General Interest > Open Free for All
Wayne Kernochan
Ursus:
--- Quote from: "Ursus" ---
--- Quote from: "DannyB II allegedly" ---Don't judge to hard, old man. I was there 14 mons left at 19, thirty three years ago.
Danny
--- End quote ---
Danny, are you now saying that you were only at Elan for "14 months?"
--- End quote ---
I have received clarification from Danny via PM re. his time at Elan and, lest anyone else get the same erroneous impression that I did, post this excerpt here, fwiw:
--- Quote from: "DannyB II" ---I was referring to my employment history with Elan. I was staff/Ass.Director then staff again for 14 months, officially. I was other things for 7 months. For a total of 21 months. 2/77-11/78
--- End quote ---
And yep, for those who might be interested, I did obtain permission to post that. :nods:
none-ya:
Has anyone forwarded a copy of this book to whooter? I'm sure he will go absolutely crazy not being able to post here about this.I'm sure somebody here knows how to reach him. And to Ursus, I can't help but feel your comment about having permission to post a PM in the open, was directed my way, I tried to respond in PM,but he blocked me from doing so and then sent me 4 more.(which I WON'T post). Did I break a cardinal rule?
Ursus:
--- Quote from: "none-ya" ---And to Ursus, I can't help but feel your comment about having permission to post a PM in the open, was directed my way, I tried to respond in PM,but he blocked me from doing so and then sent me 4 more.(which I WON'T post). Did I break a cardinal rule?
--- End quote ---
Why, no, I had my own reasons for posting that, which had nothing to do with you. I didn't mean to imply any judgment, if that's what I did. Sorry 'bout that, if that was how I came across!
:peace:
Dethgurl:
My thoughts on Waynes Book by Danny Bennison
http://http://www.facebook.com/#!/topic.php?uid=2234330403&topic=15521
I have read Waynes book as many here. I will not be trying to compete with his writing skills nor length of his book. He beats me hands down. The book was mesmerizing to say the least. Names were brought up that I have not thought about in years (decades). Some of the people I have/had stayed in contact with throughout the years. So it was interesting to hear their thoughts on the book also. The chronicling of my work history was for the most part off but only by a few months, I was wrote about being at Elan 7 at a time I had already left.
I am not going to get in a big argument about the book at this time if ever. I don't see the need after all. Yes at first I wanted to jump all over it but I was encouraged not to by many. This story brought up old hurts, wounds and anger. I was a resident at Elan for almost 2 years, I watched Elan change into a violent atmosphere in a matter of years. I witnessed the change in residents being brought to Elan from Mental facilities, Juvenile detention centers, Autistic children ect....I watched Staff and Directors leave en-mass and I watched 3 people who are still there deny they are doing children harm, It is beyond shameful.
Back to the book, two people I will talk about that I felt were erroneously portrayed one was my best friend Donald Hampton. I knew Donald prior to coming to Elan, we met at YCC in R.I. We were residents together at Elan, became staff together.
Don was a black guy and while we worked at Elan we were roommmates, along with 3 other people. So I'm sorry I don't know where this racist "nigger shit" is coming from but ya got me confused with someone else. Donald left Elan because of the violence, he worked as staff for a whole 4 months. He hated Elan. AS far as calling people faggots and so forth, well ya got me there. During the football season in 76 George White, Wanye Barnes, Steve Sperry, Mike O'Neil, Alan Frey and others use to egg one another on across the lines calling each other faggots. We would wait to see if George was going to carry the ball and Dominic Parker and myself would call George a faggot if he ran away from us. As far as calling residents faggots as staff no I'm sorry once again not my style.
In early 1978 I was 18 years old and most of the people I wrote about above were my age or a year younger. I was in the program with them, hung out with them and kept in touch with three of them over the years. If you were from Rhode Island and followed college basketball and the NBA during the early 70's you knew Wayne Barnes older brother. His brother was paying for Wayne.
Second person is Mary Jones. Mary has been talked about a lot on this site and fornits. She was used to embarrass me. You guys remember the story of Mary being tied to the back of a Van and dragged around Elan. Now the story is Mary was beaten by 15 to 20 people. Well everyone that really knows Mary Jones finds this to be a bit incredulous. I'll tell you why, Mary had a kidney abnormality so she was never put in the ring or received any kind of physical punishment. This came down from Joe straight from Rhode Island. So I find this a tad difficult to understand because if she was beat she would definitely sustained injuries that probably would have killed her or very near. This is a fact, just ask anyone who knew Mary Jones from 75-79. I feel for Mary and they way she has been treated.
As I said I am not going to minimize this book. I am sure Wayne invested his soul in this book. I do believe it took a lot of courage to put yourself out there. To talk to a audience about what you experienced at 15 years old. No one could have prepared us for Elan and the mind fuck that happened to us. So no, I am not going to fight Wayne or anyone else over the barbarous abuses that went on.
If Wayne was in the House, Elan 7 as he said he was then we both know what I did and what I did not do. I do not have the luxury of remembering Wayne and for this I am sorry. It does not mean you were insignificant it just means I can not recollect.
Wayne I also want to take this time to apologize for any and all harm I caused you either directly or indirectly. I was put in charge to care for you (whether Elan wanted me to do this or not) I knew that you needed to be protected and I failed horribly.
I can only hope in time you can see just how sincere I am.
Now I would also like to take the time to express my sincere apologies to others to have gone to Elan that I was unkind to and down right rude to over the last year or so. As I have said before I could not have prepared myself enough to understand the impact of emotions that stormed back into my life when I ventured onto this site and others concerning Elan.
I did not handle the emotions from others well. I can only hope that Felice, Sharon, Matt, Mark, Wayne and others can forgive my intolerable behavior I displayed here and other sites a while back. My ongoing amends to you all has been to leave you alone and to empathize with your pain and how I can irritate this with my behavior.
I now understand that just by being staff and a Director will be enough for many of you to push me away. I am OK with this now. I guess I have acquired enough information so it is not as important to be heard as it is to listen. I have people I can go to to help me when I need it.
I was so naive and ignorant when I first got here because I had not put two 'n two together yet. This is a survivor site and I was staff. I had never really looked at myself that way. Being staff was just another phase of Elan until I left. I never had any intention of staying at Elan. I just had no other place to go and until I figured out what was next I thought I would just stay there. What was next came 20 months, when I moved to Louisiana and worked in the Gulf of Mexico on oil rigs. I have never looked back since.
Wayne thanks for a great book. Hey I have no problem really you using my name. I am sure I have injured you in some way. Just by being staff.
Just know this, I have a heart and a soul. I love and I am loved. I know what you went through and I am sorry I am a part of your life in the way I am.
Please think about this, you and I know what I did. Part of our healing process is getting honest about our past so we can forgive. Forgiveness does not mean you invite me into your life, forgiveness means we look at our past honestly and have no more illusions about it. We see it as it was and say Ok this is what happened and I am letting it go.
With my love in your healing process,
Danny
P.S. These were just some heartfelt thoughts I had.
Diane love you much.....
My little sister wrote to me the lyrics to the song "Daniel" from Elton John in 1975. I read this letter while sitting in my bunk in the mens dormitory. They converted the mens dormitory into Elan 7 eighteen months later.
I thought that had some significance here.
* I report, you decide :beat:
liarsexposed:
Let me qualify a few statements.
1) This danny BS just drags this forum down
2) posting,reposting,crossposting only shows off how sick,vendictive,and childish this place is
I will not be reading this book,or any others. This cesspool of a site/Elan forum is dying a slow death. Alot like Elan is dying out. Seems the only purpose this place serves is the same as Elan ... To mess with others and show off how sick we all are
My participation has been,and will continue to be scaled back untill a) this forum is dormant b) the sick people arent participating.
This forum makes us all look retarded. It cannot be independently read by an outsider and make sense.
I totally support Wayne. If writing this book makes him feel better,or serves a purpose for him. .Thats great
The only purpose I have seen served is that he stirred up alot of emotions and memories that most people would prefer to not remember.
Personally,I havent any interest,or desire to remember how horrific my life was when I was a young teenager. I cant press any charges. I cant sue them
All I can do is try to get better. And get better I have.
I have had several discussions with a number of people who feel the same way. They log on here. They read the trash. They log off and shake their heads with pity for those who still live in E-3. Seems there are many stuck there. Perhaps its more than that. .I am not a doctor,and I wouldnt even care to guess what would make people do and say what they have.
Best of luck
Art
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