Saint Pete Straight 89-91

[jennifer]

Anybody there in that time frame?  I had a twin sis in there with me.  We were 12. :wave:

[kpickle39]

Hello Jennifer - I was in about 10 years earlier than you.  Same place, same crap, same stuff.  12 is pretty young to be in any place like straight.  Glad you found this site.  BTW - the 3rd Annual Conference on Treatment Abuse is slated for July 25 - 27 in the Tampa Bay area.  Hope you and your sis can make it.

Sincerely,

Mike, Straight Survivor '78 - '80

[Tampa survivor]

Hi Jennifer,

My name is Bill, and I got stuck in Str8 on Gandy Blvd. at the ripe old age of 13....I KNOW how that felt!!

I was in in 1980-1982, as Mike said, same script, different actors.

It was real intense when I ran a search and came up with this site.  All came slamming back,,,it really sucked.

Did having a twin there, and after, help make it easier?  Nobody else in my family really understood what happened there.

Bill

12/80-12/82

St Pete & Atlanta

[Powerful Attitude]

Who do you know in St. Pete. Who was on staff when you got there. Do you know where to find any of the people that completed the Synanon. I would much appreciate to know anything i can find. Are you still in St Pete?  Can I get a list of those still involved? :wave:

[85 Day Jerk]

The Straight Building off of Gandy was built off the sweat and desperation of the families that were involved as far back as 1978.  Fourth and Fifth phase parents were given lithographs of the architech's rendering of what the building would look like.  I remember my parents put it in a frame and hung it on the wall over the phone.  This was in the early spring of 1979.
    I am pretty sure that the new building opened for business in Sept or Oct of 1981.  What we 7 steppers found weird, was all the "delays" that kept holding up the opening of the building.  I think that Sembler and his cronies were simply trying to cover their asses just a little better.
    Miller Newton came onto the scene around Feb or March of 1981 right about the time I started working full time at GTE phone directories plant.
He arrived on the scene driving a Chevrolet Caprice station wagon.  I don't know whose ass got kissed or what, but within 4 months his wife was driving a Mercedes and he was driving a Lincoln Town Car I think it was.  The whole structure of the program changed and started showing a very Nazi-like environment.  We also noticed that the group got a hell of alot smaller, while the fees more than doubled.  I was a young adult by this time, nearly 3 years out of the program and never went into group.  Because the new building was climate controlled, the B.O.
was unbearable and I actually went back out into the parking lot and threw up, the first time I visited the group as an "Old Timer" it was just that bad.  The group had that sickly sweet smell in the room that is like when the doctor takes a cast off of your arm and all that dead bleached out skin finally hits the air.  I was so revolted by what I saw that I ran for President of the 7 Step Society and won.  We tried to keep the spirit of the Milton Roy and Morgan Yacht years alive for the next year but it was a losing battle.  In the end, there was a complete breaking away by all of us, and those who held on like I did were "terminated" for the most ridiculous of reasons.  Also about this time the Sarasota branch was beginning to crash and burn.
      Last summer I tried to take some pictures of the old Gandy Building, but it was by now the headquarters for Verizon Cable and Internet services.  There was so much bad publicity about Straight, that they refused to let me take any pictures and went as far as to have security escort me to my car so that I would not take any outdoor shots.  They also redid the whole parking lot structure so that you cannot even do a decent doughnut, like we used to do coming back from the clubs years later.

[Powerful Attitude]

I did St Pete 85-86 at the good age of 15. Did you know the Sloan brothers?  Did you ever hear the name John Dowd, Aaron Blunt, John Johnson, John Holmes, Chris Gibbs, Rich Bennevento, Chris Cybulski, Bubba List, Jeff Mildrum, Marty Russell, Hunter Isbell, Jim Johnston, Bo Sheppard, and Adriane Chapman?  I stumbled on my M.I.?s, permission slips, support letters and other things.  What a trip!  I found a very strange article that was given to me by Straight, so I will scan and post it later. What the hell are we supposed to do? Live it once more, expose it for what it really was, know the truth, piece together all the broken pictures, and keep Rollin along.  OR DO WE KICK SOME ASS, NOT ALLOWING THEM TO FORGET THE PAST. (straight)

[pinkroom]

Yeah I remember you kids. I remember your sis went in first and then you went in later. I think you know me. I used to make wierd faces at you during open meetings across the room. I did it cause you would laugh out loud and disrupt the meeting. think and you shall remember.

[Anonymous]

Is this Billy?

[Anonymous]

who are you, email me.  jennifer_d_p@yahoo.com.  I can't believe I am up this late on a work night!

[Anonymous]

Wow good memory! But no one has called me by that name since I was in Straight. The whole whole billy thing was started by Mike Rainer. Anyone who was in Straight around that time could never forget that guy.

[Anonymous]

How could I forget about you.  You were the only thing that made open meeting fun to go to as a sibling.  But then you just left me on my own when I was put in.
What have you been up to?  I guess you have to be about 28 now.  Jess and I just turned 26 last month and she has an 8 month old.  No kids for me yet.  I guess I am still to selfish.  Email me if you get a chance.