posting.php?mode=reply&f=9&t=27754SORENSoN’S RANCH SCHOOL
In utah
Also see "Sorenson's Ranch: Abusing Your Kids for Over 30 Years!"
One Parent’s Story
By Anonymous (for more info, e-mail:
heal@heal-online.org)
Everything in my statement is true. I give HEAL permission to use my statement.
I WAS FIRST HOSPITALIZED FOR THREE MONTHS WHEN I FIRST ARRIVED AS I DID NOT GET ALONG WITH THE 'GUARDS' SO THEY HAD 12 OF THE LARGER KIDS (I WAS 16 AND SKINNY WHEN I ARRIVED, BUT I REFUSED TO BE TRAMPLED) BEAT ME AT ONE TIME CRACKING MY RIBS AND BRUISING EVERY INCH OF MY BODY. I TRIED TO LET MY FAMILY UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS HAPPENING, BUT THE MAIL OF COURSE WAS CENSORED AND I WAS BEATEN AGAIN BUT MANAGED TO FIGHT BACK AS I HAD NOT LEFT THE WEIGHT ROOM. I KNOW KIDS WERE RAPED, BUT I NEVER HAD THAT PRIVELEDGE, THANK GOD.
I ESCAPED 3 TIMES, BUT WAS CAUGHT TWICE BY THEIR BOUNTY HUNTERS BRIBING FICKLE HALF FRIENDS... AND TURNED MYSELF IN THE THIRD TIME WHEN I REALISED I DID NOT WANT A LIFE ON THE RUN. LUCKILY THEY WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SPOTLIGHT, AND HAD ME RAPIDLY EVICTED FROM UTAH FOR LIFE - OH DARN.
I WAS ALSO SENT ON THE IDAHO SURVIVAL PROGRAM THAT WENT HAND IN HAND WITH SORENSONS. I ALMOST DIED THERE, BUT TWO GIRLS FROM SEATTLE SAVED ENOUGH FOOD TO SEE ME THROUGH UNTIL THE NEXT WEEKLY FEEDING. I DON’T REMEBER THEIR NAMES, I HAVE TRIED TO FORGET THIS PERIOD IN MY LIFE, BUT I OWE THEM MY LIFE AS I DO KNOW TWO KIDS WERE ABUSED TO DEATH THE MONTH BEFORE OUR 'EXCURSION'.
THEY INVENTED TORTURES FOR ME ESPECIALLY, INCLUDING TWO WEEKS ON A DIRT MOUND IN MY BOXER SHORTS WITH TWO BOWLS OF RICE DAILY AND NO HUMAN CONTACT, I WAS MADE TO SLEEP IN A CHAIR AT THE END OF A HALLWAY AT NIGHT, THEN BACK TO THE MOUND, WHERE 'FELLOW STUDENTS' WERE ENCOURAGED TO THROW CLODS AND ROCKS AT ME. THEN IN WINTER I WAS MARCHED DAWN TO DUSK BACK AND FORTH IN THE SNOW WHERE I DEVELOPED FROST NIP AND MY RIGHT FOOT IS STILL DEVOID OF FEELING. ONCE AGAIN A BOWL OF RICE FOR BREAKFAST AND ONE FOR DINNER - THEY FINALLY RELENTED WHEN I WAS IN HIGH FEVER AND TALKING TO MYSELF, AS I LATER WAS TOLD.
SOMEBODY SMUGGLED DRUGS IN, AND Again i was TORTURED IN SIMILAR FASHION UNTIL I ADMITTED AFTER 3 WEEKS JUST TO MAKE IT STOP. THE HEAD OF LEGAL AFFAIRS EVEN RISKED HIS JOB TO EXPLAIN 'COERSION' AS HE KNEW I WAS NOT GUILTY BUT A SCAPEGOAT FOR THEIR INABILITY TO FIND THE TRUE CULPRITS. HE WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO EVER ATTEMPTED ANY HELP, BUT I FEEL HE WAS ONLY FEARING THE CONSEQUENCES IF DISCOVERED.
THE WAY THEY FOUND OUT ABOUT THE DRUGS WAS A BEAUTY IN ITSELF, A BOY WAS SO HIGH HE ADMITTTED HIS 'LOVE' FOR A CERTAIN COUNSELOR, AND WAS BEATEN TO WITHIN AN INCH OF HIS LIFE WHILE THE GUARDS 'DIDNT NOTICE' OF COURSE. I AM PROUD OF WHO I AM AND EVERY THING THAT MADE ME THIS WAY, EXCEPT THIS PERIOD. I GREW UP IN HAWAII, WAS PRETTY INNOCENT, BUT FOR A GOOD THREE YEARS AFTER I WAS EXPELLED FROM UTAH I WAS INCREASINGLY VIOLENT AND BECAME ADDICTED TO HEROIN, A DRUG I HAD NEVER TRIED BEFORE UTARD.
I WISH I KNEW OF THE FOUR YEAR PERIOD, BUT ITS BEEN ALMOST 18 YEARS NOW. SO I GET TO SUFFER MY MEMORIES WITH NO OUTLET. I OFTEN THOUGHT OF GOING BACK AND FINDING CERTAIN OF THE WORSE BASTARDS, AS I AM SURE THEY ARE SNUG IN THEIR LITTLE VILLIAGE, RELATED TO THE COPS AND JUDGES IN RITCHFIELD AS ALWAYS.
I WAS SO DESPERATE TO ESCAPE THE FIRST TIME I WALKED THE 18-23 MILES TO RITCHFIELD IN A SNOWSTORM WEARING A FLANNEL SHIRT AND CONVERS - AND STOLE A CAR, THE FIRST TIME I BECAME A TRUE CRIMINAL.
THAT NIGHT I WOULD RATHER HAVE DIED IN THE COLD THAN GET CAUGHT, I JUMPED INTO SNOWBANKS WITHOUT A THOUGHT OF THE HORRIBLE COLD EVERY SET OF LIGHTS THAT CAME DOWN THE ROAD SEARCHING FOR ME. I TRIED SUICIDE SIX TIMES, BUT WAS UNSUCCESFUL DUE TO BEING WATCHED AND FORCE FED. I AM A FAMOUS ARTIST NOW WITH NO CRIMINAL RECORD, OUT OF LUCK FOR THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF FREEDOM, AND OUT OF MY NATURE FOR THE NEXT FIFTEEN.
THE HEROIN ADDICTION IS ALSO 13 YEARS PAST, I AM NOT AN ADDICTIVE CHARACTER, I WAS 'SELF MEDICATING' AND TRYING TO FORGET BEING IN THE PIT OF HELL AND THE DEMONS I SAW THERE.
I HEAR STORIES OF PEOPLES SOB TALES, BUT I KNOW 88-89 WAS FAR WORSE THAN ANY TIME SINCE THEN. THAT WAS WHEN THEY WERE 'IMPECCABLE' AND COULD RUN RAMPANT WITH THEIR SICK AND TWISTED CHILD ABUSE AND SEX FANTASIES. SHORTLY AFTER MY DEPARTURE IS WHEN THE FIRST ACCUSATIONS AND DISMISSALS SURFACED, I HEARD FROM MY FRIEND TRACY ZAHORYN, WHO WAS SEVERAL YEARS YOUNGER, ALLOWED TO LIVE OF CAMPUS IN A GUARDS HOUSE, AND LATER BECAME A FAMOUS MODEL IF YOU CATCH MY DRIFT.
I HOPE TO GOD WHAT I FEAR HAPPENED TO HER DID NOT, SHE WAS SO SWEET WHEN I MET HER, AND SO JADED WHEN SHE CAME BACK TO THE REAL WORLD.
THERE IS SO SO MUCH MORE, BUT THESE FEW MEMORIES MAKE ME WANT TO SCREAM AT LIFES INJUSTICES, BUT I CAN DO NOTHING BUT HURT MYSELF.
Survivor Story #2
By Mike Horgan
Everything in my statement below is true. I give HEAL permission to use my statement. I was "being reformed" at Sorenson's Ranch School in 88 - 89.
I read this other persons (Alumni) letter and felt obligated to write my fair warnings as well. I wanted to cry while reading the other alum's words. The sad thing is the types of things the person described in their report happened allot and to so many kids. I realized I have repressed a lot of shit inside over the years and have not wanted to think about those big abusive Mormons. Judgmental, Prejudiced, Cruel, but at the same time they truly believe in their cult and think they are doing the right things to help. At my low, I also helped steal a car and try and break out, 2 attempts, I also marched through the wilderness program in Idaho with a bunch of fucking heroin addicts from around the country, some big black guy from Compton broke my nose… I had religion stuffed down my throat, forced to do allot of shit... But what was bad was the night time… we hurt people.. for the first 6 month's I got beat down a bit, I was 14, some kids were 19 even one 20 year old (court ordered). So with the time you stop getting beat and you start beating others. Fuck it right, it was sink or swim. I remember being strip searched, repeatedly, they (Staff) were always looking for contraband. We did have some good weed on occasion... They would call it "restraining" us... if you sat quietly and refused to follow an order the staff would slam you on the ground and whoop your ass.... this happened often and I couldn't figure out what good it did. I am aware of sexual abuse.. there was allot of bad shit going on... but like I said the Mormon Cult truly believes they are saving us poor little bastards. Too any of my friends who happen to run into this letter, sorry for any bad memories.. I turned out well, hope you made it out ok the same… And there were definitely some good "counselors", There were also some devious fuckers… I love my kids way to much to send them to a place like that...
P.S.
Learned how to be really fucking sneaky and manipulating…
love you all,
Mike Horgan 1988 - 1989
www.organiccrackrecords.com Survivor Story #3
By Liz
Everything in my statement is true. I give HEAL permission to use my statement.
I read the testimonials on here, and wanted to respond... I was first sent to SRS in 1990. Things did get better from 1989 to now, but not by much... I remember all too much, things I wish I could forget. There were still so-called counselors with nothing more than a high school diploma and their "SICK AND TWISTED CHILD ABUSE AND SEX FANTASIES," as O.M. put it. I was there, with a short break for about a year, from 1990-1994. I have since found recent survivors and heard that there are still horrible abuse stories coming out of there. As a former resident of the school, I can attest to the horrors endured by many including myself. Those physical restraints they were doing in 1989 and when I was first there, were actually illegal as they didn't have a license to be doing them. They've since obtained one and are still performing them, but then? I watched them kill a teenage boy with one of their "restraints." He was beaten to death by at least 3 overgrown, overweight men. His head was split open, and he never returned from the hospital. Before it was a school for the more privileged of children (monetarily speaking), it was home to kids who were a ward of the state, and often not even the state of Utah. I was under the impression for many years that it had been cleaned up, and was now a good school. How they could have fooled me, after enduring what I did (as I know to be true for recent survivors as well) I'll never know.
If there are any parents out there considering to send your child to Sorenson's Ranch School, PLEASE contact me first. I promise to put you into contact with other survivors, both past and present... This is not a place for a child. If you love your child and are fearful for their safety, this is NOT the answer. My parents sent me away because of a "bad attitude," and when I returned I was much worse. After watching my friends get handcuffed and shackled to the school's fence for hours, even days and weeks (sometimes in nothing more than their underwear and a sleeping bag in the snow for fear they would try to run away), being fed nothing more than rice cooked in chicken broth only ONCE a day, having been tortured by "counselors" while on their camp-outs, raped repeatedly by someone I/we should've been able to trust, I was returned to my parents ready to try everything I had learned while attending SRS. I was quickly sent back as my parents were unequipped to handle what they had paid to create. Don't let this happen to you... You will undoubtedly be racked with the guilt my parents are still unable to face. Don't let this happen to your family. If you think things are bad now, I can guarantee Sorenson's and places like it will only make it worse.
SRS Survivor 1990-1994
