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OUR ROOTS

  • Against The Odds

    In 2019, Freedom Village USA (FV) survivors came together to prevent the infamous, religious, residential facility from relocating from NY to SC to dodge accountability.

     

    This transpired into an in-person town hall meeting in Sunset, CA. To our surprise - the people of Sunset, SC believed us. So much so that they contacted their elected officials, DHS and anyone who would listen to voice their opposition to FV’s move. Through the mobilization of the community and media attention - Freedom Village USA only lifeline was cut. The realization that we were able to shut down a historically abusive facility without having anything other than our voices reignited our hope that change is possible.

     

    Shortly after, we learned that FV was not an isolated experience and that youth throughout the US were experiencing institutional abuse in facilities that were unregulated known as The “Troubled” Teen Industry.

  • March 2020

    Freedom Village Survivors published a letter through the National Youth Rights Association (NYRA), highlighting the abuse, neglect (+medical),  exploitation, and human rights violations youth in the TTI face. 

     

    9 days 9 days before the letter was launched 16 year old Cornelius Frederick was killed by restraint and 9 days after we published the letter Naomi Wood died due to medical neglect. This urgency for oversight is what sparked the birth of We Warned Them Campaign. 

     

    WWT Founders are Queer, BIPOC FV survivors: Jasmyne Arianna, LaKia Wallace, & Gabriel Gonzalez. 

  • September 30, 2021

    Survivors and allies officially launch the We Warned Them Campaign.

     

    The phrase "We Warned Them" is a direct call out to elected officials for the preventative deaths of Cornelius & Naomi after we warned them of the repercussions of noaction. 

     

    It is also an ode to the survivors who have been speaking out for decades. Many of us warned communities, elected officials and the appropriate authorities that if no action was taken youth would continue to be abused and/or die. 

  • March 2, 2022

    Launched a letter and call to action campaigning for Missouri State Officials to #ShutdownAgape, a religious TTI program similar to Freedom Village USA. One of our members, Robert Bucklin was a survivor of Agape and spoke out on several news channels, podcasts and articles. 

  • February 6, 2023

    Organized a protest & vigil in honor of Monique Payne and all those that have died UHS facilities. 

  • Twitter Spaces

    Hosted 3 twitter spaces, topics included: Religious Boarding Schools, the school to prison pipeline and intersectionality.

  • Stop Institutional child abuse act

    WWT signs on in support of the SICCA Coalition. 

  • April 11, 2023

    Margaret Mayer drops "We Warned Them: Freedom Village" an Audio Documentary. 

  • May 2023

       WWT member         Kayla Muzquiz   testifies in support   of SICAA in   Washington, DC. 

  • June 2, 2023

    VFV

  • SICAA Call to Action

  • February 6, 2024

    Second Annual #ShutdownUHS protest at UHS Headquarters, King of Prussia, PA. 

  • June 2024

    WWT Survivors and Impacted Family members attended a Senate Committee Hearing on UHS's abuse, neglect, exploitation & death. 

     

    Theresa Payne & her family had the opportunity to speak on behalf of Monique Payne and other youth who have been abused or killed in UHS facilities. 

  • August 2024

     Protest & Vigil in Denton, TX in   honor of the birthday months of   Monique Payne (14) & Aaron Gower   (22) who died at UHS facilities. 

  • August 31, 2024

    Article drop, by Ally Art Levine, centering the UHS Senate Hearing in June 2024 titled "Troubled Teen Industry is Taxpayer -Funded Child Abuse, Senate report and Paris Hilton say. Where are government Regulators?"

    Photo by Mariam Zuhaib

  • August 31, 2024

    President of WWT mentioned in an Article side bar featuring other TTI Advocates like Paris Hilton and Chelsea Maldonado. 

Our Team

Jasmyne Arianna

Jasmyne Arianna

Co-Founder and Campaign Coordinator

Jasmyne is a human rights activist and survivor of child/institutional abuse. When she was 14 she was sent away to Freedom Village USA to cover up the sexual & physical abuse she endured since the age of 2. Her advocacy journey for at-risk youth started with the successful shutdown of Freedom Village USA's move to SC. In 2020, she co-authored NYRA's open letter Demanding to Close Abusive Behavior Modification Facilities during COVID-19. Right before it's publication, Cornelius Fredericks died by being restraint. 9 days after the letter was launched Naomi Wood died from medical neglect. The critical urgency for oversight sparked the creation of the We Warned Them campaign.

Margaret Mayer

Margaret Mayer

Campaign Coordinator

Margaret is an artist and activist originally from Rochester, NY. She is passionate about educating her own community on social injustices that often occur silently. This led to her an investigation of Freedom Village, a TTI Program that had been running in upstate NY for over 40 years. She is currently working to create a podcast focused on telling the story of this program through survivor experiences with a focus on mental health. She always enjoys organizing community based art events and crocheting!

Kayla Múzquíz

Kayla Múzquíz

Campaign Coordinator

Kayla is a resilient foster care survivor of institutional abuse. They hope to use their insight of the child welfare system to spread awareness of the civil rights violations happening day in and day out, especially within the Troubled Teen Industry. She has written articles for The Hill, Ms. Magazine, and Children's Rights. They are currently attending Palo Alto College in San Antonio, Texas. They have been a certified dog trainer since 2016 and found healing through working with dogs of all breeds. They currently work with a pit bull service dog.

Sabrina Young

Sabrina Young

Social Media Coordinator

Sabrina is a human rights activist advocating for change within the adoption and foster community. As a child abuse and troubled teen industry survivor, Sabrina brings a unique perspective to her work. She has been working with people with disabilities for over 15 years as a Direct Support Professional. Sabrina has assisted the We Warned Them Campaign with protests in Denton Texas for the Shut Down UHS Protest and has traveled to Capitol Hill to advocate for reform for institutionalized abuse . She is currently working on her memoir about surviving adoption abuse and spending six years in five different Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches. Sabrina advocates for better oversight and accountability to ensure the safety and well-being of children, more comprehensive support services for both foster and adoptive families, and stricter regulations to prevent abuse and neglect. Additionally, she pushes for reforms that address systemic issues, such as the need for more rigorous background checks and training for foster parents and adoption agencies. These changes aim to create a more supportive and protective environment for children in the system.

Gabriel joseph GonzÁlez

Gabriel joseph GonzÁlez

Co-Founder

Gabriel is a survivor that educates and advocates for young people’s rights in The Troubled Teen Industry. He has worked on various projects promoting legislation creation. In 2019, he worked with the Freedom Village Experience survivors group on awareness projects that involved New York and South Carolina. In 2020, Gabriel co-facilitated a collaborative campaign with the National Youth Rights Association to ask congress to regulate controversial care practices and challenges in "Troubled Teen" Residential care facilitation. He currently resides in New York City and is an active member of his community..

Maggie Gelen

Maggie Gelen

Mental Health Consultant

Maggie is a clinical therapist w/ a bachelors degree in psychology and cognitive science from the University of Rochester and a masters in social work from Columbia University. She has worked w/ a diverse range of people including immigrants, refugees, and individuals effected by police brutality and mass incarceration. She believes that mental health is a social justice issue and is passionate about empowering individuals and communities through access to equitable mental health care.

Theresa Payne

Theresa Payne

Campaign Coordinator

Theresa's advocacy began with the tragic death of her daughter, Monique Payne. Monique died from medical neglect at UHS owned Westwood Lodge (since shutdown). Since then Theresa has made it her mission to educate her community and other parents about the dangers of institutional abuse. Theresa and her familia will never stop fighting for justice, accountability and legislative measures that will protect youth from abuse, neglect, exploitation and death in residential settings. #holdthemaccountable

Daniel Washington

Daniel Washington

Writer

Daniel is a highly accomplished Industrial/Organizational Psychology graduate with experience in Project Management, Market Research, Organizational Change, Talent Acquisition, and Career Development. He received his Master's from Touro College in New York City in 2020 and currently specializes in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). He joined We Warned Them because he is committed to being a part of a community where he can help like minded individuals spread awareness on social justice issues as they relate to the systematic oppression of historically marginalized groups. He is also seeks to provide volunteer and career advancement opportunities for anyone who is committed to social justice and DEI causes. His extensive professional and academic experiences have helped him understand the value of working authentically, forging meaningful relationships with others, and helping organizations define their mission, vision, and values. By being a member of WWT he hopes to develop leadership skills that will help inspire change in others and become a pioneer in his professional field.

Melissa Curtis

Melissa Curtis

Campaign Coordinator

Melissa's Advocacy started with supporting survivors of Freedom Village USA as they mobilized to stop the move to South Carolina in 2019. Since then she has participated in multiple forms of advocacy including organizing and attending every Shutdown UHS protest as well as showing up to support the Payne Family and other survivors during the Senate Committee hearing in June of 2024. Her passion to make a difference and support the community is priceless.