This is very inaccurate. Slavery is not dependent on the level of physical torture inflicted, it is entirely based on whether or not you are forced to work without "adequate" pay. Even in chattel slavery, there were different classes within the enslaved like house slaves and field slaves. Slaves in poorer houses where there were only a few often were treated better than those on plantations, it all came down to expendability.
Comparing a white man, who would be of the most privileged of those arrested, that was just taken in (this is a mugshot) and comparing it to a lifelong enslaved black man person only highlights that your presentation is heavily skewed.
My understanding is that put a lot of pressure on members dues, have some kind yearly dues drive with a lot of social pressure to give something like 12% percent of your paycheck, and if you're unemployed they still pressure for $250 (it was the bottom cap for giving). They shame people that don't. My source is an ex-member, but this is a person I know personally and trust wouldn't say something that was a lie on purpose.
Other practices that I find concerning:
Chapter-to-chapter communication not allowed. Seems unhealthy that chapters can't communicate about their conditions and approaches to highlighting contradictions.
No contradiction agitating, only contradiction propaganda (per Lenin's WITBD differentiation)
Why so insular about general chapter bylaws? Lenin was interested in being secretive because of the persecution happening in Tsarist Russia; it was an adaption to their material conditions (people were being jailed for a lot less political activism than today).
Hot & Cold about coalitions: willing to drop out of a coalition if they don't feel like they're running the show, I've seen this happen in two different chapters so I assume this is their standard MO
I encourage you to refute the information in the article on the basis of its content, not who wrote it!