Need clarification of The Seed's early history

[Anonymous]

I went through The Seed in its latter days, and I'm still very unclear about its early history. I thought that The Seed lost its license to treat juveniles in 1975, largely because of the 1974 Senate report, and that this was why Seed graduates and their parents started Straight (for juveniles only) in 1976. But I keep reading posts to the contrary, namely Wtaylorg's recollection of receiving a letter saying that The Seed was changing to an adult-only program in 1987 and 80's guy talking about entering in 1980 at age 17.  When did The Seed lose its license to treat  juveniles and become an adult-only program?  Am I correct in understanding that The Seed was forced to shut down all but the Fort Lauderdale and Cleveland centers in 1975 due to government censure/withdrawal of funds, and that the Cleveland center closed in the fall of 1978?  Greg, Ginger, or others of you who are well-versed in The Seed's history, can you straighten me out?  Thanks ahead of time--this forum has been enormously helpful!

[GregFL]

That really isn't an entirely accurate portrayal of what occured.

The seed didn't lose its license, it lost its federal funding. More accurately, they were going to require consent forms. All new, ahem, "clients" going in were going to have to sign a form authorizing and acknowledging that they were undergoing experimental treatment.

Art Blew his stack and basically turned down the funding because the form was just not obsiously according to plan. then Enrollment slipped drastically in St Pete amid massively bad press. Stories of kids trying to commit suicide in the bathroom and the seed covering it up, a 15 year old girl hiding in the woods for a week, to scared to come out, seed parents kidnapping a kid from St Pete catholic and injuring her...the press was relentless and accurate.

According to John U,  the big terrible over involved  st pete parents ran them off. According to newpaper accounts of the time (which I tend to believe over the slanted history lessions of one JU) enrollment had dropped to almost zero and local judges that were sentencing many many kids had dried up the source.  The seed packed up, graduated whomever was left and/or transfered those whose parents let their kids go to Ft Lauderdale. The St Pete parents of seed graduates then tried to replace what they thought was a void left in their community and whala...Straight, Inc. appeared as the "new improved seed".



Somewhere over the next few years, the entire political climate towards children started changing, some of it fueled by a rash of arrests and lawsuits at daycare centers for molestation. . Most of these cases got excused, but the word is Art just pulled in ranks further and started 'officially' only taking kids over 18. As the cult grew stranger and "older" less and less new recruits came in until it disintergrated around a power play.

[Antigen]

Anon, think back to some of the stories Seedlings told each other asif it were gospel truth. You probably figured some of it out, or at least suspected, before you left. And you've probably seen through a good deal more since you left (or since the Seed folded, whichever came first).

But, at the time, like most, you probably believed it all without question. Well, that's where we're at not. Some of these folks still honestly believe a whole lot of bullshit.

I think there's some merrit to the claim that they temporarily lost their license to treat minors. But reforms made to appease the critics rarely last. And, in the minds of the true believers, nothing going on outside the door in the press or in the courts had anything whatsoever to do w/ any internal decisions. That, of course, is not reasonable. But then, neither was the idea that any kid who ever smoked a joint needed intense behavior modification. Never the less, some people still believe it.

Religions are all alike; founded upon fables and mythologies.
--Thomas Jefferson, U.S. President, author, scientist, architect, educator, and diplomat

[Anonymous]

I'm trying to put together a writing project that chronicles The Seed's history.  Here's what I've been able to gather via net research, mainly Fager's sites, and this forum:
     Along with likening The Seed?s program to North Korean brainwashing tactics, the Senate concluded that its methods were experimental, and found that NIDA?s own regulations required that human subjects participating in US government sponsored research projects be required to sign consent forms.  Thus, the Senate directed Robert DuPont to require Art Barker to attain consent forms from both parents and children.  Due to Barker?s refusal to have his clients sign a consent form saying that The Seed was a ?risk to human subjects,? his failure to document the prevalence and type of drug abuse of his clients and adequately describe the program, and a concern that The Seed?s ?philosophy of treating all adolescents with only one method might be detrimental,? The Seed lost its bid for an additional federal grant from NIDA for expansion.    
     The Senate also determined that under its federally mandated charter, LEAA had not been established by Congress to sponsor medical research.  In February 1974, in direct response to pressure from Senator Ervin, the director of LEAA, Don Santarelli, held a press conference to announce the cancellation of all LEAA funding for medical research, psychosurgery, and behavior modification programs like The Seed because, in his words, there were ?no technical skills on the staff to screen, evaluate, or monitor such projects.?  
     The U.S. House of Representatives also conducted a study of The Seed and concluded that Art Barker had refused to let government auditors see where federal grant money was being spent.  All funding for Seed expansion was stopped in 1975, after which, Art abruptly closed all expansion programs.  (IS THIS CORRECT?)
     In 1975, Florida state health regulators instituted a set of regulations to govern the foster homes that Seed clients stayed in, provided by families who had their own child or children participating in the program.  These new regulations stated, in part: ?The foster homes must provide the state with written assurance that they meet fire, safety, and health standards and provide privacy, freedom of worship, adequate food, adequate sleeping accommodations, and contact with the natural family to all those in treatment.?  Barker declared that the new regulations undermined the effectiveness of his program and refused to abide by them, and consequently lost his license to operate the founding Seed program on October 13, 1975.  The Seed in St. Petersburg had closed the day before.  (I'LL INSERT YOUR ST. PETE SPECIFICS HERE, GREG)

(HERE'S WHERE I GET CONFUSED.  SOMEWHERE I FOUND THIS INFORMATION. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THAT BARKER LOST HIS LICENSE THEN GOT IT REINSTATED TO TREAT ADULTS ONLY IN 1975?  THIS CAN'T BE TRUE AS IT SEEMS THE SEED CONTINUED TO TREAT JUVENILES UNTIL 1987?) Soon afterwards, however, Barker got his license reinstated to operate a drug rehabilitation program for adults (age 18 and over), and six young Seed graduates and their parents formed Straight, Inc. in Saint Petersburg, Florida with $100,000 in grants from LEAA, in spite of the Congressional order to cease such funding.

DID CLEVELAND CLOSE IN THE FALL OF 1978?

[Antigen]

I don't know what the official status of their licensing was. But do you believe for a moment that something trivial like the lack of a license would stop Art from doing anything he damned well pleased?

In `80, when I went to Straight, my mom told me that Art refused to admit me based on his policy of not allowing newcomers who had been through treatment programs already and that my having been to all those open meetings and all was just the same. I never bought it, but I know I'll never get a more satisfactory answer out of her.

John told me it was just that they didn't think I needed a program, but I think after I hitchhiked to the Boston area from Florida and they found a poungent smelling baggie under my mattress, that doesn't really wash. So maybe it was that they'd lost the license and were still under enough scrutiny to deem that significant. I doubt will ever get a really authoritative answer. But don't you think it's interesting that just about anybody you ask who should have known what was going on at the time will give you a different answer?

Thom should know. He was there. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember anything about it.

Just out of curiosity, Thom, do you remember the day the whole family showed up around the old dining room table to confront me about my problem and try to get me to ask for treatment? I remember it well. It had been the first time in many years that we had a crowd around that table. And the contrast was stark. There was on laughter, no kindness, no board games, no story telling, just a bunch of stepcraft zombies who had occupied the bodies and faces of my family members.

The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.
--John Adams, U.S. President

[80's Guy]

Antigen I don't understand why they did not let you in because I went in early 80's, yet I was only 17 and others were allowed in that had been to other programs. It really does not make sense to me why they would not let you in to the program, especially since they knew you from before and you had helped endlessly with sandwhiches, been to open meetings, had siblings that were respected Seed graduates, and had spent many of your earlier years around other seedlings.

For the Anon above, there were, after 1980 (not sure when exactly it stopped. I'm sure other trivia experts here will know since they spent a lot of time out to dinner with inner circle members), younger new ones coming in (i.e., 16, 15, 14, 13, etc.) I had to live in a host home with adults and an oldcomer and a newcomer (who had been in a few months more than I). Then, when I turned 18, I was moved to Cranbrook.

[ This Message was edited by: 80's Guy on 2005-09-20 11:47 ]

[Anonymous]

Maybe people were alot smarter than you give them credit for. :grin:

[Anonymous]

She might have made a lousey sandwich :razz:

[Antigen]

What, you think I might have caused problems for them? Li'll ol' me? Maybe so. I do remember that, once I was in Straight, I was forbidden to even mention the Seed, ever. That actually worked in my favor to some extent.

The spirit of this country is totally adverse to a large military force.
--Thomas Jefferson

[Thom]

On 2005-09-20 10:47:00, Antigen wrote:

"Thom should know. He was there. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember anything about it.



Just out of curiosity, Thom, do you remember the day the whole family showed up around the old dining room table to confront me about my problem and try to get me to ask for treatment? I remember it well. It had been the first time in many years that we had a crowd around that table. And the contrast was stark. There was on laughter, no kindness, no board games, no story telling, just a bunch of stepcraft zombies who had occupied the bodies and faces of my family members."

Sorry Ging, but we who are stepcraft zombies have no memories of things that happened in life.
Wish I could help  :em:

[Antigen]

How convienient.

The optimist thinks that this is the best of all possible worlds, and the pessimist knows it.
--  J. Robert Oppenheimer

[Thom]

On 2005-09-21 13:39:00, Antigen wrote:

"How convienient"

sometimes quite, actually