Survivor Wars II: The need for Devil’s Advocacy
Do Right, Hyles-Anderson is alive and well!
I clicked on the link. It appeared to have vanished. Do Right Hyles Anderson appeared again so I rejoined the group but, once again, the group disappeared! It wasn’t until I logged into another Facebook account when I learned it had not vanished. The administrators simply blocked me.
Jocelyn Zichterman seems to be one of the administrators of the Do Right Hyles Anderson board. Jocelyn is the one who called investigators and gave them Tina Anderson’s number. A risky move since, when a similar incident happened during the Bob Gray case, the victim just told the police, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” In the case of Tina Anderson, it worked and a victory was won against Ernie Willis, the man who raped Tina Anderson.
During the Tina Anderson case, I was practically coming unglued that the media seemed to be ignoring the fact that Tina could easily have been sent to an IFB home. That’s how some victims of IFB abuse have been silenced! When I finally reached the journalist who covered most of the Tina Anderson saga, I was surprised to hear she wanted to do a story on IFB homes. Her editors killed the idea because not enough victims had come forward.
What? No victims wanting to come forward? Seriously? Had this reporter not been to Facebook? Multiply? Or even Heal-Online? Immediately, I put the word out and she was swamped with testimonies. ABC News Online finally gave that subject its due. Biblical Reform School Discipline: Tough Love or Abuse was the first national article to mention the Survivors of Institutional Abuse and their convention which was held this year in Long Beach, CA. That article proved instrumental in bringing solidarity amongst victims and survivors.
It was during this time when I found out a number of survivors trusted Jocelyn to tell their story to ABC only to find out that never happened. An ugly thread war started on Facebook.
Today, the folks at Do Right, Hyles Anderson are propagating the idea that the FBI wants survivors to give their stories to certain advocates within that circle (Jocelyn?) and then they will evaluate the stories and decide which to report to authorities. This has resulted in a number of Facebook posts where people claimed to have contacted the FBI only to learn the FBI does not use third party advocacy.
Victims who might be involved with the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana scandal are being urged to call the Merrillville, Indiana office at (219)769-3719 and speak with Agent Chikantek. All calls are confidential.
Cathy Harris of FB revealed that a person at the FBI told her, “3rd parties to gather reports and round up victims for the FBI is not how the FBI goes about an investigation.” The testimony can be tainted if the story passes through too many hands. The defense lawyers would love this!
This is not the first time I have been blocked from a Facebook page. I was blocked by Jeri Massi, for reasons that possibly lurk between my negative review of Schizophrenic Christianity and editing the protest against Calvary Bible Church in Lima, Ohio. That church supported Hephzibah House, which is a cause she apparently feels quite proprietary about.
Why write about this issue? To get people to steer clear of certain advocates? To argue they may be ‘moles’ working as false advocates? Not at all!
The purpose is deal with the wider issue of ‘Survivor Wars’. Angela Smith, founder of HEAL-Online, helped me edit an article about survivor conflicts that is currently posted at California Heal. It’s about the need for Devil’s Advocacy within Advocacy. Angela is no stranger to Survivor Wars having been the target of other ‘advocacy groups’ during the lifespan of her network of advocates.
HEAL has been quite successful. Not only have they persuaded some parents from sending their children to teen containment camps, but they have the distinction of shutting down a number of abusive homes. A growing amount of survivors from IFB homes are joining the cause and victims are gaining the knowledge that turns them into survivors.
There are always detractors when you have success.
If you step away from HEAL or even the two J’s I referenced, you’ll find numerous ‘minor’ survivor wars occurring on Facebook and possibly other message boards. ‘Minor’ in the sense few know about them. If you keep your ear on the virtual grounds, they’re kind of difficult to miss.
So what’s the solution? Plead that we all stand united since we all have a common enemy? That might be myopic.
We’re probably confused as to who or what the enemy is. We might say it’s the abusers and those who cover it up, but what about the philosophical beliefs used by the abusers to control?
Is it possible to stand against abuse and still endorse the concept of a patriarchy?
Can one stand against the abusive teen containment centers and maintain conservative Republican values if the party, as a whole, defends them?
Can one truly counsel a victim of incest that the abuse wasn’t her fault and, at the same time, champion the biblical figure of Lot as a just man? After all, his daughters got him drunk and forced themselves on him! Try to argue that in court.
We are all different and it might be impossible for all of us to agree. The damaging psychology of IFB group think can easily be carried over into the world of survivordom. How to stop it?
The solution isn’t to feverishly warn people about the abuses of so called advocates, but to wise up and ‘kill’ that part of us that is addicted to the ‘messiah/hero complex’. It’s that part of us still looking for a ‘hero’ or ‘messiah’ to come in and single handedly win the battle against the IFB, the Catholic Church, Hollywood, Washington DC, and the abusive father next door.
That’s our job.
It’s a tough job and seemingly impossible. The good news is each new scandal brings a fresh crop of people ready to take no prisoners in their pursuit of accountability and justice. Perhaps they can learn from the mistakes of those who came before them? However, you can’t do that if you’re devoted to never critiquing the methods of fellow survivors. It’s part of growing up.
Facebook groups are, in reality, the visions of only a few people. It’s time to recognize that and to stand as individuals. Without groups. Like a true movement. Making strong and logical arguments. And whenever we see flame wars and survivor wars, just accept that ‘such is life’. Do what we can to mend fences and, if that not be possible, just move on to the next battlefield.
Posted on August 9, 2012, in Uncategorized and tagged abuse, bob gray, child abuse, childrens homes, Chuck Phelps, dwayne walker, First Baptist Church, fundamentalist, Hammond, IFB, Indiana, jack hyles, Jack Schaap, Jeri Massi, Jocelyn Zichterman, molestation, residential treatment, survivors, teen containment center, tina anderson. Bookmark the permalink. 7 Comments.
christianschoolconfidential.wordpress.com 
Similar thing happened to me. I applied to the same group, got the FB message I had been accepted, but by the time I went looking for the group it was gone. I PM’ed the person who had “accepted” my request to join only to be falsely accused of being the husband of some lady I had never even heard of. Then I realized I was not the first or the last who had been summarily not only banned, but totally blocked. For me, I cannot find the group and as far as FB goes it does not even exist for me. I have been banned and/or blocked from most of them by JZ or one of the same small group of people who controls the various groups. Rather seems they operate their own little FB cults and love the rush that little bit of power and control gives them. I have read some information indicating that it is not about the children at all . . . but about power, control, and –perhaps– money. Sad, because the victims and just being victimized over and over again for someone else’s pathetic gain.
One of my Facebook friends showed me this link. It’s allegedly of the contract JZ is getting victims to sign. 30% goes to her Tina Anderson Foundation. She wants the stories for her book. I think JZ’s activities will water down the investigation and help the IFB more than hurt them. She is a very easy figure to discredit and is proof of the old maxim, “It’s not the quality of the product, it’s the marketing!” She knows how to market herself but, again, very easy to discredit.
http://jocsapeckadilloes.blogspot.com/2012/08/its-not-for-children-its-for-cah.html
The release pictured in the above link was created by me more than a year ago, while I was considering putting survivor stories into book form. What is posted is a draft and only a draft. I sent it to a few people to get help modifying it, one of whom felt the need to make it public.
Jocelyn Zichterman wasn’t involved in, or even aware of my wanting to donate a portion of the proceeds to TAF. At the time, it was the only foundation for victims I was aware of. The project got tabled shortly after it began.
Melanie J Blair
Costly error when trust between victims and self-appointed advocates is already so critical and wounded by their abusers. Is there anyone who can be trusted for anything?
Melanie’s story continues to change. She’s already stated that she only send the contract to Jocelyn for approval. Now it’s a new story from Melanie claiming Jocelyn knew nothing about it.
But here’s the deal. Jocelyn has abused Melanie verbally many times on Facebook. In private groups and in public groups. But Melanie is the perfect victim. She lies down and takes it from Jocelyn and does whatever JZ tells her to do. Unlike Jeri Massi who didn’t take any of JZ’s crap and totally exposed Jocelyn Zictherman for the grifter she is.
So, now you know what Jocelyn has slunk off the scene. Melanie has far too much on JZ for JZ to push her very far. But she’s letting Melissa make all the threats against Melanie.
Melanie, listen to me. JZ will do to you just what she has done to everyone else who ever crossed her path.
Why isn’t Tina Anderson speaking up? Why is she watching Jocelyn abuse yet another innocent victim? And another, and another? Tine could put a stop to all of Jocelyn’s abuse with one post on Facebook.
Ah, but Jocelyn and Tina are just about even with the dirt they have on each other.
Melanie, they are all talk and no do. But watch your back. JZ is vicious and ugly when crossed.
This “war” has no winners. We decided a long time ago to stay out of all the “fragging” between advocates. It’s just a no-win situation and we have refused to take sides.
There’s too much “dirt” being thrown that we don’t need to join. Plus, who can keep up with it all? We don’t have anything to hide. We’ve tried to keep our focus on the victims and survivors by being an encouragement and an example of how our family has lived through and survived the abuse, slander, and all that goes into being a public example against abusers.
If you’d like to see more of our hearts and what we’ve tried to share, feel free to visit Tina’s blog at http://glimpsesofhope-tina.blogspot.com/?m=0 and you can read things that I’ve written at http://isupporttinaanderson.blogspot.com/.
Have any of you seen the book cover labled “I Fired Joc, One Group’s Inside – and Escape From – The Secret World of an IFB Survivor’s Cult. Surviving the IFB Survivors?”
Your whole “IFB Abuse” victim is so grossly overstated it isn’t even funny. What a bunch of absolute nonsense! The vast majority of those who say they were “abused” by the IFB or were in IFB “prison” are either those that won’t think for themselves or make petty “wrongs” equated to “abuse.”
I actually feel kind of sorry for Tina Anderson because Jocelyn Zichterman has hijacked Tina’s story for her own personal gain.
Speaking of everyone’s BFF, Jocelyn, she and those of her ilk are to busy fighting, arguing, and creating their own personal websites pointing out how JZ has slandered them that they can barely work together, nevermind put together a reasonably coherant and factual argument that doesn’t include vicious slander & spin. JZ is so paranoid it is a wonder she can even function as a human being. She is like some animals who eat their young. What a loser! That is either funny . . . . or pathetic. I can’t decide.
Hey, I’m all for the IFB to improve where it may need to improve. But the problems the IFB survivor group bring to “light” are grossly overstated as to be borderline lying – and why some of you aligned yourself with Jocelyn in the first place is amusing.
So, go ahead and spend all of your days and weeks in your little bitter therapy groups whining and fussing about how Pastor so and so made you wear a skirt 10 years ago. Meanwhile the collosal abuse that goes on in Every Single IFB Church goes on and on (tongue in cheek).