BRAVE Cave: A Dangerous Past, A Risky Future

Recently, I had the pleasure of joining What’s Going On with Dr. James Gilmore alongside expert panelists Attorney Daniel Druilhet and Attorney Ryan Thompson. Our discussion focused on the troubling history of the BRAVE Cave and why bringing it back would be a disastrous decision. Attorney Thompson, who represents several victims of the facility, provided crucial insights into the lawsuits and ongoing investigations.

The BRAVE Cave, originally an inmate processing center, later became an off-site interrogation facility operated by the Baton Rouge Police Department’s street-crime unit, BRAVE (Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination). For years, it was allegedly used as a secretive "black site," where detainees reported being held off the books, coerced, beaten, and subjected to invasive searches. The facility came under national scrutiny in 2023 after lawsuits from victims Jeremy Lee and Ternell Brown shed light on its disturbing operations. Now, the FBI is conducting a civil rights investigation into the abuses tied to the site.

Despite these serious allegations, some officials maintain that the facility was neither a concern nor covert in nature. However, our discussion on Dr. Gilmore’s show made one thing clear: the BRAVE Cave’s problems weren’t just about oversight—they were about a toxic culture that enabled abuse. Reinstating such a facility would only risk further harm to the community.

You can watch the full episode tomorrow after 5 PM on Dr. James Gilmore’s Facebook page by searching James Gilmore.