Willowbrook Exhibit Serves as Reminder: 'You'll Have to Repeat History If You Forget It'

It has been 45 years since an exposé led to public outcry about the abysmal conditions at the former Willowbrook State School on Staten Island, and now an exhibit on the former school for developmentally disabled children is on display in the Port Authority Bus Terminal. 
 
Bernard Carabello was just three years old when he first entered the Willowbrook State School on Staten Island. He was 21 years old when he finally left what he recalls as the worst place on earth.
"I used to get beaten almost every other day," Carabello remembered.
Designed for 4,000 children, the state-supported institution was overcrowded and understaffed. Twenty five years ago this month, the facility was closed for good.