New Bethany Home for Girls (IFB) – Why Did This Horrible Place Exist for So Long?

"New Bethany took in sometimes hundreds of girls a year, according to newspaper accounts and court documents. Ford marketed the school as a home for wayward youth — 'a mission project to the incorrigible, unwanted rejects,' he told attorneys in 1997. 'Destitute, lonely, prostitutes, drug addicts.' "

The Times-Picayune

http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=25533&picture=sad-womanSad Woman

New Bethany Home for Girls – it's a topic that has only recently captured our attention.  Last month Dee provided an overview of alleged problems at this now defunct facility in a post entitled Anonymous Gives Witness to the Abuses of IFB's New Bethany Home for Girls.  As our readers know, we take a special interest in matters that involve physical, sexual, and/or spiritual abuse.  Based on accounts from multiple women who spent time in this 'home', all three forms of abuse occurred at New Bethany. 

Back in 1971 Mack Ford, a high school dropout who became an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist preacher, opened New Bethany (located in Arcadia, Louisiana).  The Times-Picayune, New Orleans' newspaper, has put together a very helpful Timeline of important events regarding New Bethany.  Four years after the facility opened (1975), Mack Ford was arrested on four counts of aggravated assault.  You can read the details on the timeline.  According to news accounts, the case was never pursued in court. 

Then in 1980 the Louisiana Department of Health and Human Resources attempted to shut down the facility because Ford refused to allow state inspections and licensing.  As you can probably imagine, a district judge ruled that the state had no authority to do so. In 1982 the New Bethany Home for Boys relocated to South Carolina.

Eight years later, twenty-eight students were removed from New Bethany following complaints of abuse by two runaways.  Twenty-four of the residents decided to remain.  According to the timeline in 1988:

New Bethany staff members refuse to cooperate in the investigation, decline to identify themselves and take photos of state workers. According to court documents, interviews with 47 girls produce information that supports allegations of abuse, extreme emotional abuse and threat of further harm or injury: "Many of the residents were exhibiting great anxiety." Ford denies allegations of abuse, but says the home does use a wooden paddle for discipline.

To keep the state from inspecting the facility, "Ford files a federal lawsuit against the State of Louisiana, requesting a permanent order to keep government officials from interfering in New Bethany operations."  A couple of months later, the lawsuit is dismissed.  New Bethany closed several times in subsequent years, which you can read about on the timeline.  Finally, after thirty years in operation, New Bethany closed.  The timeline includes the following:

The board of directors for New Bethany Home for Girls votes to close close the residential boarding school and turns over all property and bank accounts to New Bethany Baptist Church. "Having lost state and federal cases and with no further recourse available, it has become necessary to seek other options for the holdings," minutes from the meeting state.

Incredibly, some of the women who allege they were abused at New Bethany Home for Girls are now speaking out as this video reveals. 

WARNING:  Graphic language!  May be triggering.

Not long ago several of the alleged victims returned to Arcadia, Louisiana to see the place that has haunted them – New Bethany Home for Girls.  Even though the facility closed in 2001, it appears that Mack Ford has continued to live on the property. 

Then on February 11, 2015, Mack Ford died of an apparent heart attack.  Looking back, his passing occurred exactly one week after our initial New Bethany post.  Here is an excerpt from a Times-Picayune article announcing Ford's demise:

The man who founded New Bethany Home for Girls, where some former students say they were abused, has died.

Mack Ford, 82, was found dead inside his home shortly before 8 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 11) by a relative, Bienville Parish Coroner Don Smith said. Ford's death appears to be from natural causes, but Smith said his office will be conducting an autopsy.

Ford, a high school dropout turned Independent Fundamentalist Baptist preacher, opened New Bethany in 1971 on a former penal farm turned convalescent home off Louisiana Highway 9 in Arcadia, La., about 50 miles east of Shreveport.

Over three decades until it closed its doors in 2001, New Bethany took in sometimes hundreds of girls a year, according to newspaper accounts and court documents. Ford marketed the school as a home for wayward youth — "a mission project to the incorrigible, unwanted rejects," he told attorneys in 1997. "Destitute, lonely, prostitutes, drug addicts."

As I have begun learning about the painful experiences of these New Bethany survivors, they have captured my heart.  Some have had the courage to share their stories, which you can read here.

How did New Bethany Home for Girls survive for three decades despite inquiries by law enforcement officials, court battles, and accusations of abuse?  In the wake of Mack Ford's death, that is the million dollar question.  We will be delving deeper into this story in the weeks to come, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, here are some of those brave women who have come forward to confront their painful past at New Bethany.

Lydia's Corner:   Leviticus 4:1-5:19   Mark 2:13-3:6   Psalm 36:1-12   Proverbs 10:1-2

Comments

New Bethany Home for Girls (IFB) – Why Did This Horrible Place Exist for So Long? — 70 Comments

  1. I’ve read some of the horror stories coming from this place since the first post about New Bethany. It makes me sick that this kind of entrapment, abuse, and brainwashing occurred under the guise of “religion(TM).” Sadly, it no longer *surprises* me.

    To top it off, the place even looks creepy with the barbed-wire fence surrounding it. I don’t have kids, but if I did, I wouldn’t send them to a boarding school/home that looked like a penitentiary.

  2. These are the sorts of situations where I think serious reparations are required for the victims. But who or what institution would have the responsibility? These kids were basically jailed unlawfully to be abused. Does the government have responsibility for ignoring the testimonies of those who escaped? Maybe the rest of the story will give me more insight.

  3. When I saw this situation was IFB affiliated my first thought was: Bob Jones U is still in business, too. Why?

  4. Lydia wrote:

    When I saw this situation was IFB affiliated my first thought was: Bob Jones U is still in business, too. Why?

    And speaking of IFB institutions, Tennessee Temple is closing due to financial problems, according to the information in the media, and they have merged with a small IFB school in my town. The media says they expect the TT students to transfer here. We have a moderate size representation of IFB here abouts. The local school has been in business since the 1940s I think. Anyhow it is not BJU but it is growing (and struggling financially so the media says.)

  5. 'a mission project to the incorrigible, unwanted rejects,' he told attorneys in 1997. 'Destitute, lonely, prostitutes, drug addicts.' "

    This statement seems to reveal a lot about this person's mind set. How can a "ministry" help those they are supposedly trying to serve if the people that run the organization characterize those that come in as "incorrigible, unwanted, rejects?" How can people not see that if you view another person in this way it will affect how you treat them and I am not persuaded that the treatment would be gracious and helpful. These are human beings that are in the situations they are because of complex issues and if so called ministers cannot see that, they should not be ministering. This makes me so angry. The us and them mentality that seems to be prevalent today has to stop. I think that this elitist mentality(we upright people will condescend go in and help these savages, way of thinking) has resulted in so much abuse throughout history. Sorry, I will get off my soapbox now.

  6. Nancy wrote:

    Tennessee Temple is closing due to financial problems

    Thanks for this information. I just saw the news reports. Looks like the IFB is having serious problems on several fronts.

  7. I grew up in & among the IFB, around & aware of the Bad Kid Solution. These “ministries” are inspired by one Lester Roloff, based out of Corpus Christi, TX. It is my opinion that the Bad Kid Solution provided the psychopaths a safe place to indulge their psychopathy while coloring it as a ministry.

    I have a 14 year old son, and he is challenging me constantly. Packing him up for someone else to ‘straighten out’ horrifies me. Normal people recognize it as preparation to grow up and move out. Within the IFB, it’s rebellion as the sin of witchcraft & must be beaten out of them.

    There’s a reason these ‘homes’ cater to teenaged girls more than boys. Boys are far more capable of fighting back.

  8. Denise wrote:

    This makes me so angry.

    Oh yes. I have developed such a hatred for the idea of “thrown away child” since we all adopted two bitsy ones a while back. Throwing away is an action, not a child. Turning that into adjectives and hanging that expression on a child is unforgivable. It says nothing about the child but says an enormous amount about the person saying it.

  9. Denise wrote:

    This statement seems to reveal a lot about this person’s mind set. How can a “ministry” help those they are supposedly trying to serve if the people that run the organization characterize those that come in as “incorrigible, unwanted, rejects?”

    It’s wasn’t the organization that characterized those that came in as you quoted above, but rather it was society in general (could be schools, parents, etc.) that characterized those individuals.

  10. Joe2 wrote:

    It’s wasn’t the organization that characterized those that came in as you quoted above, but rather it was society in general (could be schools, parents, etc.) that characterized those individuals.

    Churches . . .

  11. Greaves wrote:

    Normal people recognize it as preparation to grow up and move out. Within the IFB, it’s rebellion as the sin of witchcraft & must be beaten out of them.

    While making Long Prayers in justification.

  12. Why Did This Horrible Place Exist for So Long?

    Because it’s CHRISTIAN(TM).

    Are you for the LOOORD or for the Devil?
    (Thinking in Boolean again…)

  13. How did New Bethany Home for Girls survive for three decades despite inquiries by law enforcement officials, court battles, and accusations of abuse?

    This is Louisiana, land of Huey Long and David Duke, where every Authority has its price.

    Like Ramsey Snow/Bolton, “They’ve got their own way of doing things.”

  14. Deb wrote:

    @ AnonInNC:

    The fence stunned me as well. Concentration camp also came to mind.

    Ever noticed IFB is usually somewhere in stories like this?

  15. This is so sad. The fact that this was able to go on for so many years is deplorable. I wish all of these women healing and peace.

  16. Joe2 wrote:

    It’s wasn’t the organization that characterized those that came in as you quoted above, but rather it was society in general (could be schools, parents, etc.) that characterized those individuals.

    I don’t disagree with you that society may be the originator of the idea. However, I do think representatives of organizations need to be careful about how they “market” their services and make sure that it does not perpetuate the idea that certain groups are inferior because of their current situation. Whatever the intention was behind the statement, I think the subsequent revelation of abusive practices confirm that at least some of the workers had this view. I personally think that we all need to be cautious about our attitudes towards those that we are trying to help. From what I can see in the accounts of Jesus’s life was that he elevated the people he came to serve, he didn’t approach them as a problem that needed to be fixed. I may not be communicating this well, but to me, entitlement and the objectification of other human beings are root causes of abuse. The mentality needs to be addressed and changed before real help can occur. Labeling, even if it is just repeating society’s view, can invite predators because in the predator’s mind he or she thinks the organization has the same mentality as the predator does. I hope that clarifies what I was thinking.

  17. @ Headless Unicorn Guy:

    New Bethany home for girls is a model/offshoot of Rebekah Home for girls founded by Lester Roloff. Rebekah was closed several times and for good in 2001 due to abuse in the same vain. Roloff was someone I knew personally having been invited in our home and church many times. I knew a friend who was in Rebekah and had the same strict abuse, almost brainwashing. It took me years to work through this type of upbringing, so I feel for these women and yet applaud their courage to expose place like this.

    I am so grateful that as a rebellious teen my parents did not send me there as I would have been a prime candidate. I attribute that to God watching over me, as disciplining children is a prime teaching at IFB churches.

    http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/08/new-bethany-ifb-teen-homes-abuse?page=2

    Interesting article as to how Bethany came to be through Rebekah homes.

  18. Fundamentalist Christianity with its culture of authoritarianism and blind acceptance of anyone who claims to be converted, provides perfect cover for all manner of sick and abusive personalities to blaze a path of destruction through so many lives. It's gotten to the point where any institution that markets itself as 'Christian' should be a giant red flag rather than any sign of confidence.

  19. Lester Rolof’s name keeps popping up over the last 8 years or so on the internet. This from wiki

    Roloff had always had a fascination with flight. He purchased his first airplane in 1954 and used it to travel between his various speaking engagements throughout the country. On November 2, 1982, the same day that the Democrat Mark Wells White, the outgoing attorney general, unseated Republican Governor Bill Clements, Roloff’s plane crashed during a storm outside Normangee, Texas. Roloff and a ladies’ singing trio from the home for adult women were killed. White had vowed if elected governor to shut down Roloff’s homes. The wreckage of the crashed airplane is the centerpiece of Roloff Park at Hyles-Anderson College, a Bible College in Crown Point, Indiana, partly named for the pastor Jack Hyles.

    Seriously? His crashed plan is in an IFB college park? I know about Jack Hyles. I heard his abused daughter who escaped speak on TEDS about cults.

  20. JeffT wrote:

    Fundamentalist Christianity with it’s culture of authoritarianism and blind acceptance of anyone who claims to be converted, provides perfect cover for all manner of sick and abusive personalities to blaze a path of destruction through so many lives.

    Combined with the fact that successful sociopaths/NPDs/abusers/sexual predators are masters at camouflaging what they are. If they couldn’t Appear as Angels of Light on demand, they’d have been exposed/caught long ago.

    It’s gotten to the point where any institution that markets itself as ‘Christian’ should be a giant red flag rather than any sign of confidence.

    It reached that point a long time ago.

    In the Eighties, one of Internet Monk’s mods worked for a (non-Christianese) newspaper or magazine. Their policy with ads was “If it’s CHRISTIAN(TM), it’s cash. In advance. No exceptions.” He said they’d extend credit to a crackhead before they would a CHRISTIAN(TM), they’d been burned so much.

    Others chimed in with similar horror stories including a CHRISTIAN(TM)) contractor who not only overcharged but did a crappy job (which he blamed on The Devil doing it).

    And in local Eighties SF fandom, we had two sayings:
    “It’s gotta be Christian — look how shoddy it is!”
    and
    “It’s gotta be good — all the Christians are denouncing it!”

  21. Lydia wrote:

    The wreckage of the crashed airplane is the centerpiece of Roloff Park at Hyles-Anderson College, a Bible College in Crown Point, Indiana, partly named for the pastor Jack Hyles.

    “Centerpiece” as in Relics of Saints?

    Oh, yeah. Hyles.
    * Hyles with the mistress in the next office with a curtained open doorway between the two to minimize hassle when the MoG got Urges in his Areas.
    * Hyles who ordered his mistress’s divorce then put her up in a house and lot only a gate-equipped back fence away.
    * Hyles, AKA “Boopsie Woopsie” to all the teenage girls in his church school, who made them sing “Hymns to Boopsie Woopsie” when he appeared on campus and insisted all of them sit on his lap like Santa at the Xmas celebrations (any resemblance to getting a lap dance strictly coincidental…).
    * Hyles, all of whose Heirs to his Throne ended up in sex scandals or child abuse scandals.
    * Hyles with the North Korea-sized giant wall portrait with offerings left before it.

  22. @ Headless Unicorn Guy:

    It got really bad. You are right about that. One of my kids graduated from an undergrad liberal arts college with ‘christian’ in the name. Actually the name had to do with the denom (christian / disciples of christ.) Alums were complaining about problems getting jobs when people saw they had graduated from a ‘christian’ school since people thought it was a bible college or a fundy school, so the the school changed it’s name to some man’s name, as in Mansname College. They issued my kid a new graduation certificate after the fact with the new name on it.

  23. @ JeffT:

    Do you find it ironic that Jesus did not act this way when he encountered notorious sinners? He loved them and admonished them to sin no more. There seems to be such a focus on driving the devil out without any thought of bringing the love and redemption of the real Jesus into the lives of these young people.

    The first few minutes of the first video were difficult to watch. Where is Jesus?

  24. Debbie Kaufman wrote:

    @ Headless Unicorn Guy:
    New Bethany home for girls is a model/offshoot of Rebekah Home for girls founded by Lester Roloff. Rebekah was closed several times and for good in 2001 due to abuse in the same vain. Roloff was someone I knew personally having been invited in our home and church many times. I knew a friend who was in Rebekah and had the same strict abuse, almost brainwashing. It took me years to work through this type of upbringing, so I feel for these women and yet applaud their courage to expose place like this.
    I am so grateful that as a rebellious teen my parents did not send me there as I would have been a prime candidate. I attribute that to God watching over me, as disciplining children is a prime teaching at IFB churches.
    http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/08/new-bethany-ifb-teen-homes-abuse?page=2
    Interesting article as to how Bethany came to be through Rebekah homes.

    That should read as a child, Roloff was invited into our home and church many times.

  25. I just remembered a documentary called “kidnapped for christ” it’s creator thought that she was going to report on all the good things a Christian Boarding School was doing, but once she discovered the truth everything changed.
    http://www.newsweek.com/where-american-teens-abused-name-god-258182
    This really scares me because by shipping “troubled” youth overseas, they won’t be guaranteed legal protections depending on the country. I really wish that all of these houses would permanently close their doors.

  26. Headless Unicorn Guy wrote:

    In the Eighties, one of Internet Monk’s mods worked for a (non-Christianese) newspaper or magazine. Their policy with ads was “If it’s CHRISTIAN(TM), it’s cash. In advance. No exceptions.” He said they’d extend credit to a crackhead before they would a CHRISTIAN(TM), they’d been burned so much.

    Exactly. I used to know big printers who felt the same way about political campaign items. It could take YEARS to get paid if that. I sat next to a presenter from Chicago at a conference whose company made museum displays. This was back when the creation museum was in progress. He said no way to that one because it is impossible to get paid by those guys.

    Don’t pay your debts except it is a sin not to tithe, right?

  27. Headless Unicorn Guy wrote:

    In the Eighties, one of Internet Monk’s mods worked for a (non-Christianese) newspaper or magazine. Their policy with ads was “If it’s CHRISTIAN(TM), it’s cash. In advance. No exceptions.” He said they’d extend credit to a crackhead before they would a CHRISTIAN(TM), they’d been burned so much.

    Scientology–get your money up front. It’s L. Ron Hubbard Holy Scripture to stiff vendors for as long as possible.

  28. Deb

    Thanks for this post. My Wartburg tingle says you are on to a very big story on these group homes.

  29. To our readers

    If any of you ( or if any of you know) were a member of any denomination of church and that church recommended any of these homes we will be discussing, could you please email us with the details. We will keep your correspondence confidential if you wish.

  30. Does anyone know whether the state and federal lawsuits that New Bethany lost will change whether or not other similar homes are or will be subject to health and safety regulation and inspection? If so, does that apply only in LA or in other states as well?

    Sure would be great if these former residents had a church in their current hometown to help them recover from what they endured.

  31. I just wish these places were in the past. We have an investigation going on here in NM about a ‘ranch’ for boys where abuse and slavery have been alleged.

  32. mirele wrote:

    Headless Unicorn Guy wrote:

    In the Eighties, one of Internet Monk’s mods worked for a (non-Christianese) newspaper or magazine. Their policy with ads was “If it’s CHRISTIAN(TM), it’s cash. In advance. No exceptions.” He said they’d extend credit to a crackhead before they would a CHRISTIAN(TM), they’d been burned so much.

    Scientology–get your money up front. It’s L. Ron Hubbard Holy Scripture to stiff vendors for as long as possible.

    When your church is “Just like Scientology, Except CHRISTIAN(TM)!”, that’s NOT a good sign.

  33. As if being destitute, lonely, a prostitute or an addict wasn’t bad enough… these stories do my head in. These young women were just prey for the circling religious predators.

  34. Lydia wrote:

    White had vowed if elected governor to shut down Roloff’s homes. The wreckage of the crashed airplane is the centerpiece of Roloff Park at Hyles-Anderson College, a Bible College in Crown Point, Indiana, partly named for the pastor Jack Hyles.

    Wow! They must be celebrating his *legacy.*

  35. I don’t understand how some of these homes/schools have been allowed to exist. Are there no licensing regulations for these homes/schools in some states? Can ANYONE just decide to open such a facility?

  36. Bridget wrote:

    Can ANYONE just decide to open such a facility?

    As long as they claim to be ‘Christian’, apparently, along with no supervision to protect the children.

  37. People who can be plausibly discredited and who reside in a closed institution are very vulnerable to abuse. When residents of psychiatric hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, and facilities for troubled juveniles complain of abuse in an abusive facility they are called liars or delusional.

    One huge difference between good facilities and abusive ones is that the former are open to the community and the latter try to keep everyone away. A good facility will welcome volunteers, have nonprofits come in and run programs, and encourage family involvement. They are not afraid of inspections and visits from social workers. It is a huge red flag when a facility tries to isolate the residents and keep everyone out. And if the authorities have no problem with this, it is usually because of political ties.

  38. @ dee:
    It’s called Tierra Blanca Ranch. It is not overtly christian, but uses a bunch of the same code words. But Dee, be careful, this guy likes to litigate and has former senator Pete Domenici’s son as his attorney so GOP power structure is involved.

  39. My mindset changed a couple of years ago when I saw the movie “The Magdalene Sisters.” It is a true story based on the notorious Magdalene laundries of Ireland: places where “incorrigible, promiscuous, rebellious, and rejected” young girls were enslaved and hopelessly isolated until their deaths by mostly perverse and cruel nuns and priests. I researched the topic for veracity and I determined that I would never allow myself to be someone who turned a blind eye to the abuse of the weak and voiceless. I am absolutely stunned that the same vile institutions exist in the USA, in 2015. May these women, and all those involved in their freedom, never lose their voices or their courage.

  40. I dont say this much but the Christian Religion in doctrine and practice have helped me in some ways and has ripped my guts out in others. I bet these folks who were abusive to the girls could sure quote scripture and exegete with the best. The bible is not enough it never has been in any practical sense. What is needed is living epistles such as the folks here who actually live the words of Scripture and “incarnate” the love of the Real Word. God did not come to us only in a book, but in a Person and still remains as a Person, the Person of the Holy Spirit.

  41. Headless Unicorn Guy wrote:

    Hyles with the mistress in the next office with a curtained open doorway between the two to minimize hassle when the MoG got Urges in his Areas.

    As disgusting as the Hyles clan is (and as horrific as this whole subject is), I couldn’t help chuckling at the “Kids in the Hall” reference. Thanks for that, HUG!

  42. My plain old mainline Christian congregation, with a rectory built for a huge family and a series of single/childless priests, decided to use the downstairs half for charitable purposes. They let a CHRISTIAN(TM) halfway house-type organization use it for about a year and ended up inviting them to leave and spending multi-thousands of dollars to clean up the unbelievable piles of trash, hoarded junk, damage to the walls and pipes, etc.

  43. Deebs –

    “Anybody know the name of the original church that alleged sex offender, Jonathan Bailey, FBC New Orleans, was fired from 10 yrs ago? Click below link.”

    Do you know? The link doesn’t go anywhere.

  44. @ Bridget:
    Thank you so much. I do not know what happened. I have been out of pocket all day working with my Christian medical group. I will fix this pronto.

  45. incogneto wrote:

    What is needed is living epistles such as the folks here who actually live the words of Scripture and “incarnate” the love of the Real Word.

    Beautiful comment. Thank you.

  46. incogneto wrote:

    I dont say this much but the Christian Religion in doctrine and practice have helped me in some ways and has ripped my guts out in others. I bet these folks who were abusive to the girls could sure quote scripture and exegete with the best.

    I’m so sorry you have been hurt. I don’t know the people involved in New Bethany or the other “homes.” But I’m sure they do not know the Bible, and I’m sure they were not representing Jesus. There are people who have made a living selling Jesus since the beginning of the church, and there have always been people who are willing to give them money. Other people with good intentions to help young people gave money to them in good faith, believing that the young people were being cared for. We need to keep being Jesus’ living priests and identify the moneychangers in his living temple and throw them out.

  47. Forbes magazine estimates that the “troubled teen” industry is worth over 2 billion dollars.
    Since the 1970s at least 157 American teens have died in behavior modification programs.
    No troubled teen programs are subject to federal regulation, most are not monitored by any government agency.
    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kateslogan/kidnapped-for-christ

    I’m having a difficult time finding more data about how much money the average Christian ministry in the troubed teen industry makes. I guess the separation between church and state expains why some of these facilities have no oversight. It does sound like people are having a difficult time getting laws established to protect teens.

  48. Was Hephzibah House the “ministry’ which had girls travel around the country as a bell chorus in mostly independent Baptist churches as a fundraising measure?

    If not HH, does anyone know the name of that ministry? I think it was based in Midwest. Heard some disturbing stories about that one from co-workers of mine back in 1980s who belonged to a church where the choir visited.

  49. Jamie Carter wrote:

    It does sound like people are having a difficult time getting laws established to protect teens

    Aaaaargh. As long as these teens are humans and citizens they should be afforded their rights under law. At the very least. It makes me so angry that there is ANY way that places dealing with them can be exempt from their treatment being monitored. I run out of words.

  50. nmgirl wrote:

    @ dee:
    It’s called Tierra Blanca Ranch. It is not overtly christian, but uses a bunch of the same code words. But Dee, be careful, this guy likes to litigate and has former senator Pete Domenici’s son as his attorney so GOP power structure is involved.

    From what is slowly coming to the surface, political connections are starting to look more and more like the glue that helps hold this thing together. By *thing*, I mean THEIR thing, like Cosa Nostra with enforced omertà.

  51. Headless Unicorn Guy wrote:

    How did New Bethany Home for Girls survive for three decades despite inquiries by law enforcement officials, court battles, and accusations of abuse?
    This is Louisiana, land of Huey Long and David Duke, where every Authority has its price.
    Like Ramsey Snow/Bolton, “They’ve got their own way of doing things.”

    The only known associate of Mack Ford is Woody Jenkins ~ “Louis Elwood Jenkins, Jr., known as Woody Jenkins (born January 3, 1947), is a newspaper editor in Baton Rouge and ]]Central City, Louisiana|Central City]], Louisiana, who served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972 to 2000 and waged three unsuccessful races for the United States Senate in 1978, 1980, and 1996 (Wikki ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_Jenkins).

    On more than one occasion, Jenkins waved his wand and declared New Bethany above board and without abuse… because Jenkins said so. https://victimizednomore.wordpress.com/affidavits-by-abuse/
    Woody Jenkins authored legislation that passed and allowed unlicensed child care homes to remain open if they were deemed “religious.”

    By changing how Ford defined his charges, Mack could make us look like sad and needy children or drug addicted prostitutes. When he told a sad story and called a girl to give her testimony, many times we had to make the testimony fit his introduction. It mattered not if we did not know what prostitutes did for a living, he said we were, so we were.

    I recall wondering who he was talking about because I was born with my arse glued to the IFB church pew. The absolute worst thing I had done was to tell my dad a lie; my brothers did throw silly putty at dad’s picture; did he need to know that I was involved?

  52. Beakerj wrote:

    As if being destitute, lonely, a prostitute or an addict wasn’t bad enough… these stories do my head in. These young women were just prey for the circling religious predators.

    When I saw that girls at New Bethany wore culottes, I thought I died and went to heaven. Until 1976, I rode horses in a dress. Mack Ford was loose compared to my pastor father, or so I thought. A few girls told me about their pasts and some I recall 39 years later because the events were so formidable and outside my realm of comprehension.

    I’m most saddened by the fact that this kind of abuse never actually goes away. The scars can heal but it never goes away. I choose not to let one year of my life identify my entire life, but my life, like many girls at New Bethany, was the things nightmares are made of. Why else would I beg for three years to go live at New Bethany? I have no memory of physical abuse. I would not have noticed a few kids getting a whoopin’; that was common around my home. NO ONE hit ME. At 16, we are all about self preservation and since no one hit me, I always assumed no one else was hit.

    The sexual abuse broke something in me. That was not the first time I had been sexually abused and I told my secrets to Mack Ford when I was 13, in 1973, visiting a church in MO. He used my secrets three years later. I made the perfect target and that reveals the Monster hidden behind the mask of a preacher man. Child Sexual Abuse at the hands of a pastor and trusted spiritual leader does a type of damage I have yet to resolve.

    There’s not a lot of useful help out here either! I’ll never give in and I’m determined to heal my mind and body from the toxic past two years, involved in prosecuting the mofo who just up and died! The need to suddenly shift my mindset and thoughts that permeated every minute of my days and most of my nights requires some direction.

  53. @ Lydia:
    No amount of reparations could ever atone for the hell That we suffered, this man abused us & paid for that place with our tears & pain. Land is power, and being that his wife &” children KNEW what was going on- they SHOULD NOT be allowed to retain possession of one speck of dirt that comprises the New Bethany Holdings.