Strait kids

HISTORY





September 23, 1970. Art Barker created The Seed in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, a teenage drug rehabilitation organization that would follow the treatment ideals conceived by The Synanon Church, a liberal cult which had been used to treat adult heroin addicts. This therapeutic community used a method called ‘The Game’ comprised of confrontational meetings, intimidation and violence to ensure sobriety, obedience and program dogma. The ambition of The Seed was to weed out the evil influences that had spread throughout the youth of America and to win this war, “by any means necessary”. The Seed’s methods of treatment were confronted by the U.S. Senate with comparisons to North Korean communist brainwashing techniques and sect activities. The Senate stated that The Seed’s teenage clients were “subjected to experimental and potentially harmful treatments”. The Seed was therefore shut down in 1974.

April 22, 1976. Mel Sembler and Joe Zappala, whose children had been enrolled in The Seed, founded Straight, Inc. in St. Petersburg, FL., under the promise that it would only take the positive ideals from its predecessor and leave behind the abuse - to be a more humane program. Straight, Inc. opened it doors in the former The Seed building to treat white, upper-middle class youths afflicted with drug addiction. Although nine of the founding board members resigned within the first year claiming Straight Inc. was “as bad or worse” than The Seed, Straight Inc. remained in operation for the next 17 years with its success record noted by President Ronald Regan, Vice President Bush and their wives. Even Princess Diana came to a treatment facility to be shown America’s efforts in winning its war on drugs. Straight, Inc. grew during the 80’s to become the nation’s leading youth treatment program with facilities in California, Texas, Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, Virginia, Georgia, and Maryland. Eventually, long standing investigations of insurance fraud and child abuse caught up with Straight, Inc. State after state their facilities began to close.

Through all the closings, Straight, Inc. officials dodged through legal loopholes and opened fresh facilities with new names, clean slates and old money. Similar programs with the same treatment model and rules began appearing all over America. Dr. Miller Newton, National Director of Straight, Inc., left the organization after taking the blame for a number of lawsuits. In turn Straight, Inc. helped fund Dr. Newton in the creation of the KIDS of America programs. When Straight, Boston was closed for having no clinically approved staff (the staff’s only qualification was having completed the program), the children were transferred to KIDS of Bergen County. After KIDS of Salt Lake was closed by the State of Utah, LIFE-LINE was created by KIDS executive Shane Petersen in the same building. Straight Inc. executive Helen Peterman left the organization following allegations of her kicking and slapping several boys for passive resistance and went on to create the LIFE program. In Orlando, FL on the same day after the closing of Straight, Inc., SAFE, Inc. was created by the executive director Michael Scaletta. All clients were transferred from Straight, Inc. to SAFE, Inc. and the building was subleased to SAFE, Inc. from Straight, Inc. and the clients never changed program status or even left their chairs.

September 26, 1985. During some of the early lawsuits Straight, Inc. filed a name change to the Straight Foundation, Inc. An article was added stating that in the event a legal judgment was made against a board member that foundation money could be used to pay the judgment. The Straight Foundation Inc. became only a financial institution and stopped the active treatment of clients. Also on the 26th of September, the board of directors created a new company called Straight, Inc. The new Straight, Inc. and the Straight Foundation, Inc. shared the exact same board of directors, mailing address and letterhead. The new penniless Straight, Inc. would now officially operate the treatment facilities. This left a legal gap between the money coming in The Straight Foundation, Inc. and the treatment itself Straight, Inc., avoiding future lawsuits against the bulk of the programs wealth.

During these years of operation there were numerous reported claims of abuse. The abuses included physical abuse i.e. prolonged restraints, broken bones, head trauma, dislocated limbs, black eyes, bruises and more. There were alleged sexual assaults perpetrated by staff and other clients, a few convictions of rape and forced abortions. There were many claims of false imprisonment, misdiagnoses, kidnapping and holding legal adults against their will. Lastly, there was an overwhelming claim of psychological abuse leading to hospitalization, insanity, murder, PTSD, and over 100 suicides.

Over $11,000,000.00 has been distributed to state fine, reimbursements to insurance companies and damages in personal lawsuits. State investigations, having forced Straight, Inc. to close a facility merely led to clients being transferred to other Straight, Inc buildings. On a few occasions closings led to the facility being moved to different district or state, with none of the previously enforced stipulation. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been given to political contributions leading to the appointments of ambassadorships for Joe Zappala and Melvin Sembler while political influences noted by state investigators for licensing. Tax records show over $100,000,000.00 flowing through Straight, Inc. during its years of operation. Misrepresentation and a political cover-up have all been documented. With board members like Jeb Bush and Mel Sembler fundraising for the Republican national party, many lawsuits would disappear and licensing continued without regards to state officials protest.

Throughout the years Straight, Inc. and its successors, LIFE and KIDS, gradually expanded their treatment programs from drug addiction to homosexuality reform, eating disorders, rebellion and general behavior modification. The executives who administered these facilities today are highly respected among the Republican Party leadership, dictate national drug policies, have ambassadorships and have made millions of dollars off these programs, while former clients suffer from nightmares suicidal tendencies and mental turmoil, and are disregarded as drugies, deviants or lost causes. Today the founders of Straight, Inc are proposing bills before congress that if passed would make this treatment model the only directly federally funded youth rehabilitation program in the United States, bypassing all state regulations and oversight.