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[Antigen]

On 2004-04-04 07:23:00, Anonymous wrote:

It's disgusting to read the posts that speculate that Anson was a 'brutal bastard' or that he may have provoked this attack? Disgusting.

Know what? I feel just the same way whenever I hear about Program people who've ridden their ties right to the top of the heap. Like, for example, when Brother Jeb! declared Straight cofounder, Betty Sembler's birthday a state holliday.

Walk a mile in my shoes, honey!

I stand by my initial assessment. The more important point here is that Anson was not the first and likely will not be the last person injured or killed during an escape from a teen gulag. One of the troubles with the Troubled Parent industry is that they seem to think that good intentions, like the grace of God, cover a multitude of evil. They don't.

Our country has deliberately undertaken a great social and economic experimanet, noble in motive and far-reaching in purpose. [The Eighteenth Amendment, enacting Prohibition.]
Letter to Senator W.H. Borah
--Herbert Hoover (Feb 28, 1928)

[Deborah]

I'm not going back through 16 pages of comments in order to dispell your accusation that "posts speculate that Anson was a 'brutal bastard' or that he may have provoked this attack." I think you are over reacting and misinterpreting what has been said.

If you are new to this industry, then you probably don't understand that the OWNER defines the policies and procedures. The counselors carry them out, and are the ones who deal with the fall out.  Many of the p&p are designed to provoke the inmates to anger. Anson was probably just carrying out orders, and unfortunately received the brunt of their anger. He may even have been the one who made the decision to detained the boys longer. I don't know. Do you?

It's quiet common that teens are detained over minor infractions, which can provoke anger, even rage. What was in place to help these two deal with the obvious disappointment and anger that surfaced? The truth is, none of us know what really went down. For all we know, they didn't cheat but were falsely accused in order to detain them longer. Detainment = $$$$. We may never know.

Yeh, the violence and brutality doesn't make sense. But neither does many of the p&p employed in the BM industry.

Don't loose sight of the most important points that have been made here. I'm sure it's easier to direct your anger at the boys, but the program was in violation of regulations that put all involved at risk. Direct your anger and frustration at the owner. Anson should have had another counselor there with him. Obviously important, especially given that the inmates had just learned of their unexpected detainment.

Anson also had options. He could have demanded the owner follow regs and get another counselor in there. Or he could have walked out- refused to work alone. He didn't take care of himself and defered to the owner's poor judgement. It proved to be an unwise choice.

I'm sorry that choice cost him his life, but he knew he was working in violation of regs. He took the risk. If he didn't know, then that is one more violation to chalk up against the owner for not informing his employees of regs- Improper training and enforcement.

I think your anger toward the boys and the posters in this thread is misdirected. How do you feel about the owner's blatant disregard of regulations? Can you fathom the possibility that there wouldn't have been a death if the program was in compliance? THAT'S DISGUSTING !!!

[Anonymous]

The death of Anson is tragic, but there are 3 victims here.  What are the chances of these boys even getting a fair trial in a small, sleepy whitebread community where there are 16 of these kinds of programs for troubled youth?  Remember what happened in the Aaron Bacon/Northstar Expeditions trial in Escanlante? The town folk were extremely biased in favor of the program owner and his wife, who happened to be a home town girl. To them, Aaron Bacon was a druggie and it did not seem to matter to them that he died a prolonged, tortuous death as a result of not receiving life-saving medical attention.

If Anson was the kind of person his family and friends describe, I seriously doubt he would want these boys sentenced to death, or even life in prison.  Hate is a terrible injustice.  Who is to say these boys intended to murder anybody, least of all their counselor?  What if instead of cold-blooded murder, it was an "escape" plan gone tragicaly wrong?  

Second, why isn't the program/owner/director facing *criminal* charges for failure to abide by the law?  Didn't Anson have a right to work in an environment that met basic/minimal  safety standards?  Obviously this is a high-risk occupation, as evident by the rules and regulations intended to minimize the risk by insuring that 2 staff members were on duty at ALL TIMES.  As we know, there was only 1 person on duty that night.  Anson.

God bless him and help his family, friends and the residents of Cedar City to lay down their hate and anger.

 :sad:

[Anonymous]

You are exactly correct. I know one of the boys. He has been ignored most of his life by parent who really just couldn't be bothered. The parents should be tried with the children, if you ask me, and should share in the sentence. A man died ... who should pay? Everyone in the chain of responsibility, including the parents, and the owner of the group home.

[Anonymous]

I know that in one case, the parents simply spent an hour or so looking for places on the internet. They contacted this home, and the next morning the child was picked up and taken from the East Coast to Utah.

[Anonymous]

Here are some more facts that may sway your opinion.

The boys were surprised to learn, upon being arrested, that the counselor had died. The counselor had been complaining to friends and colleagues about the quality of the program. The program (and most others like it) appears to have been some sort of organized crime money-maker.

Doesn't seem just a little suspicious to you that when the counselor was killed he was left alone when two counselors were supposed to be one duty, AND the boys had a baseball bat that was supposed to be under lock and key, AND that the other children in the home, who knew what had happened, didn't do anything about it for several hours?

Sounds like someone wanted this counselor dead and made sure nothing was done to save him in time, if you ask me.

[Anonymous]

On 2004-03-28 18:14:00, Anonymous wrote:


According to news reports, ALL the boys were sent to MLSA by THEIR PARENTS, none had been sentenced there by a court. "



Not quite: Simmons was "on probation" and was "put there by a Maryland Probation and Parole officer". It was the MP&PO that required that the test be passed prior to being released, and it was the MP&PO that rescheduled their release date for cheating on the test. [data provided by the State of Utah...]



I don't think this is correct. Simmons was from Delaware, the other boy was from Maryland.

[Anonymous]

On 2004-03-28 10:54:00, Anonymous wrote:


See below ... just more fodder to the fire, if you ask me, in showing that perhaps someone wanted Anson dead because he had been complaining about the poor quality of that home ... Organized crime doesn't like  complainers.

"The owners, operators, Director, and some of the staff knew at least one day BEFORE the murder of Anson Arnett that a "break-out" was planned.  



Those clients who were known to be the ones who were going to try to break-out were moved from their usual bedroom to the living room where they were put on "High Watch" status (whatever that is...).  



BUT, even though some knew this and took these measures, the owner, Max Ah Quin, and Director, Adam Ah Quin, still put only one staff member on duty that night! - Anson Arnett.  (Even though it is against Utah law to have only one staff membmer on duty at ANY time.)



Adam Ah Quin, Director of the MLSA facility told the press that "he 'had a feeling' he should have taken that shift that night" (or something to that effect).  



Ya right - He knew goddamned well that that night was going to be a higher risk night than a normal night, and yet he put only one staff membmer on duty that night.  And when the two eyewitnesses ran to his home to get help from him, he was not home!



Where the hell was Adam Ah Quin when he knew the facility was going to be under siege and he had only one staff membmer, Anson Arnett, on duty?



Sean Graham's step-sister/lover posted here that SHE knew at least two days BEFORE the murder that he was pissed about not being able to get out and go see her when originally scheduled, and that he was so insensed about it that he would not let anything get in his way.



She was in NH/Deleware(?) and he was in Utah.  



How many others across the nation knew about the planned "jailbreak of 8 March 2004", that resulted in the murder of Anson Arnett?



How many more goddamned shitheads are there in this country that are culpable in this murder?



Ya suppose the Ah Quins called the state and told them too?  "Hey guys, there's going to be a jail break tonight; make sure you're out of town and the phone's off the hook"!



Rotten f**king bastards...











"

[Kiwi]

More from Amy Joi:

http://http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595057924,00.html

Group homes' permits at issue
By Amy Joi Bryson
Deseret Morning News

Cedar City officials want lawmakers to review licensing requirements for group homes in light of a March 8 attack on a youth counselor that left the 31-year-old dead.

The request to invoke more stringent standards was made before the Health and Human Services interim committee Wednesday by Sen. Tom Hatch, R-Panguitch, who said he was approached by Cedar City Attorney Paul Bittmenn.

"We should look at security issues and the training of staff, putting more emphasis on these matters before granting a license," Hatch told lawmakers.

Two teenage boys are accused of beating the counselor in an atmosphere state officials say lacked adequate supervision and security controls.

Although the state revoked the license of the Maximum Life Skills Academy for three serious rule violations, Hatch said the owners are now trying to seek a new license for another home in a different location.

That effort has Cedar City officials concerned because a license could be granted if the minimum state standards are met.

"I have spoken to Adam Arnett (the brother of the deceased), and he indicates this attempt to relicense under a new name is a slap in the face to the family," Bittmenn wrote in his letter to Hatch.

What compounds the proliferation of group homes and other private programs for youths is that cities have very little say about their location, with deference given to the state, Hatch said.

As example, he pointed to the placement in Parowan of a group home for sex offenders next to an elementary school.

"It is kind of like holding an AA meeting at the bar."

Committee member Rep. Mike Thompson, R-Orem, agreed to help facilitate getting the study under way but says it needs to be broadened to include all youth programs for troubled children, not just group homes.

"I think we need to look at all of them ? the regulations, the limitations and what impacts these have in our communities."

If Utah lawmakers agree to take up the request to probe licensing issues related to group homes and private programs for troubled teens, they will join New York officials who also have regulatory concerns.

Those concerns stem from an alleged assault of a 17-year-old who authorities say was beaten while handcuffed and being transported to a private youth program near the Canadian border.

The transport service is based in St. George, Utah, and was hired by the parents to transport the teen to a program affiliated with World Wide Association of Speciality Programs and Schools (WWASPS).

WWASPS was founded by Utahn Robert Lichfield and is also headquartered in St. George.

New York officials are investigating to determine if both the school and the transport service may be in violation of statutory requirements regarding criminal background checks on the drivers and the nature of the education at the school.

Thompson believes similar preliminary research should be conducted by the Office of Legislative Research to determine if criminal background checks are being required in Utah for transport services.

[cherish wisdom]

:exclaim:  :exclaim:  :exclaim:  :exclaim:
Many of the programs in Utah are extremely abusive behavior modification centers.  They charge outrageous fees to change behavior and values (often more than $10,000 per month) It is truly sad that a counselor died.  He may have been an incredible person.  But there have been numerous reports of children who have died at the hands of abusive and negligent residential staff members as well. Some of the children in these more abusive facilities go into a psychological state called "survival mode." They actually fear for their own lives and can do very irrational things in this self-preservation state.  Before hanging these boys it is essential to find out what they had experienced while they were in one of Utah's private prisons. More of this is going to happen because the authorities are doing nothing to protect children in these places.  The only rules they must abide by are utah core-rules.  I don't know anything about that facility - but I do know that nearly two dozen facilities in Utah have been identified as abusive.  This list can be found at:
http://beyondbusiness.net/index2.htm (there is a link to this)
More on Gulag schools can be found at:
http://www.teenliberty.org
I hope that justice will be served as more is learned about this horrible tragedy. My heart goes out to the families of the man who was injured and to the families of the boys who made an irrational and deadly decision in their effort to escape for whatever reason.  Something needs to be done in the state of Utah to better protect children and staff members alike.  If there are indeed 196 facilities in Utah - there is a huge problem. I was told by the supervisor of the facility licensing department that there are only 70. There are huge problems with the problem teen industry in Utah, particularly since the supervisor of licensing L.J. Dunsmann doesn't even know how many facilities are in existance. I've often thought of paying for a billboard in Utah that reads- WELCOME TO UTAH --HOME OF INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD ABUSE - ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK. It happens to be the most right-wing state in the entire nation and I truly fear that the boys will not get a fair trial. It will be interesting to find out what it was that drove them to such a desperate act.  Please keep us informed and updated.  :smile:  

Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose, and you allow him to make war at pleasure. Study to see if you can fix any limit to his power in this respect, after having given him so much as you propose. If today he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him,--"I see no probability of the British invading us"; but he will say to you, "Be silent: I see it, if you don't."
--Abraham Lincoln

_________________
"If you lack wisdom ask of God and it shall be given to you."[ This Message was edited by: cherish wisdom on 2004-04-24 23:11 ][ This Message was edited by: cherish wisdom on 2004-04-24 23:12 ]

[Antigen]

On 2004-04-24 22:57:00, cherish wisdom wrote:

" :exclaim:  :exclaim:  :exclaim:  :exclaim:

It happens to be the most right-wing state in the entire nation and I truly fear that the boys will not get a fair trial. It will be interesting to find out what it was that drove them to such a desperate act.  Please keep us informed and updated.  :smile:

We don't really know for sure that the boys were the ones to kill the guy. As I understand it, there's a whole lot of unexplained time between the boys' departure and anyone calling for help.

for nothing can keep it right but their own vigilant and distrustful superintendence.

--Thomas Jefferson

[cherish wisdom]

Thanks.  I'd really like to know more about this incident.  The state of Utah needs to give these kids some way out of an abusive program.  Often they are sick and are deprived of medical care. Some are abused emotionally, psychologically, physcially and sexually.  They are not allowed telephone or Internet access and their mail is often censored and phone calls home are infrequent and also often monitored. Freedom is an inate instinct for all animals.  We've read reports where trapped animals have actually bitten off their own legs to free themselves.  
I have communicated with the Director of Human Services in Utah and have asked him to put pay phones in these facilities and have an omsbudman service - a toll-free abuse hotline that children can call when they feel their human rights are being violated.  His reply was sarcastic and condescending.  I urge all of you to send letters to the editors of the newpapers in Utah and encourage the leaders to do something to make these 196 residential facilities safer for children and staff.  The kids need to have some way to communicate with the outside world.
For all we know these boys were being raped by the staff at this school.  These children live in constant fear.  I know there have been posts about how wonderful this man was - and perhaps he was as perfect as they claim.  Then again, everyone thought Ted Bundy was a great guy.  No one could believe that he was a serial murderer.  No one knows what drove these two boys to violently escape this facility. Children who try to escape are severely punished for months thereafter.
I do want to know more about this story because my child also tried to escape. If anyone has any links to more comprehensive coverage please post them.  Thanks.   :smile:

I would rather be exposed to the inconveniencies attending too much
liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.

--Thomas Jefferson, 1791, in a letter to Archibald Stuart

[Anonymous]

You gotta be kidding me. The Ah Quins I have met and known which is all of them are people who are trying to help kids. Its funny when somthing bad happens there is nothing good they have ever done in their life. I know the Ah Quins feel bad for what has happen to Anson. But if Anson was unhappy and did not feel safe with his job and was doing it for 6 months did he feel safe? Did he like the Ah Quins? Did he trust those boys as well as did the Ah Quins? Are the Ah Quins the one who used the bat? Please people be smart. This was a horrible TRAGEDY for the Arnett family as well as the Ah Quin family.

[Anonymous]

Why did the AhQuin owner of Maximum Skills Academy think it was okay to violate a licensing rule as important as having 2 staff members on duty AT ALL TIMES?

Second, why did the other boys run all the way to HIS HOUSE instead of seeking IMMEDIATE emergency medical assistance for Mr. Arnett?  As I understand it, this resulted in a 1 and1/2 hour delay in getting help for the counselor.  Doesn't that sound just a bit strange to you?

[cherish wisdom]

Everyone who knew Ted Bundy thought he was an excelent person as well. There is much more to this story and obviously the public are not being informed. So far I have not heard anything from the boys who actually witnessed this. It appears that this facility used behavior modification which can be abusive. Apparently there were several licensing violations that were overlooked which is common place in Utah.
Obvioulsy there was not suffieicent supervision if these boys were able to hide a baseball bat. Was this a locked house - obviously the closet was locked. I also want to know why the police weren't called as soon as the other counselor was notified by the boys. It seems they may have been afraid of punishment if they went to a neighbor's house for help. This does not add up.  Something was serioulsy wrong and the public has a right to know.  

When cryptography is outlawed, bayl bhgynjf jvyy unir cevinpl.
--
Anonymous . . . for obvious reasons