A Manifesto for Change at Victory Forge

To mitigate the lies being propagated by Alan Weierman, here in a summary format is what many parents, former students, and residents of PSL want to accomplish. A few others are taking a different approach, but it may behoove the folks who run Victory Forge to pay heed to this.

1. The Weierman’s should acknowledge that there are major changes that need to be made to the way that they run this business (yes, it is still a business). Time and time again, the same accusations are made against them. An intelligent person would make structural changes to avert the allegations from re-surfacing. Al Weierman has done no such thing and stubbornly refuses to even acknowledge that there is any truth to any of the allegations. Al, implement a strict procedure which prohibits all activities you and your ilk have been accused of. It is that simple.
2. Open the school to regulatory bodies who should be allowed to make spot checks and ascribe to a preamble that prohibits child abuse – physical or mental. Hire trained individuals instead of those off the street making minimum wages. These people have no training whatsoever in behavioral sciences and make the problem worse. In addition, nepotism should be prohibited as your children may not be the ideal instructors as they themselves have had no training and may be guilty of abuse. The difference, you will fire outsiders but protect insiders.
3. Stop spreading lies that parents are extorting money from you. The money belongs to the parents who pre-paid for their son’s education - education that was never completed. So now if they want a portion of their money back, it is NOT called extortion. Actually, you are stealing from the parents because you have taken their money and refused to provide the services promised. But of course, you don’t hear the parents telling the world that you are a thief. Discuss with parents and figure out a reasonable solution to the monetary problem. You do not want to fight parents who are in the right. You do no good to the school or yourself.
4. Once you have accomplished 1-3 above, then you can work to see what has been done on the legislative and PR front to bring the plight of those abused by your school to the forefront. In addition, when 1-3 are accomplished, I would think that parents would be more open to supporting the place and the activities of a school of this sort.
   

Again, parents have been in touch with FL legislators and have gained tremendous support from the Governor’s Office and FL AG’s office, not to mention several senators. In addition, a lot of information has been collected that has not been made public to us, but a few parents are holding this to make available at the appropriate time. We are trying to get some of that to post on our website which is still in development.

Al, your arrogance and antagonistic behavior is the reason why the tide has and continues to turn against you. Remember, “with courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity and humility the foundation of humanity”. Humility will serve you well. Try it!

Purpose of this Blog

Some have asked us about the purpose of this blog. Some have asked Alan Weierman (no, not Colonel or Dr. since he is neither) about the purpose of this blog. The answer as you can imagine, are diametrically opposed. We want to set the record straight.

Let us start with Weierman’s take on the blog. He has stated, on the internet, and to several parties that this blog is to extort money from him or Victory Forge. He has also stated that this blog is being administered by one or two disgruntled former parents who are uneducated or not connected to "powerful people".

We want to correct Weireman on all accounts. First, extort means “obtain through intimidation” something which does not belong to the parties extorting. I am sure Weirman knows that extortion is a criminal offense. Also I am sure Weierman knows that the money that the parents are asking for is money that was prepaid by the parents and rightfully belongs to them. Second, Weierman is under the impression that Victory Forge and he are synonymous. So to clarify, Alan, if someone is asking for money back, they are asking for money from Victory Forge, not from Weierman (legally, he should know that). Finally, this paroxysm by Weierman is yet another example of his duplicitous tactics, one that he has employed in the past and thinks he can do so again. He has stated that the parents who send their kids to this school are not very educated or well connected to cause him any damage. Now that is where he is wrong. This blog is not being supported by one or two parents. It is not being supported by parents who are uneducated. On the contrary, this blog is being supported by parents, former employee, former Port St. Lucie police, former students of Victory Forge, and other well wishers who know the awful place Victory Forge is.

Our next post will lay out a plan of action and provide more on the supporters. Stay tuned.

Weierman has no PhD Either?

So we received a tip from a resident of Port St. Lucie who has followed Victory Forge rather closely for a number of years. He provided us with a very intriguing tid-bit: Alan Weierman is not really a PhD. In order to corroborate this information, we called all the universities in Florida and Ohio (States where Weierman has lived) and asked them if anyone by the name of Alan Weierman enrolled in a PhD program and graduated. Some universities have online searches where you can search for alums. A few universities needed written letters from us before they could respond - letters which we have sent out. The others had no knowledge of this man. We then thought that maybe Weierman attended a program in another state and so we decided to ask him directly. Here are the email excerpts (typos and all).

In a message dated 8/19/2008 11:23:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time, victory.forge@hush.com writes:
received an email from a former resident of PSL stating that you really don't have a PhD. it is from a diploma mill, probably costing $699. maybe in you case, they gave you a discount due to ineptitude.care to prove this resident of PSL wrong? if you prove the statement wrong, you will receive a positive post on the blog.

alweierman@aol.com writes:
I would certainly like the oportunity. How do you suggest I go about this.

In a message dated 8/22/2008 6:42:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time, victory.forge@hush.com writes:
fax or email us a copy of your diploma. it is that simple.

alweierman@aol.com writes:
Fax Number please and real name if you don't mind.
Col. Weierman

We sent Weierman our fax number and did not hear from him so we sent him another email

In a message dated 8/27/2008 11:00:41 PM Eastern Daylight Time, victory.forge@hush.com writes:
so it is fair to say that our source was right. you really don't have a Phd do you? it is from a diploma mill, isn't it? your silence speaks volumes.


alweierman@aol.com writes:
I need a real fax number and a real name please. The fax that you gave is not your fax number. as long as you want to play games I don't trust you.

victory.forge@hush.com writes:
that is where i get all my faxes. you fax me your alleged diploma, i will confirm i received it. i will issue a statement on my blog confirming that you are a legit phd and that the information provided to us is incorrect and malicious. it appears that you are playing games. you send me what we need you get what you want.
fax #: 360-364-3233

We never heard anything from Weierman. Two universities responded to our written queries and Weierman never attended those schools. We have a few more universities remaining. It could be that he did receive his diploma from a diploma mill. Or maybe, like his Col title, the PhD title is something that he decided to confer upon himself.

P.S. We have received a lot of intriguing information from readers, residents, and other well-wishers. Some of them wanted the cash offered by one of our readers (which will be processed once their statements can be corroborated), the others provided this information gratis. More to come.

Letter from one former student

Received an email from a former student. He was ok with us posting this letter (we withheld his name until the appropriate authorities can be contacted). We have received quiet a few letters from former students echoing the same thoughts. We will consolidate and start placing them on the website (which is under construction).

Much has been said about what happened at Victory Children’s Home prior to April 24. As a former enrollee in the academy, I have first hand knowledge and want to inform you and your readers about this. First of all, thank you for bringing the plight of the helpless to the forefront.

My year at VF was nothing short of miserable and torturous. When I read about what POWs endured in foreign countries, I cannot help but think how similar my experience was to theirs. The only difference, I was being tortured in the USA. Many times, food was withheld from me. I was not allowed to go to the bathroom and had to defecate in my pants only to be ridiculed by my instructors and other students (who were forced to do so). I was slapped, hit, beat up in numerous time both by instructors and by my fellow students (again against their will as it was them or me getting beat up).

People will think that the students sent here are bad and that is why this behavior is acceptable to reform our youth. They will also say that this treatment was necessary to break the kids will and build them back up again. All I can say is that kids need love, guidance, and role models, not abuse. Sure, our will was broken down, but it was never rebuilt and we have to live with this scar for the rest of our lives. I visited a psychiatrist for about 1 year after I left the place and I often times still have nightmares about what I endured.

My thought on why this is hard to prove comes down to one word – FEAR. Kids are afraid of the consequences of what will happen to them once they tell the outside world the truth. VF does a great job of telling the parents and others how we will manipulate, deceive, lie – do whatever it takes to get out of our place. Parents, who are emotionally weak at this stage and want their kids to improve, will always believe the academy and the academy will get away with lying to everyone. They can fool all the people all the time, or at least have until now. Also, kids are warned by the instructors not to say anything negative about the place. We are told that the staff will find out about it and then the kids will have to pay the price. When my parents came to take me out, I was forced to tell them all was well with the place and hide the facts that I was being beaten up and abused. I had to do this to survive the place and am assured that others followed the same survival instinct.

Once I found out about what you are trying to do, I decided to help you. I will try and reach out to other former cadets so that they can come out and tell you the truth. My means are limited, but my motivation is high. I am willing to talk to anybody you like.

Thank you for believing in us.

Email from a parent or relative

Received an email from a parent or relative (the individual did not want to be identified) that he was ok sharing with the general populace. We will be contacting parents on our email lists, but thought it was worth posting as well. Here is the relevant piece of the email:

I have been able to obtain significant amounts of information on the Weiermans, all their kids and their families. Based on the information that has been provided to me, it appears that there are factual inaccuracies between what they have communicated versus the truth. Also, it appears that they are not exactly the model of a well functioning American family and have had episodes in the past that will bring their character, ethics, and intent into question. With that in mind, I am asking for your help in helping me find individuals who can corroborate or dispute the facts that have been provided to me. Once these facts have been vetted, I will be happy to provide them to you or any parent who is dealing with the Weiermans for any reason. And for the inconvenience some families may go through to communicate with you, I am willing to provide monetary compensation for their time at the rate of $50/hour plus actual expenses.

Those interested in helping, contact us. We are still in the process of determining the best way to approach this generous offer, but be assured that your time will be well compensated.

Another Approach

Now that we are progressing with our task to expose this place, we also need to put pressure on the Board of Victory Forge. We are trying to locate the phone number and emails of the Board members, but if snail mail is your preferred method for communication, you can write to them as well. Make certain you mention that they have the responsibility to look into the workings and accusations of abuse at this establishment. They need to do so independently and with ethical governance standards, which means they need to form their own opinion as 3rd parties and not rely on what is being communicated to them by the Weiermans. David Weierman is also on the Board, but could not locate his address yet. You can write to his parents, who, I am sure will deliver the letters to their son.

Active Members of VF

Michael Roberts
1510 SE 5th St
Stuart, FL 34994

Jack Berger
8544 Malberry Ct
Port St Lucie, FL 34952

Fred Gallo
2261 SW Susset Ln
Port St Lucie, FL 34953

Alan Weierman
(for David Weierman)
1800 Cameo Blvd SW
Port St Lucie, FL 34953

Article From WikiPedia

Ran into some interesting information posted on the ever-present Wikipedia (thanks to an email from a reader alerting us to this). Here is the post in its entirety (formatting edits are ours to aid in reading)

Victory Forge Military Academy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Victory Forge, located in Port St. Lucie, is a 12 month program which purports to utilize military style components for behavior modification. The target audience is rebellious and troubled adolescent males under the age of 18. The academy is accredited by the National Association of Christian Education ("NACE") [1] . To be accredited by NACE, a school must fill out an application and be associated with a Church. No minimum educational guidelines are provided, although the school states that it follows the State of Florida's minimum educational guidelines when confirring academic credits to their students. The academy has been controversial since its beginning and recent child abuse allegations continue with that trend.

Academy History
The facility was a former children's home founded by convicted child molester, Rev. William Brink of Brinkhaven Homes for Youth, in May 1985. Brink's two sons, Dale and Mark, a daughter, Molly, and her husband, Alan Weierman, were named as corporate officers. In 1992, Alan Weierman changed the name from Victory Children's Home to Treasure Coast Victory Children's Home and filed papers to have the home incorporated in Florida. This was done to distance the school from its convicted founder [2]. In 1993, St. Lucie County commissioners voted to evict the residents of the facility from county property because Weierman refused to seek a state license to operate the shelter for neglected children [3]. Plans to move the facility to another location failed when neighbors opposed it at a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. The facility then moved to its current location, a 5 bedroom house at 602 Biltmore St. and continues to operate at this location.

Alan Weierman
The President of Victory Forge, often referred to as the Colonel, is Alan Weierman. He claims to have a PhD. in specialized business, a Masters Degree in counseling and Psychology, and is a certified Behavioral Analyst. [4] Although he never achieved a rank of a Colonel in the military, he continues to use that title. The logic is that based on his current role, he is an equivalent of a Colonel.[5] Mr. Weierman was a troubled youth himself. His dad was an alcoholic who supposedly was a very violent man who beat up the family daily. Mr. Weierman's mother died when he was 11. Mr. Weierman has stated that he was an alcoholic by age 10 and was involved with drugs, gangs, and crime. [6]
In 1986, while working at his father-in-laws Brinkhaven Home in Ohio, Mr. Weierman was accused by a 16 year old female resident at the facility that he had sex with her 30 times between August 1985 and June 1986. The police chief of Lawrence Township stated that "his investigation found sufficient probable cause to prosecute Weierman, including a polygraph test given the girl and a calendar she kept of the alleged sexual encounters" [7] Since, there was not sufficient evidence to corroborate the girl's allegations, the charges were ultimately dropped by the City Prosecutor. Summit County Children Services officials contend that Brinkhaven did not inform the authorities of these allegations, a notification required by Ohio law. Instead, when the girl left the facility (two months after the abuse), she complained to her relatives who contacted the police. On October 7, 1986 the prosecutor sent a letter to Summit County Children Services officials explaining why charges were not filed. Their reason "the length of time that had elapsed' between the girl's departure from Brinkhaven and when police were called in". [8]
In 1989, Weierman was charged with obstructing justice for not reporting an allegation of child molestation filed by two girls, against a former director of the school. The charges were later dropped due to a lack of evidence beyond a reasonable doubt [9].

Child Abuse Allegations
According to the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF)[1], there have been numerous child abuse cases reported against this facility. DCF has investigated 35 prior abuse allegations at Victory Forge [10] , the most recent being on April 24, 2008. At the conclusion of the latest investigation, the DCF stated that they had "serious concerns about the safety and welfare of children". In addition, the DCF stated in their summary report that Victory Forge staff "engaged in physical discipline that is harmful to children, such as choking to unconsciousness, punching, kicking, banging heads into walls and cabinets." DCF officials found enough evidence to determine that a boy had been choked and subjected to bizarre punishment and mental injury, and that other boys had been threatened with harm. Many cases were reported where kids where thrown across tables, heads banged against the wall, choked to the point of passing out, made to eat their own vomit. It had been reported in local media that there had been children found bound in shackles at the facility [11]. DCF also noted staff at the academy, who are not related to Weierman, had a "pattern" of leaving the facility during an investigation. DCF officials used a private investigator to find staff member Justin Reaves, who then told DCF officials he left because of the DCF investigation. He also told DCF he felt abuse was occurring. [12]

Since the parents of students had signed a contract accepting this risk, the DCF could not shut down the establishment. Moreover, since the abuse charges could not be verifed, beyond a reasonable doubt as the wounds were healed or no witnesses existed or witnesses would not talk, criminal charges could not be filed by the State Attorney's office.
In 2002, police reported that students at the academy alleged that "they had been struck with metal pipes and a wooden paddle as methods of punishment" [13] When DCF investigators tried to look into the allegations, staff members would not allow the inspector to go inside, despite a court order allowing the agency to enter the home and interview the children [14].
In 2000, the DCF was on the verge of revoking Victory Forge's state license, but the home surrendered its license without a fight the day a judge was to hear evidence against the facility. The cause of this violation was that officials from the facility left a 17-year old boy at another shelter without advanced notification or arrangements. In addition, the officials allowed a child with a history of sexual offenses to share a bedroom with another boy [15]
The facility is not licensed by any state or Federal agency. The facility has adamantly refused to obtain a license from the state Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services (HRS)[2] calling it "anti-Christian" [16]. The HRS would provide adequate safeguards to protect the children and accountability of public money.

Closing the Legal Loopholes
On June 25, 2008, the Congress passed the "Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2008" [17] to address the issues of child abuse in therapeutic boarding schools, wilderness camps, boot camps, and behavior modification facilities. [18]. The bill will make its way to the Senate after the November elections. The legislation forbid facilities from withholding food and shelter, limiting the use of restraints, and barring deceptive marketing techniques. [19]. Congressional investigations uncovered thousands of allegations of abuse, neglect and youth deaths in private teen behavior modification facilities in the United States. Further, "it was found that, as a direct consequence of a fragmented system where state monitoring and regulatory standards vary from state to state in both scope and reach, dehumanizing practices are being used, sometimes even integrated into the programs ‘therapeutic’ milieu." [20]

The groups which have adamantly supported this legislations include Parents of victims, National mental health organizations, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association of Children's Residential Centers, American Association of Community Psychiatrists, American Bar Association, American Psychological Association, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Voices for America's Children. [21]

The Florida DCF is looking for ways to close legal loopholes and give DCF the authority to offer more protection to children who are abused in private schools. [22] The Florida Legislators are also being implored by the DCF and concerned parents to take up such a legislation for teen facilities in the State of Florida.

References
^ http://www.victoryhomes.org/fact_sheet.htm
^ "Children's Home May Lose Support", The Palm Beach Post, October 11, 1992, 1B
^ "County May Evict Children's Home", The Palm Beach Post, May 19, 1993, 1B
^ http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/apr/26/state-urges-parents-pull-their-sons-victory-forge-/?feedback=1 Comments posted by Al Weierman
^ Need Source
^ http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-45186946.html
^ http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AK&s_site=ohio&p_multi=AK&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB62DC48FBED71F&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
^ Ibid
^ Children's Home May Lose Support", The Palm Beach Post, October 11, 1992, 1B
^ http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/jun/14/report-dcf-has-investigated-35-child-abuse-claims-/
^ http://www.federaljack.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1155&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
^ http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/jun/14/report-dcf-has-investigated-35-child-abuse-claims-/
^ "Children Tell Police of Abuse at Victory Forge," Palm Beach Post, June 25, 2002, 4B
^ Ibid
^ "Victory Children's Home Gives Up State License", The Palm Beach Post, March 9, 2001, 1C
^ http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PBPB&p_theme=pbpb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF85725F4DEECE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
^ http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c110:1:./temp/~c110TovoGg::
^ http://www.house.gov/apps/list/speech/edlabor_dem/rel062508c.html
^ http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/jul/23/boot-camps-need-new-rules/
^ http://youthpolicyactioncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewPage&pageID=686&nodeID=5&ypacif=capwiz%252Ecom%252Fmobilize%252Fissues%252Falert%252F%253Falertid%253D11385551%2526type%253DCO
^ http://edlabor.house.gov/issues/residentialprograms.shtml
^ http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/12/a10a_victoryforge_edit_0712.html
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_Forge_Military_Academy"