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The Crimson

The student news site of Bernards High School

The Crimson

The student news site of Bernards High School

The Crimson

Bregoli breaks silence

American rapper Danielle Bregoli, also known as Bhad Bhabie, broke her silence in her recent YouTube upload, “Breaking Code Silence – Turn About Ranch abuse Dr. Phil.” In this video, she discusses her experience in the mental health service Turn About Ranch in Garfield County, Utah when she was thirteen years old and the abuse she and others endured there. 

A woman named Hannah Archuletta disclosed her experience at Turn About Ranch, including reports of sexual assault. She was punished by the staff as a result. Danielle decided to speak out once she read about Hannah’s accusation to support her. 

About a minute into the video, Danielle directly addresses American talk show host Dr. Phil, telling him to formally apologize to Danielle and everyone else he has sent to a wrongful program by April 5, 2021. 

Danielle further informed viewers by describing the conditions herself and others at the Ranch were forced to abide by. For instance, she mentions no showering was allowed, an exercise attendees were forced to obey made them sit in a teepee in a circle for three days with no laying down or moving, and privileges like sleeping on a bed were not available. If somebody broke these rules, there was no organized punishment, instead, a given punishment was decided by any staff member working at the ranch, and was created in the given moment.  “Even if there were written rules,” Danielle described “if a staff was angry at the moment, or if you just did something that they thought was bad, they would make up their own punishment for you.” 

The Ranch was not simply about abiding certain conditions, but also working on the Ranch by completing daily chores. Though, if an attendee is given “Reflection” time, which was a result substituted for punishment, attendees must do any chore that is demanded of them, whether or not it was assigned to them originally. 

Danielle and other attendees were not only ill-treated, but they also faced a traumatizing experience, a murder. A tragic affair caused by an attendee who stole a car and killed a staff member at the Ranch during Daniel’s time there. Danielle reveals the name of the staff member Jimmy who was killed, however, the boy’s name who committed the murder was not mentioned in the video. Another staff member named Alicia was injured, left disabled, and died two years later as a result of the incident. Danielle states, “Any of the kids that were there couldn’t talk about it, but they were really traumatized by it.”

Dr. Phil has yet to apologize to Danielle and everyone else he has sent to a wrongful program. The deadline on April 5 is just around the corner, and if he doesn’t apologize, Danielle will “be doing things her way.”

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