Politics

Oklahoma jail officers played ‘Baby Shark’ on repeat to ‘torture’ prisoners, lawsuit alleges

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According to a lawsuit filed this week, inmates at a jail in Oklahoma were subjected to cruel and inhumane punishment when they were forced into stress positions while listening to “Baby Shark” on repeat for hours.

The federal civil rights lawsuit also alleged excessive force, describing the discipline tactics as “torture events.” The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in the Western District of Oklahoma on behalf of Ja’Lee Foreman Jr., Daniel Hedrick, Joseph Mitchell and John Basco, who were pre-trial detainees at the Oklahoma County jail in late 2019.

Named as defendants were Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III, the board of county commissioners, the jail trust and two former jail officers. The defendants failed to adequately train and supervise its officers, the lawsuit said. The jail officers involved had previous instances of mistreatment, which were known to supervisors, but no actions were taken to stop them, the lawsuit said.

Mitchell, according to the lawsuit, on Nov. 30, 2019, was pulled from his cell by jail officers at about 11:45 p.m. The officers then placed Mitchell into a room where he was forced into a “standing stress position” for three to four hours while handcuffed behind his back.

The officers then played “Baby Shark” on loop, per the court filing. “Mitchell was forced to listen to the song over and over while physically restrained in the attorney visitation room. The volume of the song was so loud that it was reverberating down the hallways,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit said the plaintiffs posed no threats to officers. Attempts to reach most defendants named in the lawsuit were unsuccessful late Friday afternoon. Johnson declined comment.

ARTICLE: PAUL MURDOCH

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE

PHOTO CREDITS: QZ.COM

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Paul Murdoch

Paul, 37, is from Scotland in the UK, but currently lives and works in Bangkok. Paul has worked in different industries such as telemarketing, retail, hospitality, farming, insurance, and teaching, where he works now. He teaches at an all-girls High School in Bangkok. “It’s a lot of work, but I love my job.” Paul has an active interest in politics. His reason for writing for FBA is to offer people the facts and allow them to make up their own minds. Whilst he believes opinion columns have their place, it is also important that people can have accurate news with no bias.

Paul, 37, is from Scotland in the UK, but currently lives and works in Bangkok. Paul has worked in different industries such as telemarketing, retail, hospitality, farming, insurance, and teaching, where he works now. He teaches at an all-girls High School in Bangkok. “It’s a lot of work, but I love my job.” Paul has an active interest in politics. His reason for writing for FBA is to offer people the facts and allow them to make up their own minds. Whilst he believes opinion columns have their place, it is also important that people can have accurate news with no bias.

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