Sunday, December 29, 2013
Justice delayed is justice denied
Comrades, survivors, and friends. I know it has been two years. Oddly enough, my views on this program and its people have changed. I am a clinical mental health provider; I love people and want to help them. I honestly think all of us involved with the Second Chance program should come together and file a class action lawsuit. Some might ask why, especially after a decade or two. However, I think it comes down to the fact we were wrongly imprisoned, humiliated, and were cash cows for the Cassidy family. They made millions off our pain,fear, and false imprisonment. I am going to start looking for a class action law firm because these people made far too much on our misery. Join me. Justice demands they answer for their crimes.
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Hey man it's Matt E. Tried to email but can't. Would love to discuss email at mtedmonds2@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI would love to talk to my email is leezamw@icloud.com
Deletehey, was there praying for the Y2K bug to happen on new Year's...the sad thing is, that the Cassidy's got local people in the mix to "foster" the out-of-town kids, and they would get a discount...BUT LET ME MAKE CLEAR THAT I HAD A LOT OF GREAT FOSTER FOLKS...they were being used to keep costs down. keeping us overnight would have been several people's full time jobs, so they just offered hefty discounts to local families that would foster us. all that shit about us not being allowed to talk to anyone in school, and therefore retarded our help "back into society" Cassidy-solution BS.
Deleteanyone who wants to talk, here's my address
Deleteoh and I'M NOT SLOAN. He's someone I was stuck in 2nd chance with, and hope he runs across this.
DeletePlease contact me as well. I have been trying to get through life with a cloud of shame over my head after staying at second chance from age 16 to 18. I just found out that this place did a lot of damage to so many, pmmcm1979@gmail.com
DeleteFor anyone that reads this; lost another one. RIP RYAN TIEK of the St. Louis area who was there the same time as me in the 2000's. He leaves behind a wife and kids, and has posts on this very blog and others online. Ryan loved to talk about our time here and never really was able to shake some of the evils that place created for manly of us. He is greatly missed. He was forever a hilarious little man! I tried taking him under my wing because he was much younger and didn't understand the phases/stakes/time he could be there. It was truly a horrific experience - very far from how I believe any God would treat children, let alone any who may have trauma. Love you Ryan,
DeleteI was there from April '99 to July 2000. I would love to see justice served.
ReplyDeleteI would love to talk to some others that went through sc as I did..my email is leezamw@icloud.com
DeletePlease contact me at secondchancetruth@gmail.com. Working on a major project and want to hear from anyone involved in the program in any way.
DeleteCan you elaborate on the project you are doing, Betsy Weintraub?
DeleteShe's writing a book about it. Would be nice if the first book came from someone on the inside gathering stories from each other. Meh. Oh well. Still wish there was a stronger online reconnect forum, but that speaks to the horror of it. Stay strong old comrades.
DeleteSorry for the delayed response... yes, it's a book. I don't want to publicly post too much about it, but I am happy to email more information to anyone who contacts me. Contacting me does not obligate you to participate in any way, and I keep everything confidential unless you expressly consent to me using your story. That's all I want to post publicly at this point. Feel free to contact me for more info.
DeleteI was in that nightmare of a program from December 15 1998 to November 27 1999 and would love to share my story and expose the Cassidy's even though they are both dead. That place has given me life long PTSD and severe abandonment issues. I was only 15 years old when I went thru that place and now almost 40 years old I still suffer and the damage has been irreversible.
DeleteI'd be more than happy to discuss my story and I really hope that someone will reach out to me (Rtiek83@gmail.com)
Was there from '94 to '95 (Ben M.) - would love to hear an update on this project and if there's still anything being done.
DeleteI suggest only those who did not recover would want revenue. As a phd student who has studied this for years I can promise you that the Cassidy's model is well into the 90 percent effective whereas most models are about 5 percent effective.
ReplyDeleteWhere are you getting these numbers from? I got shoved in this place for 11 months by naïve and scared parents who caught me smoking pot. The program only reinforced their fear, and I have now, a ten year old on-and-off heroin addiction,
Deletethat I sure as hell didn't go in there with. Now, I'm sure the perfect argument there is: "the drugs are only a symptom of the problem of addiction", and I agree, to an extent. When you tell a growing mind, day after day, for ALMOST A YEAR,
which was about average. That they are a drug addict, and ALWAYS will be, and that the only place I will get anywhere in life without the beloved 12 steps, is: "JAILS, INSTITUTIONS, OR DEATH" honestly, I think I would have come out a lot
differently if I hadn't been brainwashed for eleven months, most of which were while I was still a minor. (and was also held there afterwards; after I tried to sign myself out of that place when I turned 18...they scared me into staying there by lying to
me about a court order which did not actually exist.) Honestly, I could go on and on and on about this place and how hardcore it was, even on those like me, who would have come up positive for marijuana ONLY if they only drug tested their
clients before admission (this was never done) But it didn't matter how much I pleaded my case: that I didn't have a drug problem, I was just an angry and confused teenager, that got caught with a joint. Recovery?? ha! that place screwed up my
head so bad, It would take me writing a biography to really explain what happened to my head in that place. DO YOU REMEMBER HOW MANY KIDS BEGGED TO GO TO JAIL INSTEAD OF BEING IN THIS PLACE AFTER ABOUT A JUST A DAY OR
TWO IN THIS PLACE?? I do, because I felt the same way, but never said it. You learned that you don't get ANYWHERE in with this program, unless you basically pulled method-acting so well, that you believed yourself that you were in fact, a
helpless drug addict. They were good at picking out the "actors", of which most of us were, with scared naïve parents, WITH money. Parents would see something they didn't know anything about, get scared, and dump their kids there. (almost always
with very good intentions, of course, but were always told, no matter what the actual conditions of the child, that they NEEDED this re-programming (brainwashing) that they called "treatment", because the drugs were not the problem, it was the behavior...
YES, teenagers behave badly, but I honestly the believe the re-programming of this place, before having a real assessment of each client, of DRUGS, since this was a DRUG treatment program, actually took a VERY large part in creating the
Deletetotal addictive lifestyle that I live today...If I had never been told, "if you ever use ANYTHING again, even have a beer on your 21st birthday, you will end up sticking needles in your arm". Well, I didn't even know what drugs were used in needles and
which ones weren't at the time, but I had ALWAYS been terrified of needles, and even any medication, as a child. I turned medicine down if it made me feel weird. and totally ABHORED any needles...now I feel at home with one in my arm. And
if we didn't read between the lines, and BECOME someone else, we'd be there forever, and never even have the privilege of "2nd Phase"...which was the very big deal there, of "getting to visit with your parents" HIGHLY monitored, with counselors
walking around families listening in like sharks" do you remember the other privilege we got in "2nd Phase"? Oh, you were allowed to READ...but ONLY the bible, or your own notes (ALL OF WHICH WERE READ OVER by cousellors everyday, and
would be judged by them. They changed everything they could to make us seem different, down to our vocabulary...do you remember the giant list of slang we were forbidden to use? like "cool" or "man" or "dude"?? So then, around our parents,
we seemed ALL DIFFERENT, CHANGED AND, this one hurt the most: BETTER. BETTER AS A ROBOT. EXCUSE MY FRENCH, BUT FUCK THIS PLACE. One very sadistic counsellor, as well, happened to be mine. I still get a burn inside when I
picture that man's eyes. anyway, please provide some evidence for these numbers that you seem to have pulled right out of your...yeah
oh, I was there from December 99' (and I remember PRAYING that the Y2K bug was real, and shed quiet tears in my bed when the grid didn't go out at midnight) to November, 2000.
DeleteI'm not exactly sure where you get the 90% Effectiveness rate from because when I was there from 95 to 97 almost every single person that I was there with has all relapsed and all at least use drugs on more than one occasion except for maybe about 5 to 10 clients
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Delete"major project" read: book. Just clearing that up for anyone who may think she is out looking to represent us as a lawyer on our behalf or give any kind of law advice. Not that this is a bad thing. Just needed to make that clear so it didn't seem as shady.
DeleteI just realized that I actually posted that many years ago. If anyone wants to contact me, please do: quallice@tutanota.de
DeleteOP: I'm glad your research led you to realize how f'd up was SC. I tried to have the Tennessee ACLU prosecute them in 1995. They said I had a case, but that they didn't have the resources available to pursue it at that time. A movie might be more effective - maybe pitch an idea to Craig Brewer?
ReplyDeleteJane: Did you go to SC? What is your definition of recovery? I had four friends who went through SC around the same time I did commit suicide directly because of SC. Two of them weren't using at the time (were they "recovered"?). Waterboarding is an effective tool, but that doesn't mean it should be used. Did you take any ethics courses during all of your years of study? What credible source are you citing to get the 90 percent? Did that include all of the Straight programs in the '80s that constantly got sued and had a high suicide rate? I know approx. 40-50 folks that went through SC in the '90's, and I would say it was "effective" for maybe one or two of them. Did you know that 85% of all statistics are made up on the spot? Quotes from SC: "What are you thinking about, what are you thinking about?" "If it doesn't apply, let it fly".
-1994 SC graduate
I would love to talk and I completeltely agree I live with the Ptsd daily the things that went on when I was there in 2000 were far from treatment. My email is leezamw@icloud.com
DeleteCraig Brewer...that wasn't the counsellor that came in about march, 2000, was it?...I can't remember that guys name, but I remember his reaction when first coming there...it was obvious he had some reservations after seeing first-hand how this place operated, but the current counsellors there would call him out of counselling when he let a "dangerous idea" out...and would be coerced into their ways...I don't know for sure, but that's what my young eyes saw.
Deletewas there from Dec. '99 to Nov. 2000. the brainwashing techniques they use were so effective, that they didn't even need to lock doors...do you remember what happened if you did get the gumption up to run?? you'd get tackled by other kids in treatment, and they would be held up higher in the minds of those in control of when we would get to leave hell, technically...so we learned...we learned to act how they wanted us to, but not just act...if you were there, you know what I mean, you had to actually CHANGE YOUR OWN PERSONALITY. or they'd see right through it. SORRY, was just going to leave my email address, I get carried away about this place, though. quallice@gmail.com
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Delete
Delete"major project" read: book. Just clearing that up for anyone who may think she is out looking to represent us as a lawyer on our behalf or give any kind of law advice. Not that this is a bad thing. Just needed to make that clear so it didn't seem as shady.
Geez... again, that was in January! Give me a break. I had no idea what would happen with the project at that point.
DeleteOr you could maintain/update your open calls on whatever sites you have dug up and do the follow up before people are triggered or offended. It shows a lack of sensitivity to the issues at hand, otherwise. Best wishes.
DeleteI was in Second Chance in 1998 and was there for 13 months. I think that people like the Cassidy's get away with the egregious treatment of other humans because the trauma they inflict is so severe that people aren't even able to deal with rehashing the past. However, I think justice is important.
ReplyDeleteI agree. That place was...well, needles don't fix what I went through there, and I sure as hell didn't go in there like that. was there 99 and 2000, and I'm interested in connecting with others that went through this messed up place, so here's my email address: quallice@gmail.com
DeleteYes, repress the horrors, try to move on ... Would be nice to see Cassidys and all their spawn lose the fortune they made off the so-called Troubled Teen Industry. Bastards. Survivors deal in different ways. Some seem to be less affected and better adjusted as adults, having well forgotten that they used to physically restrain each other - children - and were complicit in all the humiliation tactics. You had to be to "work the program" - but some were darn better at it than others - jerks! It's good to move on, but it's also good to stay humble about what that place really made kids do to each other and what bullshit it really was and what long term effects it had on so many kids' lives. So many kids would have been better off taking karate or band or going to a really good school. I would love to know what survivors think would have helped them through their "troubled teen" years rather than treatment, cuz I think most of us can agree that few drug addicts actually ever walked through those doors in the beginning. I am also interested in the parents' perspective at this point. Any parents ever sit down and really honestly get level about it? What were they going through during 1st phase? Did they attend classes and "raps" and what line of bullshit were they fed? How did they find out about SC? Anyone else have parents that never seemed to get over the indoctrination? Would love to hear from the staff leaders. I remember some came off as considerably more compassionate than others. I remember one woman staffer who seemed pure evil. She ended up marrying one of the sweetest guy staffers there. Crazy world. No Betsy Weintraub please don't rip this off for your book, thanks. I'm here to connect with ppl who actually went there. K, bye.
DeleteMy hope is that the book will address a lot of those questions - you are not the only one asking them. I've dedicated nearly five months of my life to this project at this point - I certainly have no intention of using anonymous blog posts as sources, ripping anyone off, or invading anyone's privacy. A lot of these posts you're responding to are old, so if you really want to get in touch with other SCers, I recommend joining one of the Facebook groups. That is how most of them stay connected (and no, I'm not a member of any of them).
DeleteI am definitely interested in a lawsuit. Please feel free to contact me. I'm interested in what came of your pursuits.
ReplyDeleteI have been looking for years to find other people out there to talk to who went through sc too. My email is leezamw@icloud.com
Deletequallice@gmail.com 99-00 SC graduate. been looking, as well.
DeleteI must have been there in maybe 1990-1991
ReplyDeletelcsewing@aol.com
I must have been there in maybe 1990-1991
ReplyDeletelcsewing@aol.com
Not sure if you were there when I was or not, I think I was there 1991-1993 ... Leah Hardie.
DeleteLeah! How are you? You stayed with me for a bit. You can email me @ cajunette101@yahoo.com.
DeleteJulia Morgan
just figured I'd post it again: quallice@gmail.com, 99-2000, SC graduate.
ReplyDeleteYou were the little angry one that they kept isolated and said was possessed?
DeleteYou were the little angry one that they kept isolated and said was possessed?
DeleteInterested too
ReplyDeleteNichole.jarvis@gmail.com
Hi this is the hand of friendship because I know it's hard to trust yourself right now. You walk in the front door we were all tricked told we were going to get ice cream etc..then they take you strip your clothes put you in a shower and hand you some used clothes from goodwill while you are in the shower your parent or parents are in the next room signing away this promised program..they threw away my clothes jewelry etc I didn't have drugs on me I was barely over 14 I have never been arrested or in a fight but I was bisexual and I went to parties I tried drugs pot drinking etc but they convinced my parents I was on the road to being a crackhead prostitute...I didn't see my parents again until that first Friday night "service".. I walked into a gym and I knew this was not going to be good... I was there for over a year... I was touched, sexually abused, taken in room by specialist brought in to get the "gay/bi" out of me they put their hands all over me and i just can't go into it. They believed that no one should be on any meds at all so any kids on antidepressants we'ren't winged off of them.. We were all confused alone scared and it only got worse. I don't care about a lawsuit or compensation I honestly just want to reach out to the others and we should all talk. I have ptsd from that place. People just don't understand that weren't there and I don't tell people. I have nightmares about that place.. And for the "phD" lady who did research feel free to email me anytime. I don't drink or do drugs. I am not some angry addict looking for revenge I honestly am a teenager that had my life my innocence robbed and repeatedly abused mentally physically abusively.. So yeah let's talk anyone feel free to email me anytime and I won't make you "motivate" flap your arms as hard as possible just to get called on and get a response . Ha
ReplyDeleteI was forced into the program in 1994-95 for much of the same reasons that I'm hearing out of most of you.I would absolutely love to speak with you guys about the...I'll just say Bullshit(for now). That place ruined a piece of my personality and took a bit of my soul left behind.Please get in touch with me..I'm Jenelaine Selph-Byars on fb for Private msgs bluesiah@gmail.com. Man,dude,fuck! @Chefl..lmao!did you know that 3 chancers tried to burn down the Cassidy's house(n it burnt) in 1997? Anyone around, I have so much to say and listen to as well, Cheers!*
DeleteI was forced into the program in 1994-95 for much of the same reasons that I'm hearing out of most of you.I would absolutely love to speak with you guys about the...I'll just say Bullshit(for now). That place ruined a piece of my personality and took a bit of my soul left behind.Please get in touch with me..I'm Jenelaine Selph-Byars on fb for Private msgs bluesiah@gmail.com. Man,dude,fuck! @Chefl..lmao!did you know that 3 chancers tried to burn down the Cassidy's house(n it burnt) in 1997? Anyone around, I have so much to say and listen to as well, Cheers!*
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DeleteI remember crying when they took away my jewelry on intake and Cassidy made fun of me for it at every Friday night open meeting she possibly could. They acted like taking away our creative expression was some zen goal, but it was really a humiliation/intimidation tactic to strip us of any individuality. It's a wonder we don't all suffer from personality disorder after all that bullshit.
DeleteI am so sorry.
ReplyDeleteSending you genuine live and comfort
Would love to talk with other's who were there. I left in 1999.
ReplyDeleteScottkeuer@gmail.com
Scott, it's Joe... been a long time!
DeleteScott, it's Joe... been a long time!
DeleteWould love to talk with other's who were there. I left in 1999.
ReplyDeleteScottkeuer@gmail.com
To Illinois... I was there.
DeleteI was there Adam Phillips
DeleteHey Adam, Joe and Scott it's Ryan Tiek and I hope you guys are doing well. Adam's mom was a great cook and staying at his place was one of the only good things about that fucking place. I have fantasized about hurting the staff and the Cassidy's for 25 years. I'm sure the goddamn Cassidy's are dead by now and I hope that there is a hell for them to rot in
DeleteMy step-brother Daniel (Dan) Moody was there from late 98 into 99, I'm really hoping to find some people who remember him...
Delete18 months (how does that even happen?!!!) wasted to total bull shit. Wish my parent was better equipped to see it for the sham it was.
ReplyDeleteWent trough in 1994 and feel the same as most of you. This place was not an effective treatment center. It did however shock me enough to get my life in order. I was not an addict then and am not an addict now. My issue with this place is that they took in every kid regardless if they were an addict or not. The psych eval they did was a joke. I remember her telling me that if it showed I was not an addict I would get to go home. I believed that! I was over 18 and could have left at any time but out of fear I stayed. I can't believe I stayed. I realized the game very quickly and became very adept at playing the second chance game. I was a good actor. My first phase was only 21 days. I think that is because they knew I was a flight risk being 19. My program ended up being 10 months. That was far too long.
ReplyDeleteIf you guys go to Facebook I have created a closed group called Second Chancers.. It's a page we can all talk openly and reconnect. My email is leezamw@icloud.com send me an email
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteMy husband was is the program when he was 20, so about 24 years ago. Anyone else there at that time? He was there 2 years I think.
I was there from 97-98 for 8 months. I was able to figure things out and play the game for 8 long horrible months. Blamed my parents for a while but they got brainwashed and took terrible advice from the Cassidy's and their crew, not to mention fleeced for all that money. Glad to hear their are other folks out there, hit me back if you were there at the same time. Rwissinger@gmail
ReplyDeleteWe have a private Facebook page for second chancers please email me to connect and keep finding as many people as possible!!!! Leezamw@icloud.com
ReplyDeleteHi. My name is Leah Hardie. I was in Second Chance from 1991 - 1993. I had NEVER gotten drunk on alcohol or ever used an illegal drug. But, the Cassidy's convinced my gullible parents that I needed to stay at SC for 1.5 years! I went to ECB (I think that's the name of the high school) and couldn't speak with anyone. Etc, etc. You all know the drill, I'm sure. What baffles my mind is that they proclaimed a ridiculous 'success rate'. Somewhere in the 90+ percentile. I remember EVERY graduate 'relapsing'. How could they falsely advertise such a lie in order to make money? Criminal? Yes! I'm glad you all survived like I did although it had a LASTING affect on my life and I ended up going down the wrong road for many years ... I blame a lot of that on this place - they labeled me early, made me loose faith in my family, think I was doomed, I was angry for a long time, etc etc. I'm up for any kind of action - writing a book, lawsuit, whatever. C'mon you guys, they took SO MUCH from us.
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Deletehi Leah. Do you think the school you were put at was ECS? I went there and remember various 2nd Chance students coming through when i was in high school (I graduated in 93).
DeleteHello all. My name is Nick Simpson, and I was in this shithole called 'second chance' for 1 year and 2 weeks between 1993 and 1996. Anybody that wants to join me in bringing this house of cards down, let me know. You can find me on Facebook as Nick Simpson. This place was first and foremost a blasphemy to God, further it was an injustice to any human man and lastly it was just plain full of shit and run by people who I consider to have been some of the mosty lowly of humankind.
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ReplyDeleteThis is misleading since you aren't actually investigating, but are just trolling the internet for info. Unethical for you to lead with the lawyer card since your stated intention from the paperwork you send out in emails states you are absolutely not looking to represent anyone and you just want to write a book.
DeleteTo clarify: You aren't investigating for a lawsuit on our behalf. You are snooping for your book.
DeleteYou're right, it is misleading, but only because it is old. My original post was written in January, when I first started investigating. At that time, I thought some people might be able to get justice through the legal system. After I began investigating, however, I decided that a lawsuit probably was not going to be possible. I asked survivors what they wanted most, and they kept saying that they wanted to be heard and believed, and to make sure that nothing like this happens again. With that goal in mind, I shifted the direction of the project to a book. If the book is published, all of the proceeds will go towards a foundation to pursue the survivors' goals. I do not want any money from this. I want justice for those who deserve it.
DeleteI have already interviewed over two dozen former SC clients, so I have plenty of material. I'm still open to talking to anyone who wants to participate, but I completely understand those who don't and I certainly don't want to pressure or mislead anyone. Thanks for bringing this up. I'll remove it (if I can).
Did this book get finished was in there for over 3 yrs 1997 thru 2000 horrible experience ruined my high school diploma etc.
DeleteI was there from 98 99 2000, Axel F.
DeleteWhat makes people seek out others who went through this. I've done the same but don't know what outcome I'm looking for. I don't want to remember but can't help it. I think others could fill in gaps of my memory though. No-one can understand our experience except those of us who have been there. I was there for a long time. I lost a ton of normal childhood/teenage experiences! I'll never get it back.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of unresolved stuff. I think it's natural to be semi-haunted by it all. For me it's more of a curiosity - when I allow myself to think about it. I wonder about all the other people. Even for those who have moved on, who can look back without blinking and honestly explain what the hell was going on? I think we need to reconnect in instances to pick each other's brains and piece together what happened through group memory and help each other find some answers. And also, I would like to apologize to all my newcomers for buying into the phase obligations. Geez. What a racket. I hope they all turned out ok.
DeleteI was there from 98, through 99 and into 2000, so like 15 months, most of which was spent on the first phase, like 80%, because I very "Openly" and "Regularly " voiced that 2nd Chance, the owners, as well as anyone employed by them, was completely full of shot and were all committed child abuse every day for as long as they wormed there, and should all have to serve an accordingly prison sentence for their participation in that crime. That's the only way to make this even. Fuck their money, anyone still alive out of their staff over its business career, doesn't have anything worth taking yesterday because they we4e too dumb to realize they were making two psycho paths Rich but ignorance of the law and what's right, is no excuse. That's what a judge told me onc3 upon a time before giving me 8 years for something I wasn't doing
DeleteI was in Possibilities Unlimited, Lexington Kentucky. In the winter we froze and summer melted. There was abuse, torture, imprisonment, kidnapping. The food was horrible if any. 3 kids came to the group from Memphis. Next week I made it to 5th phase and was one of 3 from PUI to go to Memphis with them and help start Second Chance. My plan was to escape but it was not in the cards. Straight back to hell. I want to say to all the survivors out there you are definitely not alone. Keep doing your thing and stay strong.
ReplyDeleteEmail: me if you can give me Mr. Todd’s first name at the least. Jnixols@gmail.com was there 98 - 99
ReplyDeleteJohnathan Todd.
DeleteI was also in there 98 99. Ryan Tiek
I'm also agnostic atheist
DeleteI got to see the horrors of this place from an "outside" perspective, as my step-brother was there from late 98 into 99. His name was Daniel (Dan) Moody, perhaps you remember him...
DeleteI was there during that time, I might remember him. He isn't here anymore is he?
DeleteI am so glad I found others. I was at SC between Aug 1994 and Oct 1995. Like someone else said - I don't know what makes us want to find each other and connect. Unresolved demons I guess. I had no drug problem when I went in - but became a heavy user when I finally got out of there after 13 months. My email is bcm924 gmail
ReplyDeleteGreetings All! I came across this blog, realizing I was the original one who created it. Hard to believe it has been more than 10 years since writing this. I am going to email those who posted.
ReplyDeleteone of my best lifelong friends, that was started at second chance, he died about 3 weeks ago. he was a father, son, brother, dad, husband, friend...
DeleteFor anyone that reads this; lost another one. RIP RYAN TIEK of the St. Louis area who was there the same time as me in the 2000's. He leaves behind a wife and kids, and has posts on this very blog and others online. Ryan loved to talk about our time here and never really was able to shake some of the evils that place created for manly of us. He is greatly missed. He was forever a hilarious little man! I tried taking him under my wing because he was much younger and didn't understand the phases/stakes/time he could be there. It was truly a horrific experience - very far from how I believe any God would treat children, let alone any who may have trauma. Love you Ryan,
ReplyDeleteAuthor of the blog here. Very sorry to hear. I was there in 1992-1994, so didn´t know him in particular but it´s says something that after 30 or so years we still manage to connect over this.
DeleteI no longer have access to the original email to which I created this blog with, so just reply like anyone else. Perhaps someone knows how to recover the account.
I would like to do more with it, perhaps like a Reddit. There are a few running right now, but to be honest I was banned from one because they didn´t approve of my views there. It was just my honest experience, and I feel strongly about it in an ambivalent manner.
In the end, I would like this place to be where people can come and write about their thoughts, experiences, and whatever they think to write. I will not be a mod that allows or disallows certain reactions, because if you were there, and then found us...you have your own experiences and impressions. I believe in freedom and honesty, and interestingly I have no actual way to block or change responses here. Maybe that´s how it should be.
So, if you want to email or send a message, just post here. I have sent emails but since we are going back 10 + years I understand people move on and change contact info.
Best wishes to all of you. I genuinely wish for closure, and evolution through this thing called life in a positive and productive manner. I do think honesty is the first and most important rule, but mostly for ourselves and inner monologue. We live in a fallen world and I cannot change this.
So, I´m still here. I recognize a few names and emailed. Working on a PhD in electrical engineering as people are too difficult to figure out lol. So, if I/we were to start on a book on this, I can think of a few things. Overall, I don´t have any narrative or direction other than to let people tell their story. My reasoning for this is that there are plenty of works (Though kudos to "The Program" as they struck gold in terms of finding all their files just where they were left...imagine if anyone else could be so fortunate), and most have a narrative in mind.
ReplyDeleteI feel it would be wrong to make any money off of this. My first bachelor´s and master´s degrees were in psychology, history, and rehabilitation counseling, and thereafter worked for some treatment centers. Make of that what you will. I still don´t have any of it figured out, but I know that self-destructive human behavior is painful to watch in someone you love, while at the same time freedom is precious and quasi-cults aren´t the answer either.
It would also take funding and resources to do this outside of a simple blog. Working on my PhD when the country is at full-scale war from the Russian invasion isn´t exactly easy either, so I will start with a request as to who would be willing to help support such a work. You and I get to decide how our story is told. It´s mostly a warning, in my mind, that at that time people were afraid their youth were going to Hades in a Handbasket and Metallica had hidden messages in its songs.
These days Ozzy is a grandpa, and his music used in car commercials and played softly in elevators. Go figure. One generation´s Prince of Darkness is another ones Easy Listening, outspoken and unhinged cool (and wealthy) grandpa.
Anyone still here following? If you´ll send an updated email I can reach out, and we can have a video meeting.
Another year has passed since Ryan has been gone. We met in Memphis, and did some overlapping time together at Second Chance. As Ryan and I talked over the years, maybe 1-2x a year, he would bring up Second Chance in some shape or form while conveying his current life events or circumstances. This went on over 2 decades...He never got over what he saw and experienced. As I get older and think about it less and less, it angers me to know that this blasphemous and - vile organization used the name God and desperate . vulnerabilities of parents and played on them in a greedy, aggressive manor. The damage done to a developing brain and mind that is being told and reinforced daily that they are alcoholics and addicts decades before they might actually have the problem is beyond unethical. Its exactly what happened to me. It ingrained in my mind what was the future to come by telling me what I "was" in those formative years. Their program had no metrics for success, but the failures were known in relapses, overdoses, suicides, etc. Ryan is a casualty. The people I know who survived that horrible year so many years ago are all now dead and gone. It was a tough year for me in adolescence - dealing with bullies, trying to make the "right" friends at a new school, dealing with extremely conservative and religious parents who discplined with a version of tough love that was so tough its impact has lasted up to this very night. For all who were there, didn't have a good experience, and have struggled, I am silently in support and solidarity with you. Rest in peace Ryan Tiek - you are forever missed brother.
ReplyDeleteGreetings, Thank you for your share and condolences to you for Ryan. I started this blog years´ ago but my email and phone changed so I cannot access it anymore. Still, I see that sometimes people are drawn to it. My time at SC and subsequent decades taught that while consequences are real, so is freedom. There is no benefit to being angry about things over the long term for us, but it taught a lesson that I will never willingly give up my independence of thought and action again. Best wishes to you, and may you find happiness and goodness all the days of your life.
DeleteLet this blog live on!!! One of the few and remaining testaments to a year of my life in formative years spent in an absolute hell on earth situation. I've been a Christian since 7, but I knew what I was witnessing was a lot of things. A demonstration of biblical principles never came to mind. The downstream consequences this place had on many, not all, but many will never be atoned for. The lives that were forever changed (no hubris) may God place his hand of protection on you the rest of the days of your life. May he give you peace that you never had, hope you thought was non-existent, and faith like a child.. I believe God orchestrates the events of our lives. In that cliche, we were all there for some reason. Phillipians 4:13 that God works out all things for glory and good to those who love him. I haven't determined why I was there, or articulated exactly the facets of my life that were altered, but I don't need. Those are dark corners of my mind that only God penetrates and heals. Any more self education, analysis, could be more detrimental. i appreciate your response and agreed wholeheartedly. Lastly, one of the most troubling aspects of all this is the manner in which reputations were protected, information was siloed, wiped, and the internet footprint is extremely low. When they closed shop, my research says it could have been for a number of reasons, through speculation, none of them even have the faintest taint of good faith, natural life cycle, etc. It was rumors of this, rumors of that.
DeleteWhat I saw there was sad and disturbing. I didn't enjoy holding down a screaming 15 year old crying for his parents, spitting on me, scratching me, while I was there focused on my dads battle with cancer. Those moments in retrospect make forgiveness difficult - especially with no justice or closure. But I also know I'm not God's muscle or foot soldier who determines who and how someone gets his wratch. That is up to him. II have my own affairs and sin to reconcile with God. Peace be to all of you.
Scott K.
sedwjk@gmail.com
Thanks for the post. Well, the blog will live on for as long as Blogspot lets it say. I cannot access it anymore, so far as I can tell. Perhaps I´d make a memorial page where people could post things, mostly their thoughts, how they felt, and to share condolences of those we lost in any manner. Some days I think about Eric Janssen and how we lost an amazing person, along with many others.
DeleteI used to be angry and upset about SC and the industry of troubled teens in general, though I eventually went overseas to where my family fled from during the Holocaust and realized that we all have our own issues and injustices of our time and place.
So the blog will stay up, because I cannot log in to take it down or change it. Maybe this is fitting, and no one should have control over it. Jolly Anarchist that I can be sometimes, that seems fitting.
I would remove the Paypal link because at this point I am not interested in anything like that. Just a small space people can post and get out what they are thinking. There are Reddit groups where people can lash out and still feel quite strongly (I was banned from one), but that is not my point here anymore. If you get a message from me, yes it is legit and you can leave an anonymous/extra email here as well. Maybe some people would reconnect if that is their desire. Most seem happy to leave everything well enough alone, and I respect that too. Best wishes to all, and may the universe smile upon you, or at least ignore us so we can live our lives in peace. Sincerely Yours.