Sound off everyone!

[Kenterprises]

"I dont know what to believe" when I was there in Straight INC. in St. Pete There was NO physical abuse! From what I have read this negative actions must of occured after I got myself kicked out. Only after having to start beating the hell out of a staff member or person bugging me. "J" You were right about them not letting you get into your head, fuck every time I did, I had some fucking punk snapping his fingers in front of my face to bring me back from what I was enjoying and I do till this day! How about this one I dont know how far back some of you go but Im 41 and I ws there in the begenning at straight, I remember when every other minute the whole place would jump up and down in their seats snapping their fingers trying to get who ever was the staff person was to pick on them just to pick a song and if the staff person did not like the song even though they sing the fucking thing a thousand times durring the day, he would say Na then go to someone else to pick a song he or she liked! A real Tribal Idiot!!! So Jim or Liz,(the staff back then) you fat piece of shit, if your reading this today I have made it!!! without fucking Straight INC. I sat on 1st phase people till 6 months finally I could not take it anymore, I went nuts trying to pick fights back then it was "bringing the other person down It was a goal for me to find the one who just made 3rd phase and see if I could get him to laugh, you would be suprised how many did.I was sent there by a Judge Harry COE they called him Hanging Harry, if ya;ll remember about 4-5 years ago he was found dead he had blown his brains out in his car, Does anyone know why??? DRUGS! he was selling and they were closing in on him it was in St Pete. The same bastard that sent me there, well i did have a choice % years of hard work and labor or finish the straight INC. Program of cource I picked straight, at 17 I would have killed myself in a prison. But after the 6 months of it I was ready to do the time just so at least I know when I would be free, I remember drinking Kool aid from a dixie cup and eating choclate chip cookies dunking them in my kool aid, I had lost a lot of weight in that place from lake of food, there was hot meals I dont believe anyone who says they ate PBJ for a year or more there full of shit!How come these shows are not shown on tv today??? Like it did back then on Phill Donahue? Lets get Montel involved!!! They did carry you around by the belt loops if you had to use the bathroom. What I thought that sucked was that you had to earn the right to talk to your parents, for only 5 minutes! they would take us outside and go out by the marsh for a hour or 2. That fucking hot sun in that tin bld and we did'nt have no AC durring the week they would only turn it on when it would be parents night or when they would have a guest there that was doing a tv show about us like we were some fucking circus. The thing that I did realy get out of straight was to recconise what I was feeling. Back then I did not understand that, or what it meant! I faked my way to 2 nd phase and I got to stand up and yell "MOM IM commimg Home" No body was expecting it, not even my mother who after 4 months they had her convinced and she quit brining me my cigarettes. But the first night I was home I was ready to run away, I got my freedom back that evening and I did not want to go back after the 3rd day when I was going to run, they stood me up in the afternoon and anounced that they were going to take me back to 1st phase, That was the straw that broke the camels back. I was put into the THINK ROOM does anyone remember the think room, a 4 wall room nothing in there but concrete and a chair and a guard outside the 2 doors that went into the place, of course I had to fuck with the guard and run to one door like i was going to escape and when he would run to the same door I would run back to the one he left. LOL The only thing is that I realy wanted to leave, I did not want to hurt anybody just to get my point accross but I had to because they woukld say oh you better realy think hard you dont want to leave you will die if you try and make it on your own! Nobody ever watched me go to the bathroom or anything like that, they did take you in by your belt loops or if you were on 2 nd phase or higher you could just get up and go.I was always checking out the woman though, good thing they had them on the other side  I was going to make a run when I got there but a friend that was ordered there with me LOUIE Jones ran after the 3rd day there and got away lucky bastard! that put the lock down on my ass cause they knew we were tight friends. I always a fantasy to be able to run and make it I used to sit around and think about it all day long its what got me throught the longest 6 months of my life. then Once I was kicked out They took me down to JDC in St. Pete remember that place??? I was free at last more there than straight even when those doors would lock at night! I did not have no one hanging onto my beltloops and I got to eat a real meal not out of a can and blended with all these other can foosd that the parents would bring in, and you were doing good to get bread with it! I got to work in the kitchen at JDC and only a week I was in there before my guidence counslor came got me and took me to a half way house, then a week later after that I went to see the Judge, I did not complete the straight program like i was ordered I thought for sure I was on my way to Trento NJ. Because later on I found out my Mom was going to not take me back home and the only other place I could have gone would have been Trenton, but thank God my Mom Loved me enough and it was Mothers day the day I had to see the judge, and the Judge said I had belonged in straight for 6 months I had to have learned something, he gave me probation with the exception My mother want me to come home, and sure enough she did!! what a great ending. But my point is that I had made up my mind I was not going back to STRAight PERIOD! And guess what a person That had graduated the program I met up with him and guess who turned me back on to smoking pot YOU GOT IT HIM! I smoked pot and did other drugs even when I was in the Service, But I did quit doing everything back in 1986 turned it all around and did not do anything! I been just fine since then. I am Happly married with 2 fine sons 18 months and 4 months old. And a beatuful wife Debbie for 4 years now. Remeber how every one would yell out when you sat back down after you would reveal everything personal about your self and be totaly exposed?? then they would yell " WE LOVE YOU DAVID" HOW NAUSIATING NOW WHEN I THINK BACK. And what was with those fricking songs, Sung like the micky mouse version STRAIGHT INC! or JOY, Or the one that would make me want to vomit ITS A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL. every one sound off on here as what age you are now and how old you were in straight. I feel as if Im the only one that is the oldest on here. "LOVE YOU EVERYBODY" Now lets have a song!

[kpickle39]

Greetings!  I too was in St. Pete.  My experience lasted from Dec '78 - '80.  We may even know each other?  So. . . some of the stuff that you said about the abuse (or lack of it) I agree with.  There was not that much physical abuse, although I was restrained and sat on when I tried to leave on my 18th birthday in 1978.  I was on the receiving end and to me, what I received was physical abuse.  The abuse that you and I received was much more subtle.   The lack of water was a problem.    I remember the liquid, unsweetened cool-aid, with no sweetner.  Those dixie riddle cups are 4oz each. . . man that's 8 fucking ounces of water a day and in that building?  The summer was unbelieveably hot.  To me, that was abuse.  I remember trying to load up on the water during my shower and my oldcomer telling me to quit.  How about the exercise raps.  Those really sucked; again in a metal building working my ass off.   No, we got some "hot" food (if that is what you want to call it}, but it sure wasn't very nutritious.  And I do remember eating pb adn also swimmers.  Do you remember those fucking sandwiches?  Yuck.  Straight really went downhill when V.Miller Newton, aka satan, came on board.  Ms. Pete, bless her bitchy heart (NOT), left and opened LIFE (Life is for Everyone), whatever the hell that means.   I say good riddence.  Unfortunately, that left Satan and that mutherfucker was out  of control.  It is good you left when you did.   Take a close look at what you endured.  From what I can tell by you post, you went thru some shit and I would label that shit as child abuse.   I think you would too.  

Anyway, welcome to the straightling sites.  It is always great to hear from St. Pete folks, especially older ones.  I am also 41, have a 21 year old son and yes, I made it despite of Straight.  BTW - do you still live in the Tampa Bay area?   I live in Tallahassee now.  Are you coming to the conference?  See http://www.trebach.org/abuse for more information.  Take care -

Mike, Straight Survivor '78 - '80

[Kenterprises]

Hey mike thanks for the reply, I think I left in Sept or october I think before you got there, no later than 1978, all I could think about was January was going to be my 18 Birthday and I was gonna walk out of there, from what I read including yourself It does not happen that way. Remember the think room? I spent a week in there I was happier in there than in the "Group" what phase did you make it to?.Do you remember the address to that Bld that was the straight we were in? where was it located, was it located off of Hwy 19? let me know if you could. Yeah Mrs Peterman what a bitch. remmeber Jim the older guy. There was a girl named JOY there I wonder if she is the one who they are talking about. There was 2 brothers there as well one was the name John and I want to say his brother's name is Mike? I live in Cleveland now, But am moving back to  the Tampa area within the year just waiting for our house to sell. I wanted to drive by the old  Camp to reflect back, I just want to walk around the place just  to be able to Know what I mean do you know what I mean? There was about 300 kids there at the time I left. That fucking hell hole heat Box damn it was hot!!  nice talking to you  Thanks for your replies too. have a good one, We did it without straight!

[kpickle39]

The Straight building that I was in was right behind Tyrone Square mall.  It was in an industrial area.  I remember looking out the big roll up doors toward the overpass on Gandy Blvd (I think).  I so wanted to jump on the back of a beer distributor truck or some other kind of vehicle and get the heck out of there.  The building prior to that was on Park Blvd I think, also in the industrial area.   So have you visited the conference web-site yet.  I would love to meet you at the conference this year.  Do you know any other straightlings that may interested in the conference?  Let me know -

Take care -

Mike

btw - I graduated the program in 14+ months.

[Kenterprises]

Wow , when did they move to the bld by Tyrone Blvd? that too was not with AC? Ok you say it was on Park Blvd. do you remember any cross rds near that, I had lived on 30th ave. and 16th street at the time. If I was comming from Tampa accross Gandy bridge what way would i take to get there that would be closest from comming from Tampa, anyhelp at all would be great.I dont beleive how the years have gone by, after I was able to get out of there, I went to live with my sister and her husband and from there I went to work for Eastern Airlines at Tampa International Airport.for about a year and half then went to work at Bush Gardens and then went into the Army for 4 years, got out in 83. spent time 2 years in Alaska and 2 years in Savannah ga. got out and lived a few more years in Savannah got married and divorced with in 1 year and left there in l;ater part of 85 and My mom had cancer then and died in January of 86, I miss her we were close. then it was 'nt a few months later in October I moved out to San Diego Ca. and & spent almost 10 years out there and came back to Ohio to see my Dad 6 years ago(they were divorced sinse I was 6 years old) and been here ever since. I am a Painting contractor I work for my self. I have been doing that since 85. I met my wife here and we have 2 sons, cant wait to get back to Tampa though. Hey how  is it there where you live is it as hot as Tampa? I thought about moving not so close to the city, but I love going to the bridges gandy and fishing. I plan on buying a boat when we get down there. but I want to have some room as well, 1-2 acres if possible. I might take a cource in Home Inspections and do that to cut down on the Painting, Im getting older and starting to slow down with doing that but still enjoy it. what do you do? where did you live when you were in straight?. I remember that bld. on Park Blvd. there was a long road going in and that was the only road you could go out on.
what ever happen to mrs Peterman? I remember this tall big boy named  Hendrix I also remember a kid named  Sean, had glasses. remember when everyone would yell
SPLIt   SPLIT when someone would try to run out ? LOL  How come you did not leave when you were 18 I know you tried to once  and said they sat on you but I thought they would or could not keep you once you turned 18?  I know the Last name of those 2 brothers I mentioned in the last forum there Last name  was HARMON  DON & John do you remember them? talk to you soon

[kpickle39]

Good evening - Hey, let me try and answer some of your questions.  The one I will try and tackle first is ". . . How come you did not leave when you were 18. . . ."  Ok, let's see. . . I wasn't physically allowed to leave when I was on first phase.  I tried one time seriously (when I was slammed and sat on ) and one half hearted time.  After 33 days, I began to play the game just so I could keep my sanity.  On my higher phases, it was made clear to me that I was to finish the program or I was out on my own.   I actually did leave on 4th phase, but came back.  I guess I could have left, but, I had no where to live, I had no job, I had no money,  I had no transportation, I had no real skills, I had no clothing other than that which I was wearing.  I was like a dog in the rain, I needed a porch to climb under.    

hey, I remember the Harmon brothers.  I went to school with John Harmon at Safety Harbor Jr. High.  He was on 5th phase when I came in the program.  Man he was a riot.

Take care, hope to meet you sometime.

Mikey, Straight Survivor '78 - '80