Woodside Trails: abuse, or government conspiracy?

[Antny]

Hi all,
I don't know if any of you saw the media coverage of Woodside Trails Therapeutic Camp in Texas.  If you did, I want you to know that there is WAY more to the story than you got from the media.  Basically, The State Comptroller in TX wants to be the next Governor.  She took on a mission to reform child care in TX (a noble cause)  Unfortunately, she is impervious to evidence or reason in her decisions.  Woodside Trails was a permanent camp (not forced marches) that treated juvenile sex offenders (not the poor lost foster children that the media portrayed).  The camp is long term, and it's outdoors, living in shelters that the kids build along with the staff (talk about building self esteem and fostering competence).  Ever built your own house?  
Anyway, when you work with sex offenders, allegations fly.  I'll cut to the chase:  Strayhorn (the Comptroller) went to investigate the camp.  She brought undercover media with her and even went so far as to introduce them as her staff.  She masterfully excercised her media connections to have them air horribly biased coverage of the camp, and blast the camp.  In the meantime, she called CPS 54 times herself to report abuse or neglect (really unfounded).  Of course CPS has to interview each kid at the camp (48 total) b/c of the allegations by the comptroller.  During the forced investigations, 2 campers made allegations about staff members sexually abusing them.  The staff were arrested.  One kid recanted his statements, but they still indicted the staff.  The other kid is completely mangled from the horrific sexual and physical abuse that he went through  as a young child, and could hardly be believed.  Anyway...I know the people at the camp, and I know what went on there.  I say this:

Caorlle Keeton Strayhorn just used her power as State Comptroller to wrongfully shut down a camp that was giving treatment to some of the toughest cases in the State of Texas.  She immorally, unethically used the media to back her move, and get all kinds of publicity b/c she is planning to run for governor.  

Is it legal for a politician (publically elected official) to use the media in this way?  

I know that Camps have gotten a bad wrap in the media, but I swear to you, I saw lives changed for the better there.  Those kids were better cared for at camp than their families could ever imagine![ This Message was edited by: Antny on 2004-10-25 17:40 ]

[Deborah]

Folks,
Go to this news story and watch the clip of Woodside Trails, and its owner.... see what cha think.
http://www.woai.com/troubleshooters/sto ... 52b79b2ec3

Others:
http://www.woai.com/troubleshooters/sto ... 89227F5D72

http://www.news8austin.com/content/your ... rID=103091

Photo Gallery:
http://www.window.state.tx.us/forgotten ... s0203.html

Original thread at Fornits:
http://www.fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.ph ... 52&forum=9

Anthony,
Are you refering to those open air 'tents', with tarp roofs, as 'houses'?? I can see the benefit in that activity... but to live year round in them?? How did they stay warm in the winter? Did staff sleep in the huts with them? Was there hot water at the outdoor shower? Tell us the story about the infamous Pee Wall. That's got to be a good one.
Was Woodside required to comply with the State Regs for wilderness programs? In your opinion, was Woodside in compliance with those regs?
How did the young man who OD'd gain access to the meds, not once, but twice?
What was a typical days menu?
Were the boys schooled?
And what's up with the therapy mentioned in the video? Where the young rape victim was made to reinact the rape 'as the victim'??? Was that staff member a licensed professional or just another staff emplimenting their 'experimental' approach on captive guinea pigs?
Sounded like perhaps about half the boys were placed by CPS. If that's the case, were the other half private pay? What was the going rate for both?
Lots of questions!! How you stick around to answer them.


It's tough that Woodside was the first to go down. Hopefully they won't be the last.


http://www.window.state.tx.us/news/40826statement.html
For Immediate Release:
Thursday, August 26, 2004
 Contact: Mark Sanders
512-463-4070

STATEMENT FROM COMPTROLLER STRAYHORN ON THE CLOSURE OF WOODSIDE TRAILS

"Late yesterday, the Department of Family and Protective Services effectively closed the Woodside Trails therapeutic camp in Bastrop by revoking its license. It's about time.

"Almost five months ago I called for the immediate removal of all children from Woodside Trails and similar camps until the facilities were brought up to permanent therapeutic camp standards.

"I also recommended that the licenses of facilities with repeated violations be revoked. Woodside Trails certainly falls into that category.

"I trust that the Department will be diligent in closing other similar facilities and adopting another of my recommendations that will prohibit any closed facilities from opening under another name.

"I hope the children removed from Woodside Trails will find the love and nurturing they so desperately need and deserve."

[Deborah]

This would be a good one to poll.
Folks can watch the video above and vote on whether they'd send their kid to Camp Pee Wall or not.
Or we might vote on whether or not we think the place should have been shut down, based solely on the evidence presented in the video, forget about the unproven allegations of abuse and inappropriate sexual activity. Or should I say, yet to be proven.
The Hell Holes in Texas are goin down.

[Antny]

On 2004-10-25 19:03:00, Deborah wrote:

"

This would be a good one to poll.

Folks can watch the video above and vote on whether they'd send their kid to Camp Pee Wall or not.



Yeah...media.  That's bullshit media.  The wall was for privacy, not to pee on.  Soak it all up, because you really don't know.

How'd they stay warm...well, for those 3 months where it's a bit chilly in TX, we wrapped clear plastic around the walls (gotta be able to see in for supervision).  We (the counselors) went around and tucked each kid in at night and had plenty of army surpluss blankets and sleeping bags for all.  If it ever got tooo col, we all went up top to the real buildings and slept inside.  

Of course you can base your opinion on the evidence in the video, that's who's campaigning for Strayhorn.  You see, they fed the public a bunch of BULLSHIT that sin't even true.  You want to know the real story?  Or buy the propaganda?

BTW the WOAI news "troubleshooters" ar ethe ones who came in to the camp under the lie that they were part of the comptrollers staff.  The interview with Bebe Gaines (EX. Dir) is at the end of about two months of being blasted by the media and Strayhorn.  

She was relentlessly on the side of the kids.

22 kids are suing CPS for the ordeal, in an effort to force the realities to come out, and the facts to be known.

The kids chose to be there, not one was forced.  Of course their alternative was often TYC, yet the choice was theirs.

[Deborah]

What of the other 26? Were they private pay? Why were they there?

Regardless of the media or Strayhorn's alleged intention and deception, the images they captured -in and of themselves- were damning. As were the allegations of abuse and method of therapy described.

[nite owl]

She was relentlessly on the side of the kids!

Isn't that a change?  Usually the authorities are relentlessly on the side of the programs..
Finally someone has the courage to take a stand for the abused children who suffer in these programs.  I have a nine year old boy. I can't immagine sending him to a place like that for any reason what-so-ever.

You never see animals going through the absurd and often horrible fooleries of magic and religion. Only man behaves with such gratuitous folly. It is the price he has to pay for being intelligent but not, as yet, intelligent enough.
--Aldous Huxley, author

[Anonymous]

Deborah,
The staff did stay in the shelters with the children year round.  And about the outdoor shower?  If you have lived in Texas you would know how hot it gets during summer.  Those 'showers' were used only in the summer for the staff and children to cool down from the heat.  As with schools and other situations in the world, it is difficult for a certain number of staff to watch all the children there.  If a child could find a way to get away from the staff, yes they probably could get to the medicine and OD.  The children also had a cook that cooked all their meals (might I add that she was a very kind woman).  They had full nutritional meals.  The boys did go to school while at the camp.  And about the therapy mentioned, was any of that really investigated?
Most of the boys were placed at the camp by the state.  And Woodside Trails was a non-profit organization.  I know some of the boys that went there and they state that their lives greatly improved by going to the camp.  I know the owner, and I have never known people that care so much about sex offenders and helping them as much as Bebe.  She gave them her all to help them and she has helped the children that go to the camp for over 20 years.  Just because an official wants to look good to the public so she can become governor doesn't mean that a non-profit organization that has worked for over 20 years should be shut down without proper investigation to the alligations made.  And about your comment about hopefully Woodside wouldn't be the last to go down, that just tells me that you want sex offenders back on the streets.  Hopefully you don't have a child to take care of, hate for one of those boys to repeat their past actions.  But you seem to be fine having sexual preditors out on the streets, so sleep tight knowing you probably caused a sexual assalt on someone.  

Hopefully there will be more people that look at all sides of the situation.  And that less people act as ignorant as you.

[Anonymous]

Your 9 year old would only be there if he needs to and if he chooses to.  And luckily for you he probably doesn't need to go there.  But now you have even more sexual preditors out on the streets that could attack your 9 year old.  And I know I am making it sound like these boys are horrible creatures, but this is true for most of them.  Some were abused themselves before going to the camp.

[Antny]

On 2004-11-02 10:18:00, Deborah wrote:

"

What of the other 26? Were they private pay? Why were they there?



Regardless of the media or Strayhorn's alleged intention and deception, the images they captured -in and of themselves- were damning. As were the allegations of abuse and method of therapy described.



"

Well, not exatcly, some were Juvenile Probation kids, and some don't have any families to speak of...I don't suppose that the CPS custody kids would sue CPS.  You obviously don't have a very deep understanding of the nature of the system we're dealing wit hin this case.

I will acknowledge that the pics and footage were damning, but I bet I could walk in your house at some point, find a mess and capture it on film, then brand you as a slob using it as evidence.  Nobody's perfect all the time.  Does that mean that because you had a mess, you're a slob?

What do you know about the "method of therapy described"  What description?  Sort of like the accurate description of the "pee wall"?

[Antny]

Hey, I don't know who this Anon is, but for the record...it isn't me.  Someone else out there knows what was going on at Woodside.

[Deborah]

A sideline story re: 'treatment' of offenders in
Indiana, by a Texas company

School would serve sex offenders
Charter request is one of 4 that could be approved by mayor for 2005 opening.

Hearing today
Mayor Bart Peterson's Charter Schools Board will hold public hearings on all four new charter school proposals, starting at 5:30 p.m. today.

The hearing will be held in the second-floor Public Assembly Room at the City-County Building.  
By Kim L. Hooper
http://www33.brinkster.com/ethical/stories.htm
Mrs. Childs, Indiana (Resolute Treatment Center)
?He was involved with a group of kids, mostly around his age, who were voluntarily performing various sex acts. Unfortunately two of the girls were a few years younger...There was never any accusation of force or intimidation.?

Danny Phillips, Indiana (Resolute Treatment Center)
?Every time I met with any counselor/group leader, he or she would try to tell me when I was telling lies and when I was denying details of my offenses during disclosures. They tried to force me to say things that were untrue and disgusting. They tried to make me say that I'd done something to Esther, Joel, Charity and Mom!?

http://www.indystar.com/forums/showthre ... ge=1&pp=15
Message Forum:
On Wednesday, October 27th we will be having another rally. This time it is at Resolute, in Indianapolis, from 12:30 to 3:30. The address is 320 N. Tibbs Ave.

Resolute is a sister facility to Resource. They have been there about 10 years and the "victims" are all boys who have been charged as sex offenders. These young boys are guilty of exploring their sexuality through consentual sex acts. There are no rapists at Resolute. There are also no girls. Boys are always the molesters
and girls are their victims. It doesn't matter that the girl may have been older or may have initiated whatever happened. Resolute uses unlicensed therapists. "Therapy" includes group and individual sessions where boys are forced to talk in great detail about every sexual thought, fantasy and act since age six. They must fill out
fantasy charts each day. If they say they didn't have any fantasies, they are yelled at and called liars. They are constantly threatened with being sent to DOC if they do not "work their program." Parents who do not agree with this program are called "in denial." They can have visiting and phone privileges taken away. Reports to the court
are exagerated and contain many outright lies about what the boy has admitted doing. Boys are abused mentally, emotionally and physically. For this, we the taxpayers, pay $300.00 per child per
day. Many times whole families are destroyed because of the sexual curiosity of one boy.

FACES has tried for nearly two years to get this information out via the media. It has always been silenced. We need a strong showing at this rally to get the attention this problem deserves. Let us know if you can attend, show up, wear a red shirt, bring a sign or use one of ours. We cannot continue to let young lives be destroyed by what
should be a "woodshed" offense that in the past was handled by the family.

Its time to close this Hotel California down,

The waste of taxpayers dollars for all these places is over 100 million a year in the State of Indiana. 100 Million a year for un-licensed people who abuse these children in  the name of the state

Much, much more at the link above. Lots of BS mixed in with info. Reads kinda like Fornits sometimes.

God, does this sound familiar!!

[Antny]

Deb, that's a great story, but it's unrelated to this thread.  Also, you would be well served to stop copying such lengthy text, and summarize key points for the Forum.  It seems like spam to have such lengthy text copied into the discussion furum.

[Kiwi]

On 2004-11-05 06:54:00, Antny wrote:

"Deb, that's a great story, but it's unrelated to this thread.  Also, you would be well served to stop copying such lengthy text, and summarize key points for the Forum.  It seems like spam to have such lengthy text copied into the discussion furum."

I disagree.  It is a bit lengthy but it is hardly War and Peace.  The trouble with just giving a link is that the origial article often disappears after a while.

As for it being off-topic, well, you are new around here but I think you will find we tend to be pretty flexible about such things.

[Anonymous]

Media Release

Contact:

   Jackie D. Reynolds, Jr.
   Brownwood, Texas 76801
   Phone: 325-998-6116
   Web: http://www.whataboutthekids.info
   Email: http://www.whataboutthekids.info.

###

[Troll Control]

On 2005-08-23 20:13:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Media Release



Contact:



   Jackie D. Reynolds, Jr.

   Brownwood, Texas 76801

   Phone: 325-998-6116

   Web: http://www.whataboutthekids.info

   Email: http://www.whataboutthekids.info.



###"

This sounds like the typical bullshit defense of people who have been nailed dead-to-rights.

"They're persecuting me because I'm black (or asian, or satanist, or what-have-you),"  "They're biased," "They have an axe to grind with my employer and I'm taking the hit," etc., etc., etc.

This is just denying the real victims (the children) and shifting the focus off the CRIMINAL SEXUAL PREDATOR.