Your name and address, other contact information, indication of Florida Residency where appropriate]

Subject: Violation of Chapter 4 , Rules of Professional Conduct, Rules 4-3.3 Candor Toward the Tribunal; 4-3.4, Fairness to Opposing Party and Counsel; 4-3.8, Special Responsibilities of a Prosecutor; 4-4.1 Truthfulness in Statements to Others; 4-8.4, Misconduct.

Offending Attorney: David Rimmer, Esq.
Member, Florida Bar Association
(Assistant State Prosecutor)

Sir or Madam:

Please accept for processing my formal complaint regarding the above-referenced attorney, David Rimmer. The offending attorney has caused the legal and prosecutorial professions in the State of Florida to fall under disrepute through his overt and multiple violations of the Florida Bar Association’s Rules of Professional Conduct. Since the press has covered the Ricky Chavis and Derek King trials extensively and his conduct is a matter of public record, I will only briefly outline my complaint:

Mr. Rimmer willfully presented what he believed to be perjured testimony during the murder trial of Mr. Richard Chavis.

During Mr. Chavis’ trial, Mr. Rimmer offered as witnesses Derek and Alex King, two co-defendants in the proceeding. Both witnesses testified that Mr. Chavis committed the physical act of murder against Terry King. Mr. Rimmer then tried Derek and Alex King, and alleged during that trial that these two individuals committed the physical act of murder against Terry King. Subsequent to the trial and verdicts in both cases, Mr. Rimmer participated in media interviews, where he stated unequivocally that he never believed that Mr. Chavis committed the physical act of murder upon Mr. Terry King, but instead was responsible for encouraging said act. Mr. Rimmer utilized witnesses who he believed were committing perjury for the sole purpose of obtaining a criminal conviction against Mr. Chavis.

Accordingly, Mr. Rimmer deliberately and willfully violated Rule 4-3.3 by presenting false evidence to the jury in the Chavis trail, and failing to disclose that he was aware or believed that the evidence constituted perjured testimony. This rule, subsection (a)(4) states that a lawyer shall not “permit any witness, including a criminal defendant to offer testimony or other evidence that the lawyer knows to be false.” Mr. Rimmer, by prosecuting Mr. Chavis on murder charges and utilizing what Mr. Rimmer considered perjured testimony, deliberately misled the jury. Once the judge dismissed the charges against Mr. Chavis based on a conspiracy theory, Mr. Rimmer had a duty and obligation to call for a dismissal of the remainder of the charges.

Full Investigation Warranted to Consider other Potential Violations


In committing the acts alleged herein, Mr. Rimmer likewise violated a range of other professional responsibility and ethical rules. Specifically, under Rule 4-3.4, Fairness to Opposing Party and Counsel, Mr. Rimmer was prohibited from fabricating evidence, counseling or assisting a witness to testify falsely or offering an inducement to a witness. It is imperative that the Bar undertake a full and complete examination of Mr. Rimmer’s conduct in this regard, to determine whether he attempted to offer an inducement for what he believed to be false testimony against Mr. Chavis.

Furthermore, Mr. Rimmer, as a prosecutor, has special responsibilities under Rule 4-3.8. Specifically, if as Mr. Rimmer claimed, he did not believe that Mr. Chavis committed the murder under the only theory remaining once the judge refused the consideration of the conspiracy theory, Mr. Rimmer had the obligation to terminate the prosecution and call for a dismissal. His failure to do so is a clear violation of Rule 4-3.8(a). Moreover, it appears from comparison of the two trials, that Mr. Rimmer may have intentionally withheld exculpatory information from Mr. Chavis during that trial,in an effort to bolster what Mr. Rimmer believed to be dishonest witnesses. Again, a full investigation of his conduct here is warranted in order to determine the extent of his misconduct.

The Bar should comb the record in the first trial and compare it to Mr. Rimmer’s statements in the second trial to determine whether he violated Rule 4-4.1, in making false statements during either or both trials, or to either or both counsels for the defendants. Given the diametrically opposed and conflicting theories of the case presented by Mr. Rimmer, he most likely violated this Rule.

General Misconduct

Given the bizarre nature of this case and Mr. Rimmer’s handling of it, it is likely that a range of general misconduct was committed here. Again, only with a full and complete examination of both trial records and questioning of the involved parties, will the Bar be able to determine the full extent of Mr. Rimmer’s misconduct.

Although Mr. Rimmer claims that the defendants Alex and Derek King were responsible for the murder of their father, he also had a duty to these individuals, and especially to the child Alex then 12 years old, as a victim of an especially heinous sex crime (i.e., child molestation). Mr. Rimmer brought disrepute upon the State of Florida and its citizens by treating said child as though he were an adult during cross examination related to sexual activity with an adult defendant. Rule 4-8.4 (d) prohibits attorneys from engaging in conduct … “that is prejudicial to the administration of justice, including to knowingly, or through callous indifference, disparage, humiliate…witnesses.” Mr. Rimmer’s routine implication throughout the Alex and Derek King trial that Alex King was a willing participant in sexual conduct when by law he could not have been a willing participant, was designed to humiliate the witness, and likewise was a dishonest representation to the jury.

CONCLUSION

The State Bar of Florida has a special obligation to protect citizens from unethical prosecutors. In order to ensure that the administration of justice in
Florida is fair and impartial, the State Bar should open a complete and thorough investigation of the activities in this case. If Mr. Rimmer is found to have committed any of these violations he should be disbarred as an example to other prosecutors, and to protect the citizens of Florida from dishonest prosecutions. Under penalty of perjury, I declare the foregoing facts are true, correct and complete."

This is the two facilities from which one will be selected to house the boys. It has occurred to me that the State may well intend to house them in "different" facilities which is why "two" are up for selection. What would you think of your child locked up here?

Miami Herald
March 19, 2001



Kids In Prison: Young Inmates Report Highest Rate of Assault



By Ronnie Greene And Geoff Dougherty

Florida's youngest prison inmates are also its most likely victims of reported assaults.

Some attacks come at the hands of adults, others by juveniles. The weapons of choice: locks stuffed in socks used to smash faces, broom sticks, scalding water, food trays, toilet brushes, handmade knives, bare hands.

``The skin was hanging off my face,'' said David Bray, badly burned when inmates doused him with boiling water at Hillsborough Correctional Institution, a prison for juveniles and young adults near Tampa.

Some assaults occurred out of eyesight of correction officers, records show, raising security questions at Florida's prisons for young criminals.

Michael Moore, secretary for the Florida Department of Corrections, downplayed the level of prison violence and questions of lax security. He declined to be interviewed but responded to written questions.

``Incidents will occur in any prison system, but the number of serious incidents in the Florida system is extremely rare,'' Moore wrote to The Herald. ``No prison system can monitor the activity of every inmate every minute of the day.''

A Herald review of prison records covering 1995-1999 found:


Juveniles are four times as likely as adults to report being assaulted in DOC facilities.
The DOC logged 362 assault complaints involving juvenile victims in the five-year period -- one for every two juvenile inmates. Among adults, there was one complaint for every seven adult inmates. The alleged attackers included adults, corrections officers, juveniles and visitors.

After inquiries from The Herald, the prison system conducted its own analysis of abuse complaints and came to generally similar results. But the department noted that its analysis showed that adult-on-adult cases were of a serious nature more often than adult-on-juvenile assaults.

A December audit by Florida's Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability reported that, overall, inmate-on-inmate batteries were up 39 percent last year, and inmate batteries against staff up 7 percent. ``Violence within the prisons is on the rise,'' it found.


Children in the adult prison system are nearly 21 times as likely to be assaulted or injured as teens in Department of Juvenile Justice facilities.
Authorities logged one assault complaint for every two youthful DOC inmates, but one such complaint for every 35 youths in juvenile facilities.

The DOC believes it tracks allegations more aggressively than the DJJ, and that comparisons across the juvenile and adult systems are invalid. Moore cautioned: ``Comparing assault allegations across two different agencies is problematic because of the high likelihood that . . . how the data is captured are very different.''

But Mike Forche, assistant chief of investigations for the DJJ inspector general's office, said that if anything, children in adult prisons complain less often than those in juvenile facilities, because they fear being labeled as snitches.


Two prisons for young felons, Hillsborough Correctional and Indian River Correctional, have security set-ups unlike any other Florida prison. Some wings are patrolled by fewer than one officer per dorm. Prison officials say that's because the prisons have small dorms of no more than 24-32 inmates, allowing officers to rove easily.
Inmates say assaults occur in one dorm while an officer patrols another, and that many fights go undetected. Cons serve as lookouts.


The DOC unwittingly helps arm attackers by selling locks to inmates -- at $6.92 apiece -- for lockers. With more than 70,000 inmates in the system, there are about that many locks circulating. After a spate of locker break-ins at Hillsborough Correctional, prison officials there provided a bigger lock for a while -- nearly 12 ounces, up from the normal 6.
One teenage Hillsborough inmate lost an eye in an attack in 1999. In 1998, a Fort Lauderdale teen was assaulted with a lock by a 20-year-old, also at Hillsborough. Last year at Desoto Correctional Institution, an adult prison, a Miami-Dade 16-year-old was attacked with a lock while sleeping.

``There is a simple explanation for why locks are sold to inmates: so they can secure their personal property in lockers,'' C.J. Drake, until recently a DOC spokesman, e-mailed The Herald in the course of interviews involving assault cases.

``No locks at all would result in more serious problems than locks being used as weapons. A rock, bar of soap, shampoo bottle filled with sand or other heavy object in a sock is equally effective as a weapon. A broom, mop handle, toothbrush, paper clip or other common object that inmates have access to can also be made into weapons.''

Why not provide locks that can't be used as weapons, such as combination locks that are permanently attached to lockers?

Prison officials say inmates would merely find other means to attack and that switching to another method would be costly.

Other states do some things differently. North Carolina and New York, both with hundreds of juveniles in the adult prison system, say they have at least one officer per dorm. North Carolina does not provide locks to the majority of juvenile inmates, since most can lock their room doors and don't need locker padlocks. New York, like Florida, sells locks.

INMATES' SECURITY
Teen was attacked with scalding water

Locks aren't the only weapons.

Bray, then 17, suffered first- and second-degree burns when inmates threw boiling water on him at Hillsborough in 1998. Bray, who has a lengthy juvenile record, said he had been in a gang-related fight with one of the attackers earlier that day, and this was revenge.

For a month, one side of his face was covered with bandages, removed daily so cream could soothe his burn. His burn has faded, but not his memory. After the attack, he filed a grievance against the prison.

``You don't even have enough officers to put in every dorm,'' Bray, now 20, said from his new prison, Gulf Correctional Institution in Wewahitchka in deep North Florida. ``It was completely undermanned.''

He was attacked in a wing of Hillsborough with a minimum staffing of one officer for every three dorms, each with 24-32 inmates.

On the night of the attack, the DOC said there were two officers, ``which exceeded the minimum complement.''

DOC officials contend that the security is adequate and say Hillsborough's staffing is ``equal to or better than'' that of other prisons for the young.

``It's sort of a stretch to say, `If we had an officer in each of these dorms, those things wouldn't have happened,' '' said James Upchurch, the DOC's chief of security operations.

He said attacks can occur in a flash, and sometimes right before officers' eyes. ``I don't think there's any doubt that the kinds of inmates we're getting nowadays are more violent.''

Moore noted that allegations are not always sustained, but said reported assaults are ``taken seriously'' and thoroughly investigated.

However, the DOC could not provide the number of reported assaults sustained between 1995 and 1999, saying the data are not computerized.

The DOC's legal office turned over a database of reported prison assaults during that period only after a legal effort by The Herald lasting several months.

Prison officials said they aggressively prevent assaults, seizing contraband that could be used as weapons 2,400 times last year.

FATAL ASSAULT
Teenager strangled by older cellmate

But they couldn't prevent the murder behind bars of Michael Myers, a teenager from Broward County, despite warnings that his cellmate was planning violence.

At 15, Myers was arrested for sexually assaulting a relative, 79, who suffered from Alzheimer's and was ``confused and crying about why Michael had hurt her,'' records show. After the latest in a series of horrific acts, the spindly teen came before Broward Circuit Judge Mark Speiser.

Speiser felt strongly that Myers had to be put away, and just as strongly that he needed mental-health counseling. But the judge's options were limited.

``It was like butting your head against the wall,'' Speiser said. ``I wanted to place him in a locked facility for a juvenile offender. But they had no facility. He wasn't mentally incompetent, so I couldn't place him in a forensic facility.''

That left adult prison. He gave Myers 18 years. He went to Martin Correctional.

In 1997, he roomed with six-foot-three Chris Soule, then 20, who was in for robbery, burglary and grand theft in Pinellas County. Soule also had an ``extensive and violent'' prison disciplinary record, records show. He was requesting protective custody because his father was a police officer and other inmates wanted revenge, he said.

When the DOC said he needed specific proof of threats, Soule made his own. ``I will do my best to injure any roommate I may receive in the future,'' he wrote May 8, 1997.

Two weeks later, Myers, then 17, moved in. Two weeks after that, he was killed. ``I want to be straight with you,'' Soule, later convicted of second-degree murder, said at the time, records show. ``I choked him.''

As Florida governor Jeb Bush stated, "There should be a sensitivity to the fact that a 14-year-old is not a little adult."This quote was found in a book called "Youth on Trial" This book suggests how 14-year-olds are different, emphasizes the need for sensitive and psycho-legal attention to such differences, and stresses the need for reform in public policy and the law. Thanks to Grisso, Schwartz, their colleagues and the MacArthur Network, perhaps there ultimately will be a kinder, gentler nation, as least as far as juvenile offenders are concerned. QUESTION: Where is our great Governor now???

You are Cordially Invited to:

Join us for the Candlelight Vigil starting this Friday Oct 25th

Location: 190 Governmental Center, Downtown Pensacola

Time: 7:30 pm till 8:30 pm

This vigil will continue for the next several Fridays in order to keep "getting Justice" for the King Children in the press. CBS 48 hours will be taping as well as others as the word spreads. Please attend if you can.

For those of you who cannot attend, please remember Alex and Derek in your prayers at that time.

Thank you

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Media Alert
King Brothers’ Candlelight Vigil

What: Candlelight Vigil for Justice
Who: Citizens seeking justice for Alex and Derek King are gathering weekly in Pensacola for a Candlelight Vigil in support of Justice for Florida's children.
When: Every Friday starting on October 25 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Where: M.C. Blanchard Judicial Building, 190 Government Street, Pensacola, Florida

Background: Concerned citizens and individuals from around the world remain focused in their efforts to seek reform in the Florida judicial system. The public is invited to a weekly “Candlelight Vigil” will be held outside the M.C. Blanchard Judicial Building in downtown Pensacola, starting on Friday, October 25 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Those supporters of justice for children and Alex and Derek who are unable to attend the vigil are asked to remember them in their prayers at this time.
Support groups for Alex and Derek began almost immediately on Internet chat groups and bulletin boards that evolved into a worldwide coalition. Its main goal is to bring justice to the King Brothers and a sense of what is right and proper back to the people of Florida and the country. The coalition involvement has resulted in a massive number of e-mails, and letters to the governor, legislators, and judges to protest this injustice. This coalition will not stop until justice is reached in the King Brothers case and Alex and Derek are release from the adult jail facility where they are being held. For more information, visit www.derekandalexking.org or http://home.triad.rr.com/seekjustice/.
###
Media Contact: Mary Schelich at 877-288-1410 or marys@derekandalexking.org

CBS News is suing the Escambia County Sheriff.

The network wants to interview youngest child, Alex King for its magazine show, "48 Hours".

The suit says 13-year-old Alex and his mother, Kelly Marino, wrote a letter to Sheriff Ron McNesby, requesting that the interview be allowed.

The letter says King wants to tell his side of the story, but the Sheriff's Office says, its policy is that no cameras are allowed in the jail.

CBS is offering to pay for King to be transported to another secure location for the interview.

The King brothers attorney's James Stokes and Sharon Potter are requesting that the State of Florida and the Honorable Judge Bell allow Alex and Derek King to spend time as juveniles at BoysTown in Nebraska. The mediation date has been set for November 7, 2002 and is expected to last one or two days at most. To date, The prosecutor continues, under the direction of Curtis Golden State Attorney, to insist that the boys be tried and sentenced as adults.

Father Peter from BoysTown has been very generous in his offer to assist and heal Alex and Derek King. Public support is needed in this effort, please write your support to the following:

Mediator William E Eddins
900 N Palafox St
Pensacola Florida 32501-3116


Judge Frank Bell
190 Governmental Center
Pensacola Florida 32501
850-595-4436 phone
850-595-4404 fax

John Ellis "Jeb" Bush
Governor of Florida
The Capitol
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
Phone: 850-488-7146
FAX: 850-487-0801
Email: jeb.bush@myflorida.com

State Attorney Curtis Golden
850-595-4200
850-595-4310

curtis_golden@co.escambia.fl.us

State Attorney Curtis Golden
190 Governmental Center
Pensacola, Florida 32501

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Alert
King Brothers’ Candlelight Vigil

What: Candlelight Vigil for Justice
Who: Citizens seeking justice for Alex and Derek King are gathering weekly in Pensacola for a Candlelight Vigil. This vigil will continue for the next several Fridays in our quest to seek justice for the King brothers and all of Florida’s children. Please attend if you can. For those of you who cannot attend, please remember Alex and Derek in your prayers at that time.
When: Friday, November 1, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Where: 190 Governmental Center, Pensacola, Florida

Background: Concerned citizens and individuals from around the world remain focused in their efforts to seek reform in the Florida judicial system. A rally held the morning of the hearing, in which Judge Frank Bell threw out the convictions of Derek and Alex, was a success. Several people from around the country converged on the courthouse in Pensacola to stand up for justice in Florida courts.
Support groups for Alex and Derek began almost immediately on Internet chat groups and bulletin boards that evolved into a worldwide coalition. Its main goal is to bring justice to the King Brothers and a sense of what is right and proper back to the people of Florida and the country. All those hard working people have been working 24/7 for these efforts. The coalition involvement has resulted in a massive number of e-mails, and letters to the governor, legislators, and judges to protest this injustice. This coalition will not stop until justice is reached in the King Brothers case and Alex and Derek are released from the adult jail facility where they are being held. For more information, visit www.derekandalexking.org or http://home.triad.rr.com/seekjustice/.
###
Media Contact: Mary Schelich at 877-288-1410 or marys@derekandalexking.org

Concerned Citizens worldwide are taking a stand against trying children as adults in the state of Florida, websites and petitions have been started by those who feel Governor Bush has not responded to their concerns. Citizens that live in Florida are suggesting that perhaps they should move their children elsewhere. Vacationers are expressing fear that their children may in someway get caught up in the messed up Justice System. Parents are leary to pay for college for their teens in the State of Florida and are looking elsewhere. A Florida Boycott could not come at a worse time for the State of Florida, still feeling the pinch from the 9-11 tragedy and now with the State trying to find millions to comply with the smaller classroom sizes that voters approved during the last election, excessive rise in tax's may also cause citizens to re-locate. A Petition can be viewed and signed as well as viewing alternatives for vacations on the websites below.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/844031638
http://home.triad.rr.com/seekjustice/boycott.html


From the Daytona News Journal
Tuesday, October 01, 2002
http://www.news-journalonline.com/2002/Oct/1/OPN1.htm

Juvenile injustice: Trying children as adults fails Florida
News-Journal editorial

In 2000, the year 13-year-old Nathaniel Brazill shot and killed teacher Barry Grunow, Florida led the nation in the number of children it forced into the adult courts. Brazill soon became one of them, sentenced to 28 years in prison after pleading guilty.

At the time, few Floridians objected to dooming a child to spend one-third of his life behind bars. But it clearly ate into their consciousness. That's plain from the reaction to the case of Alex and Derek King, the two Panhandle boys accused of killing their father on Nov. 26. The boys -- both tried as adults -- were convicted Sept. 6 of second-degree murder and face 22 years to life in prison.

It's also clear from the flurry of debate surrounding the case of James Jonathan Watson, the 15-year-old New Smyrna Beach boy charged with beating 13-year-old Shane Michael Farrell to death at a local skate park. State Attorney John Tanner is still weighing whether to charge Watson in adult court. It may be that he feels circumstances warrant doing so. But Tanner has a record of favoring justice over vengeance, even in serious cases like this one.

Are Floridians beginning to feel the same way? Perhaps they are -- and for good reason. The state's mania for trying children as adults never served any meaningful purpose -- as the state's own figures demonstrate.

There may be isolated cases where a child -- despite tender years -- is proven to be a cold-blooded killer and worthy of adult sanctions. But far too often, juvenile crime turns out to be a product of adolescent emotion combined with the lack of impulse control so typical of children -- often exacerbated by abuse or neglect.

The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice completed a study in January on the long-term impact of trying children as adults. To ensure accuracy of results, the department "paired" accused children who committed similar crimes. One member of each pair was handled through the juvenile system; the other, through the adult system.


The mere fact the state was able to form 475 such pairs points out the first injustice in the practice of trying children as adults: It isn't administered evenhandedly. Studies from the Justice Policy Institute, a federal think tank, show that minority children are far more likely to face adult prison than white offenders. Boys are also more likely to be tried as adults than girls who commit similar crimes.

Florida's study, however, focused on the effectiveness of moving children to adult court. Law-and-order advocates push the "tough love" approach by saying it shocks children who have gotten into serious trouble back onto the straight and narrow. Florida's study shows exactly the opposite. Almost half of the juvenile offenders tried as adults had been re-arrested after their release -- far more than the rate among children in the juvenile system, and for more serious crimes. Young offenders were also far more likely to break prison rules, join gangs or become victims of violent assaults.


So what is accomplished by punishing kids as adults? Little or nothing constructive -- and it's clear that the Florida criminal-justice community is recognizing that. Under Juvenile Justice Secretary Bill Bankhead, the number of children tried as adults decreased steadily every year, dropping by 44 percent in the fiscal year ending in 2001. And throughout his term, Tanner has shown a nearly identical trend.

These changes don't erase the need for a policy shift in Florida. Even as juvenile-justice experts are seeing the folly of harsh punishment for young offenders, politicians are screaming for even tougher rules. They don't see the growing horror among Floridians at the prospect of locking up troubled kids with hardened criminals for 20 or 30 years.

Florida can't afford to throw away any more young lives -- especially with such conclusive evidence and growing public sentiment leading in the other direction

Pensacola Florida - At the hearing held this afternoon by Judge Frank Bell a plea agreement was announced that makes one shake their head in total disbelief. The attorneys for Alex and Derek King accepted a plea for the children to be sentenced to 7 years for Alex King and 8 years for Derek King in an adult facility in South Florida which has a so-called juvenile division.

It is in question what the possible thinking could have been on the part of the defense. Concerned Citizens felt that a miracle occurred when Judge Bell through out the guilty verdict on October 17, 2002 and were hopeful that mediation would provide rehabilitation in a juvenile facility such as BoysTown, rather than house the children in an adult facility where their training will be how to become hardened criminals. Concerned Citizens are outraged that even with all the cards stacked in the defense attorneys favor, they would have let egos, inexperience or intimidation by the State effect their decision and have once again lost on behalf of the boys.

Attorney Jayne Weintraub, attended the conference and the hearing who originally was hired by Rosie O’Donnell when concerned citizens contacted her asking for a experienced defense team for the boys. It appears that James Stokes and Sharon Potter would have rather plead the boys lives away than to have allowed a more successful and experienced defense team take the case to a new trial, where recent polls throughout the country showed the boys would have been acquitted of all charges.

This is a major setback for the fight for Justice for children to be treated as children in the State of Florida. The concerned citizens of www.derekandalexking.org are holding out hope that Jayne Weintraub and her firm can find a way to save these children after the inexperienced defense so bungled this case.

Please visit the site where Little Alex will be spending the next several years if he survives, after being placed on National Television and made to describe molestation as a "relationship" for all the world to see. http://www.dc.state.fl.us/facilities/region3/529.html

The Concerned Citizens throughout the world will continue the fight for Justice for all Children and will continue our support for Alex and Derek King in the hope that these children be placed in a safe place with treatment for the abuse the boys have suffered.