Elan.School

46: Justice

46: Justice

words left me., thoughts abandoned me., yet here I was., FUCKED., those words are so true. , from the moment I’D been sucker-shoved..., Mike Tyson once said “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”, and I wasn’t stupid, since the minute I’d escaped from my elan parent-group visit, I’d remained conscious about not letting my guard down. I’d looked out for people following me. I’d stayed aware of exits and escape routes. I’d been in elan long enough to have heard all kinds of stories about people running away and just as many stories about how they got caught. I just believed it would be different this time. it should’ve been different this time. it was ME this time.I’m tied up in the back of a cargo van, for the second time, completely helpless and on my way to a program run by psychopaths who have been given a blank check to “fix” me. and nobody is checking their work. , truthfully, I don’t remember much between being grabbed in new york and ending up at a gas-station in maine, just flashes of images like a kid playing with one of those old view-master toys. that is how my brain processed it. perhaps it did it that way to take off the sting., it’s amazing how some elan memories are carved into my mind as if by diamond. I can remember every detail around me, even the location of objects relative to where I am in the room. I can actually see through my eyes again to recreate the picture. On the flip side... my mind has very literally blacked-out large pieces and entire chapters of my elan life; Shoved them away into some pit where I can no longer access them like normal memories. i’ve had many post-elan moments where a smell, sound, or trigger suddenly brought back entire chains of events, dramatic and memorable things that I cant believe I’D ever forget naturally. some are so horrible that I refuse to even put them into this comic... because something very dramatic and very memorable was about to happen., you want anything while I’m in there gino?, But back to the van..., just hurry up., and it did!, ~got A 10-37, out-of-state plates, van with deep tints...~, I was left in the car with the fat man, as the skinnier one went in for cigarettes. I was still looking for that “hail mary” opportunity. My thoughts were racing a million miles a minute and I had purposely been quiet and tame the entire car ride. I was planning as many different escape-plan angles as I could. I’d knew I’d need the element of surprise if the right opportunity presented itself. and when it did... I’d be ready., hELP!, hELP!, hELP!, hELP!, kidnapping, kidnapping, fucking, help!!!, kidnapping, kidnapping, hELP!, hELP!, hELP!, hELP!, hELP!, hELP!, kidnapping, kidnapping, fucking, help!!!, kidnapping, kidnapping, hELP!, hELP!, a shadow darkened my view as I stared blankly out at the gas pumps. and before I knew it... a fucking cop was there. I was actually startled in disbelief., I’d imagined this exact scenario. , and I was damn sure ready for it., this was my chance.,RAPIST!, RAPE!, hELP!, child, kidnapped, child rape!, please fucking help me!, help me please, I need help, trafficking , rape, rape, RAPIST!, RAPE!, hELP!, child, kidnapped, please fucking help me!, help me please, I need help, trafficking , rape, rape, sir, listen carefully. step out of the vehicle. now. with your hands where I can see them., or I will use lethal force. , the day was saved!!!, this was it! it had been a long strange trip, with a lot of twists and heart-ache. but it was finally over. in some strange way, everything had worked out perfectly. these guys would get taken in by the cops and I’d finally get my chance to expose all these motherfuckers. afterwards i’d lead the whole damn police precinct straight to elan’s front door and I’d walk in like a hero. I’d walk right up to ron and put my finger right in his face and say “no ron. my gang’s harder”. , officer. our boss, mr. Cirri, told us to always make sure we introduced ourselves as being agents of his employ. , mr...Jay...cirri? , officer, sir! he’s with me, I think there’s been a small misunderstanding here!,yes officer. Great. I’m glad you’ve heard of him. I would hate to have to call and bother him... just for this silly misunderstanding. Mr. cirri is especially busy these days, working on his bid for governor. politics is hard work. but of course, he has a lot of friends in high places to help him stay... level-headed. , yes, this is A real political ad where elan’s creator dons the same boxing gloves he beats children with. (real name blocked for legal reasons), I’m just curious officer... what’s your last name? , McCleary., now that we’ve been aquainted, I’ll be sure to pass your name on to mr. cirri. , as a community leader, he really appreciates the people who are making a difference... on the ground level. he understands that those with their boots on the pavement don’t always receive a level of pay commensurate to the level of work they put in... and of course, the risk involved., but at least horses are somewhat predictable, right? unlike these troubled youngsters. they will say just anything to shirk their responsibilities. anyway, this one is needed back at the ranch. bye officer. , just say your name when you arrive and you‘ll be taken care of. ever bet on harness racing? oh, it’s a real thrill. , well officer McCleary, mr. cirri is the owner of scarborough downs, the state’s largest race track., and off we went., of course, I don’t actually know what was said outside of that van that day. But I do know how to read body-language. watching that cop go from confident and in-charge to stunned and passive, I can only imagine what the unspoken threat was. what kind of threat could make an armed officer walk away from a vehicle with a visibly tied-up kid screaming “child rape! kidnapping!” at the top of his lungs? I didn’t know back then, but later research into the subject made it become clear enough for me to run with that creative guess. As a matter of fact.... , “, the following comment was found on youtube under a video related to the elan school. You don’t have to take my word for it, but I’ve seen many like it in my years of searching the internet for answers., I retired in 2013 after over 34 years as a Probation and Parole Officer for the State of Maine. Since I am now a "free man" and can speak the truth, I will make a few comments about Elan. During my first 5 years as a PPO, I supervised juveniles as well as adults and I worked with a few young people who were "students" at Elan. I found the Elan administration provided very little communication concerning any of my clients at that facility. One time I wanted to visit a boy on my caseload who was at Elan and was told they needed time to "prepare" for my visit. After a couple of years on the job I had learned of several incidents of abuse at Elan against my clients and others. When I went to my supervisor to report the abuse, I was told that Elan was a "sacred cow" and that officials in my department (Mental Health and Corrections) as well as Human Services and Education were "in tight" with Jay cirri and the Elan School and that if I reported a problem with Elan I would become the problem. I was told by one official in my department that anyone causing problems to Elan could "disappear like Jimmy Hoffa." After "mandated reporting" of child abuse became law in Maine, there were several incidents of abuse at Elan reported to Child Protective (Department of Human Services) but they were "buried" and never given the proper investigation and follow up due to Mr. Ricci's political connections in Augusta. Frankly, I am relieved that Elan has finally closed its doors and that more and more former Elan residents are having the courage to come forward...., that I recently found., let me share something with you, undeniable psychopath., elan’s founder “jay cirri” was an, According to a former [scarborough downs] employee [Jay] had thrown a wild party in the Seahorse Restaurant one night after racing. He says "Alcohol was flowing abundantly everywhere. [Jay] kept disappearing in and out of the ladies room with different females off and on, not for sex, but drugs." About 4 am, after most everyone had left, he got this Uzi out and went to the parking lot where he aimed and fired at the mammoth parking lights, shattering glass everywhere, and sending red hot bullets through the corner of the grandstand. According to this eyewitness "[Jay] wasn't mad... just feeling aggressive." duck in a raincoat, Menuki Press Author: Maura Curley, but you know, I am not the kind of person who would go and judge someone simply for shooting a submachine gun at their own property while loaded on drugs and booze. it happens right?, on a cold night in maine, a mysterious fire destroys the current building being used for elan. afterwards... Jay announced that he and the elan residents had performed numerous remodels and expensive upgrades, Even though the fire made verifying those claims impossible. luckily, jay had invested in fire-insurance. 10 years later, around the same time of year: , January 8, 1974, speaking of damaged property..., on another cold night in maine, a mysterious fire destroyed the scarborough downs clubhouse. strangely, the phones didn’t work that particular night and there was mysteriously no water in the track’s private hydrants. so the security guard was actually forced to drive all the way to the fire department just to report that there was a fire, this delay was disastrous. luckily, jay had again invested in fire-insurance... , december 17, 1983, According to a former [scarborough downs] employee [Jay] had thrown a wild party in the Seahorse Restaurant one night after racing. He says "Alcohol was flowing abundantly everywhere. [Jay] kept disappearing in and out of the ladies room with different females off and on, not for sex, but drugs." About 4 am, after most everyone had left, he got this Uzi out and went to the parking lot where he aimed and fired at the mammoth parking lights, shattering glass everywhere, and sending red hot bullets through the corner of the grandstand. According to this eyewitness "[Jay] wasn't mad... just feeling aggressive." duck in a raincoat, Menuki Press Author: Maura Curley, The investigations into the fire at Scarborough Downs lasted for many months. Not only did the state fire marshall's office investigate the fire, but so did the Mission Insurance Company whose investigators even placed a call to [Jay's] ex wife to ask if she thought he was capable of setting fire to his own track. (She declined to speculate about anything her ex husband would do) Through his own investigators [Jay] learned that he was a suspect, and began telling everyone that he thought that something as preposterous as that might occur... That's why he said he had rewritten his track's insurance policy for 'replacement value only' just weeks before the fire. He thought this would eliminate the appearance that he could have benefited financially from it. Interestingly enough the clubhouse, valued by the town of Scarborough at $93,000 in 1979, was 'replaced' five years later for a cost of $2.2 million. Ten years earlier on January 8, 1974, a fire had destroyed an Elan building in Sebago that was rented from a local doctor. The contents belonging to Elan were also 'adequately insured.' The fire at Scarborough Downs allowed [Jay] to significantly upgrade his facility just as the fire at Elan in Sebago caused him to establish Elan's expanded location in Poland Spring. duck in a raincoat, Menuki Press Author: Maura Curley, ”, ”, when I finally left elan for good, finding the book “duck in a raincoat” was like a god-send. at the time, it was the only book in existence about the horror-show I had witnessed and the psycho who created it., even though your book wasn’t a commercial-success, this comic and a substantial chunk of my post-elan sanity would not exist if not for your bravery, hard work, and research., THANK YOU Maura curley!, Duck, In A, Raincoat, An, Unauthorized, By, Maura Curley, The Story the Media Missed., Portrait, Of, Jay, Cirri, her book even managed to answer a question that was clawing at my mind. and I’m sure is even in your own mind as I type this:, well, oddly enough..., in nyc of all places!, how did I get caught so quickly,