Seven employees of a state-run home for the mentally disabled in Texas have been suspended for staging fights between residents who were forced to shove, punch and strike each other.

Police learned of the fights when someone gave a cell phone containing videos of the brawls at the Corpus Christi State School to an off-duty officer on Friday, police Captain Tim Wilson said by phone from Corpus Christi. “Workers were running their own fight club using clients. It’s pretty appalling that someone would think of this,” he said.

In the videos, which show several fights dating back to 2007, mentally disabled male residents can be seen fighting each other while the employees watch. In one video, a disabled resident raises his hands in victory after a bout, Wilson said.

“It’s pretty appalling. I’ve been in police work over 30 years and I’ve never anything like this,” he said. “These people who were charged with caring for these clients were exploiting them for entertainment.”

“Any abuse or neglect of residents placed in our care will not be tolerated,” said Laura Albrecht, spokeswoman for the state department in charge.

I wonder who were the responsible authorites who never noticed the hundreds of complaints against the “schools” – used to warehouse these folks.

Last year, the state system itself acknowledged 570 complaints of abuse in the thirteen schools they run. What was done?

Thanks, Mr. Justin