What's a Life Worth?

The misfortune of mislaying something, forgetting completely about it, overlooking its presence, ultimately losing it is something that happens to all of us sometime or other.  But mislaying a human being, losing track of his whereabouts, resulting in his being placed in a state of near-death?

Unless it's an infant, a baby, any individual could simply 'find' themselves as it were.  Walk away from a situation where they've been forgotten and obviously neglected.  Unless, of course, that person has been incarcerated, and is unable to free themselves.  Left to your own devices in a dim, dank jailcell, what to do?  You become thirsty, hungry, disoriented.

This is what happened to 23-year-old Daniel Chong in Los Angeles.  He had gone to the house of a friend to celebrate a day some people celebrate smoking marijuana, April 20.  Planning to smoke some pot.  He stayed overnight.  Just his luck, the following day the house was raided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.  Who took Mr. Chong and eight others into custody.

Suspecting them of running an Ecstasy operation.  They did, in fact, find 18,000 Ecstasy pills in the house.  All nine of the young men, students, were taken to a county detention facility.  Mr. Chong hadn't been charged, but he was left in a windowless cell, alone, without food, water or access to facilities.

Completely forgotten.  One of the suspects had been released, seven others were taken to another detention facility.  No one seems to have missed Mr. Chong, wondered where he was, looked for him, or made any enquiries.

He was discovered five days later.  Desperate for hydration, he drank his own urine.  At the time he was found he came perilously close to kidney failure, and was breathing with difficulty.  Five days in hospital followed, three in intensive care.

He has filed a lawsuit against the DEA for $20-million.