"Letters to the editor" are re-printed here. theStraights dot com does not necessarily agree with or endorse opinions expressed on this page nor do we guarantee the accuracy of information presented, by responders, as fact. Furthermore, we can not always confirm the authenticity of the submitters.
.

date
posted

I am a very old victim seeking help

To whom it may concern,

My name is Bryan. I am now 45 years old and suffer on an almost daily basis the effects of being in straight incorporated.

I was the 30th person in the St. Petersburg program that was located in south St. Pete.

To this day I can still recall that day as if it were just happening. It was a day that changed my life forever, and certainly not for the better.

I suffer from an anxiety disorder, depression, and other problems that I am sure can be traced back to the mind numbing tactics used even by the earliest days of Straight.

I also fear that at any moment I could be snatched out of my present life and incarcerated for no reason. This paranoia comes and goes, and can be very crippling.

I found your sight today quite by accident. I read an account by someone who had been in the program also. It stirred anger in me that I have felt only a few times in my life.

It brought to light for me that the things that happened to me so long ago were real and did in fact impact my life in such a negative way. I have spent many years trying to tell myself that the things that went on in there couldn't possibly be what is causing the conditions I suffer from today.

As a teen I can remember feeling strong, confident and alive. To this day these feelings are foreign to me, and although not suicidal I struggle on a daily basis to find reasons to continue living even while taking meds for depression and anxiety.

I have been seeing psychiatrists, and counselors since 1984 when I started having psychological problems that manifested itself in the form of agoraphobia.

Since then my life has been a constant roller coaster of ups and downs. I have been on what seems to be every drug related to depression. I was even diagnosed by one doctor as having manic depression and was prescribed Lithium. That was a total nightmare.

Please tell me if there is a way to get my life back together.

Are there psychiatrists that deal specifically with this form of
abuse?

Are there groups for Straight survivors locally? (I live in Tampa Fl.)

Any help you can offer will be appreciated.

Thank you,

Bryan, Tampa

_________________________

REPLY: Dear Bryan,

Thanks for writing. You were in a cult and as far as cults go, a very destructive one. I'm sorry to hear that you suffer all these years later, but you are not alone. I would suspect you suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, but I am not a mental health authority and can not give opinions or advice. Hopefully you've told your therapist was done to you at Straight.

Please contact Wellspring in Ohio http://wellspringretreat.org/ and at least talk to them. They specialize in trying to undo special treatments like you have experienced. Also at teh top of my web page www.thestraights.net is a link to discussion forums. Take the link to Straight survivors and post your letter there. You willl at least find comfort from other who were there. Many from Pinellas County. They will have lots of advice or coping and seeking help.

We have held conferences and explored suing them to get relief for victims such as yourself. Unfortunately, the statues of limitation seem to be almost unsurmountable. There is a current lawsuit called PumpGate that has brought much attention to the plight of former Straight victims. Therre could possibly be hope of a claims bill as soon as a Democrat governor regains power in Florida.

Good luck,

Wes Fager
.

I had no idea

I came upon "thestraights.net" completely by accident. I'm shocked that in my studies of cults and of political issues in the Tampa Bay area, I never came across your website before.

A bit about where I'm coming from: I'm a lifelong resident of Pinellas County, where my father works for a defense contractor. My first encounter with cultic activity in the Bay area was, naturally, with the Church of Scientology who actively tried to recruit my sister at the tender age of 10 when she was studying violin with two very active Scientologists. I am currently applying to law and social work programs, hoping to research bioethics and social welfare. I question many drug treatment programs, as a friend of mine committed suicide a few years ago after being in and out of residential treatment. I had never heard of Straight, Inc. though I knew who Mel Sembler was.

So I am now in an even more interesting position. The reason I found your site was that I was looking up my boyfriend's father's name. He died 12 years ago. He was involved with the St. Pete Chamber of Commerce and in getting many of the downtown USF development things going. I know my boyfriend had nothing to do with this as he was a mere child, and I know he has nothing to do now with the land development work being conducted by his step-family. I have some personal opposition to these things on an environmental/social level, but more so, I am horrified at the thought that somehow cultic activity was RELATED to all of the development/ "renovation" efforts in St. Pete. In my 23 years in this city, I have witnessed increased racism (from both whites and blacks) and increased division between rich and poor.

I have always suspected that something was not right in this area, and though I am still trying to make sense of all of the information on your site, I am thankful that someone has given me some answers.

Thank you and bless you eternally,
"Anne"
Florida
.

I attend J.E.B. Stuart High School and until recently I was not a fan of Riddile. This past year however my views have changed slightly upon actually talking to the guy. I am really interested in this Straight Inc. situation that happened while under Riddile's watch and this is the first time I have actually heard any of these allegations. I'm curious to know why this part of his past has been so hidden from us, but before I attempt to start a controversy at my school I want to get all the information I can. Your website is very helpful.

Anonymous comment to DFAF blog

Sent to members of the Milord City Schools Board members and high school principal:

Dear Sirs and Madams:

I have recently viewed the following Channel 9 story regarding Kids Helping Kids.

I am aware that you have an agreement with this organization as later "phases" allow school attendance.

Given the I Team report, may I please inquire for what reason(s) you have aligned yourself with this program? The segment on "motivating" concerns me greatly. As district policy, are you comfortable
with this? Based on this Channel 9 report, students you have from this program are required to do "motivating." How does one teach students whom they know are going through this type of treatment? Do you as a district support this? Do agree that it is just "exercise"?

To view the report:
http://www.wcpo.com/wcpo/localshows/iteam/92a2f60.html

To begin research on the connection between KHK and Straight: (God Bless Wes)
http://thestraights.net/wes-bio.htm

Thank you for your time.
A very concerned parent
DNorton

Editor,

I was in Staight Springfiled from October 31, 1987 to January 1989. The name Brad Martin sounds somewhat familiar, though I don't remember too many of the guys as we were all separated. I do know there were a few guys who were worse off sad than others. You could tell the place got to some kids more than others, and that some weren't doing too well when they came in in the first place. If you had a description I might remember a bit more. Also, my parents both hosted boys in their homes as well.

Anyway, since you asked, I am volunteering :)

I just started looking Straight up on the internet last Sunday. Except for a few girls I knew for a few months after leaving Straight, I haven't really talked about it at all with anyone except in a very general way. I had no idea that there were so many things happenning, I am even more shocked to see that things are still going on. I saw a video of a SAFE in Florida where the girls were holding their hands up to go to the bathroom. I have horrible memories of that. I had the worst problems relating to that particular cruelty. Also, I have also been hoping to meet anyone who was there at that time as well, more preferably girls but anyone really. Have others contacted you?
Thanks,
Princess
.

We were sent a copy of a letter to the editor Leigh Bright sent to the Washington Post which covered Dr. Mel Riddile's recent award as MetLife/NASSP High School Principal of the year:

Dear Editor,

I just read Jay Mathews' article on J.E.B. Stuart's Principal, Mel
Riddile and I'm flabbergasted that in the details of Mr. Riddile's
illustrious career in Fairfax County, one place of employment was
suspiciously left out!

Mel Riddile was not only the Director of Straight Incorporated in
Springfield, Virginia during the 1980s but it was during Mr.
Riddile's tenure that the landmark case, Collins vs. Straight emerged.

I'm sure you remember Straight, Incorporated as it was front page
news in the Washington Post for more than a decade before County
officials finally ran them out of town for inhumane treatment,
neglect, and child abuse.

Contrary to Fairfax County spokesman Paul Regnier's assertion that
Mr. Riddile has a "strong and practical belief that education is the

key to a better life," most of the children who were held captive in
Straight were not allowed to pursue their education until they
"earned the right" to achieve a third phase status in order to attend
school. Due to this appalling fact, an overwhelming majority of
persons who attended Straight never completed their high school educations, but
instead, were forced to obtain their G.E.D.'s. However, despite his
Directorship over Straight Springfield, Mr. Riddile neither said nor
did anything to change this fact for children and we all know that
actions speak much louder than words.

In addition, it is ironic that Mr. Regnier relayed a story of Mr.
Riddile going up on the roof to fix an air conditioning unit because
Mr. Riddile was "not about to let kids be unable to learn algebra for two hours
because it was too hot to learn." This assertion by Mr. Riddile is a
long way from the "sweat raps" he subjected children to in Straight
Incorporated. But then, I suppose Mr. Riddile was "teaching" us
something more valuable than algebra, which was that, as quoted by a former
Staff member in the Washington Post in 1983, druggie children "lost
their rights" when they chose to (allegedly) use substances.

When I was in Straight, in 1982, Mr. Riddile was present in the Open
Meeting when I repeatedly begged the fifth phasers to allow me to
deposit my diarrhea in a toilet. My requests were ignored and
refused. After my bowels inevitably released, I was forced to remain
sitting in my feces for several hours. When I was finally taken to the bathroom
an attempt was made to force me to put my soiled underwear back on.
Am I supposed to believe that Mr. Riddile was unaware of this event
- despite both his presence at the meeting and his Directorship over
said program?

When you consider the blame that President Bush took for the Katrina
/ FEMA disaster, one has to question why Mr. Riddile was never held
responsible for the numerous criminal actions taken by his
adolescent staff and clients toward the minors under his alleged
care. In fact, none of the Directors of Straight were ever held responsible for their
criminal actions against children. Instead, for those who didn't
simply change the name of their program from Straight Incorporated to their current
new-name(s), these former Directors have moved on to other
illustrious careers, (just as Mr. Riddile), to continue "working" with children.

Much like the D.A.R.E. program, which originated from the efforts
and policies of Straight's founder and current Ambassador to Italy
(Melvin and his wife Betty Sembler), I can now clearly understand why so many
former Straight clients choose to home-school their children,
because, as the title of Mathews' piece asserts, the real terrorists have a
"Wide Reach."

Sincerely,

Leigh Bright
Author: Straight Incorporated: Behind Closed Doors
.

I run an extremely popular blog that I'm linking your site to in
tonight's post. Here's the connecting comment that will be posted with
the link.

It seems to me that those who endured the hell that was Straight, Inc.
should consider themselves "POW's"...Yes, the War On Drugs took
prisoners. Sadly, this hasn't sunk into the minds of the people of the
United States yet. Those who ran Straight, Inc. and offshoot programs
from Straight are nothing but war criminals...Paperwork could be filed
and should be filed with the UN Human Rights Commission. and persons
involved in the administration of such programs that damaged so many in
the years of their operation should see War Crimes Tribunal charges
pending. Oh, and while we're considering such things, George W. Bush
might want to think about stepping up and backpedalling his connections
to any and all who were involved in the operation of such "drug
treatment programs"...

Mike Davis
http://worlds_end.blogspot.com
.

I was a "client" of Straight-Dallas for most of 1990. I find myself
shocked that in all these years I have never once thought to do a search
on Straight....I never believed that anyone would care to talk about
it. I have been reading your on-line book, and I sometimes have to do
double-takes because it all comes back so vividly. I noticed there are
fewer facts and information listed about Dallas than most other
facilities. If it would be helpful to you, I can give you as much
information as I have. I only made it to 3rd phase (twice) before I
copped-out and wasnt found, but I remained in contact with some of the
Junior and Senior staff members for quite some time after the facility
closed. I learned quite a bit from them about the staff-client sexual
realtionships, abusive and otherwise, that took place. As far as the
report of the girl that commited suicide between 88-90, I was never made
aware of any such incident....although that doesnt count for much. Many
people were just gone one day, and due to the talking behind backs rule,
we were never allowed to discuss them or otherwise be informed by
someone who DID know. No one that I knew after the program was aware of
any suicide that I can recall. Several of the people I was in contact
with engaged in sexual relationships with Execuitve staff and in turn
were promoted faster, 5th phasers took pleasure in having the power to
talk about others outside of their presence, but keeping the information
vauge to the rest of us as a way to deny us something. So, I never
really knew anything until after I was out.

I think the facility closed around 6 months after I left. They had
transported all of the Straight-California kids to our facility because
theirs shut down....it was really horrible after that happened. There
were days when there were no raps, no lunch, no nothing because so many
people were non-compliant that all of the staff and the remaining
complying group had to restrain the violent ones......for hours.

I suppose I really feel a need to talk to someone who understands about
all the things that happened. I would like your permission if you
would, to do this, I dont expect you to read it all.....but it would be
helpful for me personally. I wont try and squish it all in this e-mail,
I will just wait until I hear form you. Hopefully it can provide you
with more information about the Dallas facility as well.

I feel so strange about this, I hope you understand. It seems even in
this attempt to talk about it all of those old tapes are playing,
wanting to prevent me from doing so.

Thanks so much for your efforts to expose these people and their Hells
for Children.
>

"I COPPED OUT!!!"

hello,

i recently came across this site while surfing the
web, and was very surprised at what i found.
in 1989, i was a 14 yr old kid in straight. like
most of the kids in there, i had experimented with pot
and alcohol, and my parents checked me into straight
under the pretense of "going to talk to a counselor
for a couple hours". for the next year, i was
subjected to the exact same kinds of tremendous
physical and psychological abuses that others have
written about on this site. it would be impossible to
convey the sheer horror of this place to anyone who
has not directly experienced it as a helpless child
within the confines of straight themselves.
i "copped out" twice. the first time, i jumped out
of a second storey window in the middle of the night
with the window alarms blaring. it took them nearly
two weeks to catch up to me but when they finally
did... suffice to say that on they day they were
finally dragging me back to the facility, right before
we got there, i jumped out of my parents car and tried
to run in front of a speeding truck to kill myself
rather than go back to straight. for the next several
months, i wished constantly that i had been successful
in my ill-planned suicide attempt, as i endured the
nightmarish day-to-day existence of a first-phaser. i
also discovered, to my amazement, that things could
get even worse, that there was a special place in
straight-hell reserved for copouts who had been
recaptured.
the second time i copped out, i had to physically
fight off my oldcomer when we were leaving the host
home one morning. i got away, called my parents, and
anounced that they would never see me again, because i
was going to jump off a bridge into the chesapeake bay
rather than spend one more second in straight, and i
meant it. i was not going back to straight, and i
wanted my parents to suffer as i felt they had made me
suffer. only the thought of leaving my little brother
prevented me from carrying through with my plan.
eventually i called them (my parents) again, they were
extremely distraught and swore to me that if i came
home they wouldnt try to take me back to straight. i
went home.
despite being constantly warned about how "90% of
all cop-outs and withdrawals are dead from drug
overdose within three years", and despite the school i
missed while i was at straight, i went back to school
and eventually on to graduate from college, getting a
BS in Computer Science from WVU and eventually working
for NASA and Sun Microsystems as a Systems Engineer.
i never told my parents about what went on there,
behind those closed and locked doors, behind that wall
of lies, secrecy, deceit and ill-will that is
straight. we simply didnt talk about straight, didnt
mention it. i never talked about it with anyone at
all, i never thought anyone would believe me... it was
all so outlandish, so dark, so bizarre. people would
just not have believed the things i saw and
experienced in there, or so i thought. it is
unbelievable even to me, to this day. i wont go into
the horror stories... im sure youve heard enough of
them by now. i suppose i just tried to forget about
it, and i suppose that thats what happened.
now, all these years later, i find this site... and
it is unbelievable. i stayed up all night last night,
reading other survivors accounts. i remembered things
that i hadnt thought of in 10 or 15 years, the faces,
the kids, the hatred, the humiliation, everything, and
i cried.
it has been such a relief to find out that you guys
are out there. to know, cliche as it might sound,
that i'm not alone, that i'm not crazy, that this
really did happen. the whole thing is so sad. we
just kids, dammit!!! WE WERE JUST
KIDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE $%#@ WAS WRONG
WITH THOSE PEOPLE?!?!?!?!?!?!
they wrecked our lives, they wrecked our families,
they lied to everyone. now the truth is out.

thank you, and god bless you,
--c colborn
misbehaving straight first-phaser cop-out, circa 1989
well compensated computer-security analyst, circa 2005

P.S. - i have a question about my particular straight
"facility"... it was in the chesapeake bay area of
virginia, and i thought it was called the "hampton
roads" or "virginia beach" facility, but i can find no
mention of a facility by this name. there were a LOT
of kids in there though. my question is: is this the
facility that is refered to as "straight-springfield"?
and if not, why is there no mention of the
hampton-roads straight? and where can i get in
contact with other people who were in my facility? i
have thought about several of them from time to time
and wondered how things turned out for them. i really
am concerned.

thanks again, and again, god bless, and keep up the
good work.
we really appreciate it.

Name withheld
. .

Re: Your editorial “A superb lieutenant”

Dear Editor/Readers:

Toni Jennings is on the advisory board for Straight, Inc. that now calls itself, Drug Free America Foundation, Inc. Straight made famous for intentional infliction of child abuse including; child molestation, beatings, food and sleep deprivation, withholding of medication, brainwashing, intentional infliction of emotional harm, racketeering, and fraud, etc.

In Texas, California and Virginia Straight, Inc., i.e., Drug Free America Foundation, Inc. lost their license to operate due to the above- mentioned fraud and child abuse.

When Florida investigators wanted to close Straight, Inc., i.e., Drug Free America Foundation, Inc., Melvin Sembler, its founder and Chairman, contacted State Senators requesting their assistance to help Straight, Inc., i.e., Drug Free America Foundation, Inc, keep their license.

These senators contacted a top administrator at The Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, now called the Department of Children and Families. The administrator then ordered subordinates on the license survey team to issue Straight’s license, or be “fired on the spot.”

When the F.B.I. started an investigation into racketeering and insurance fraud in 1993 Melvin Sembler again made calls and the investigation went away.

As victims of the abuse and fraud we don’t understand why anyone would want to be associated with Straight, Inc., now calling itself Drug Free America Foundation, Inc. The Governor and his wife are members.

Money in their coffers is blood money from their victims.

Sincerely, Richard Bradbury
8631 May Circle
Tampa, Fl 33614

e-mail: rich.bradbury@verizon.net (813) 933-4873

P.S. I would appreciate it if you would print my entire response.
.