For the Record: Part Thirteen, Facebook Dialog Number Five

[Click here for Introduction and Table of Contents.] 

At the end of August, 2011, John M. Knapp, LMSW, my former cult-recovery therapist specializing in healing spiritual and cultic abuse, posted his Beware Ca*** W**** - Cyberstalker falsehoods on his then (now-defunct) non-profit website, thechsca.org, (The Center for Healing Spiritual and Cultic Abuse) and on his Facebook wall and others' Facebook walls, in an attempt to smear my character and in retaliation of me coming forward with my story regarding Knapp. In March, 2011, after Knapp opened his then non-profit, The Center for Healing Spiritual and Cultic Abuse, and began soliciting the public for people and for funds in the amount of $10,000, I went public online retracting my previous endorsements of Knapp. In May, 2011, I began coming forward publicly with my personal Knapp story.

Knapp had gotten in his head that he was being cyberstalked, cyberterrorized, cyberharassed, and that I had recruited others in a campaign against him.  None of which were true.

On August 25, 2011, in addition to his public defamatory posts on his non-profit website, Knapp begins multiple public Facebook discussions regarding his delusional plight. These continue for days.

On September 7, 2011, Knapp turns on his own non-profit staff and board who had begun to address his outlandish online behavior. Knapp's response to his staff and board was to blame them and cut off communication with them.

What follows is the September 7th Facebook thread where some of his staff and board members address him publicly. Knapp's board and staff endeavored to reason with him in private, without success. It then went public.

This is Knapp's fifth Facebook thread about how he has been abused and victimized. Unfortunately, I didn't get all of Knapp's dialog before he erased (or at least hid from public) his online statements.

One board member posted their public resignation on their blog here: ok, so I joined an advisory board and all I got was…

One of Knapp's supporters and defenders wrote me a few months later and officially apologized. We have since become friends. Knapp's verbal and psychological abuse toward that person and myself were similar; except, that person's was worse. 

The Ebay/Paypal references in the Facebook dialog below have to do with a multitude of Knapp's public Facebook status updates (which he later erased) about how Paypal had cheated Knapp.

This Facebook dialog is the last of Knapp's public online displays before the CHSCA crumbled. 

Shortly before posting this final Facebook thread Knapp had been taken to small claims court in the city where he then resided, Malone, NY. A previous employee sued him for non-payment after trying to work out an agreement of payment with Knapp. Knapp refused. The court ruled in favor of the former employee. Knapp was served the papers for that judgement in the beginning of September, 2011. He then promptly skipped state. 

He never paid that previous employee. The judgement is still outstanding as of December, 2012.

I entitle this Facebook dialog, Knapp's "my-actions-are-justifiable-and-everyone-else-is-to-blame-while-I-tell-off-my-CHSCA-staff-and-board-members thread."

[Update with link: Knapp's license was revoked in January, 2014.]

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[begin Knapp's Facebook thread]

John M Knapp Lmsw:
First honest chance to be on the Internet since about 4 am 9/2.

I've accepted the resignation of D*** M***** from the board of directors of the CHSCA.

I basically have not been able to gather our tiny board together for a meeting since May.

J.
September 7, 2011 at 11:22am · 
B***** R** likes this.
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S**** B*****:
why did he resign?
Wednesday at 11:25am · 1 person
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John M Knapp Lmsw:
S****,

I recommend you talk with D*** directly. I got little info. His OPENING SALVO was to resign.

Oh well.

[...See More...]
Wednesday at 11:29am · 1 person
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S**** B*****:
 I would say that I have been concerned with stuff you posted to both your account and the groups but kept silent... it seemed you were and are going thur some personal issues and maybe because of that a bit of communication is needed? alls I'm saying is, maybe the initial concern was and is valid.
Wednesday at 11:36am · 1 person
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John M Knapp Lmsw:
S****,

If you want to voice your concerns, by all means, I'd love to talk.

I responded as best I could to D***'s concern. His first response was simply to resign. That's not a board member.

[...See More...]
Wednesday at 11:42am · 1 person
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S**** B*****:
it's true, what you post to your private account is your business... and becomes the business of your friends list... I've learned to keep certain social media outlets exclusive to friends and folks I feel can deal... if you look at mu public twitter it's much different than my facebook... oh, I'd love to hear more on the article you removed.
Wednesday at 11:46am · 2 people
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John M Knapp Lmsw:
S****,

That works for you. I'm trying something different.

The article was not removed, it simply isn't featured any longer.

There are 4 or 5 brief blog posts that you can find athttp://thechsca.org/blogs/reckless-speculation . The first one is "Beware Carol W****—Cyberstalker."

S****, man, you are a fine artist and have been a loyal support. I certainly will understand if this is not something you choose to be a part of.

If on the other hand, you want to talk about it and I can make changes, I'd prefer that.

Love ya, man. A**, too.

J.

Reckless Speculation
thechsca.org
The Center for Healing Spiritual and Cultic Abuse
Wednesday at 11:52am · 2 people
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S**** B*****:
so, what article was it and why was it so offensive to that person? of course, I'm assuming it was one of the articles you did on me??
Wednesday at 11:53am · 2 people
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John M Knapp Lmsw:
Hi, S****,

NO NO NO. Not about you. Since you are a transgressive artist, I would have understood—although upheld your articles. I would fight for you into the Fire.

No. There is a team of cyberstalkers Carol W**** and M***** P*******, Ph...
[...See More...]
Wednesday at 12:01pm · 2 people
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D*** M*****:
My first response was not to resign. You replied to my first message, john. You simply said you didn't know how to reply. Not a solid answer for an immediate issue. And when did you seek my aid that you didn't find it? When did you call for a board meeting since may and meet with no reply? As executive director, you were to organize, set timelines, and goals. It was neither your board nor your advisors who did nothing -- it was you. And you have been posting your own personal, unprofessional gripes in the name of the CHSCA for some time now. Forget about the "got back" video. You've been using the CHSCA as your personal juvenile forum, and your board can't be expected to babysit, nor should they need to monitor your antics.
Wednesday at 12:24pm · 1 person
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D*** M*****:
This really irritates me: "I sought the aid of my board members on this issue for months." 
Really? How did I manage to hear nothing about it?
Wednesday at 12:32pm · 2 people
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D*** M*****: 
And this: "THIS IS THE SORT OF BEHAVIOR that we fight against, it seems totally on topic to me. THIS IS, for lack of a better word, CULTIC ABUSE." 
Perfect. One can come to the CHSCA and learn that cultic abuse is anything from a "cyber-stalker" to a dispute with Ebay! It's anything you want it to be...
Wednesday at 12:33pm · 2 people
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S**** B*****:
I like the ring of... " It's anything you want it to be." - add it to the marketing pack.
Wednesday at 12:38pm · 1 person
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A***** Z*****: 
Can we PLEASE just sit down and discuss this rationally? John, I will call or send a message. I can't have a discussion this way.
Wednesday at 12:55pm · 1 person
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A***** Z*****: 
Check your messages.
Wednesday at 1:11pm · 1 person
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S**** B*****: 
what way?
Wednesday at 1:12pm · 1 person
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S**** B*****: 
why should it be behind closed doors... what's to hide? this is johns personal profile and he runs stuff different... right?
Wednesday at 1:13pm · 1 person
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A***** Z*****:
I just think that miscommunications are best handled between the people who are lost on the communication portion.

But since you are on the board, S****, you're right. If we can't have a meeting, I'll just say it straight out.

I don't approve of personal e-mails being posted on the CHSCA website. I have no problem with discussing the issues of cyberbullying and cyberharrassment. I don't even mind the mention of names. But the tit-for-tat by e-mail posted to the CHSCA site makes me feel like we're a one trick pony. John posts articles. I post articles. We have at least one article from every member of the advisory board. But it's all about what you publicize, and for weeks, M***** has taken center stage. Those of us that know what's been going on and how she's been harrassing John understand the frustration, but it doesn't look good to an outsider when you're promoting a center for healing and the most recent articles are what looks like a back-and-forth argument between two people.

I don't discredit the frustration, I don't suggest that cyberharrassment/bullying is a taboo topic- I simply suggest that personal correspondences posted publicly are not the best way for us to gain credibility and that it has other board members concerned as well. If I posted all of my correspondences of people who disliked me, colleagues or random cyberstalkers alike, I would hope someone would call me on it, too.
Wednesday at 1:19pm · 2 people
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A***** Z*****: 
And I'm speaking from MY experience. I don't speak for D*** or anyone else. I speak from what I've read, heard, and experienced.
Wednesday at 1:20pm · 2 people
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S**** B*****: 
after the ebay/paypal posts I was a bit taken back... the personal email crap only made me bored and that makes me turn the channel... a decent article on cyberharrassment is one thing indeed.
Wednesday at 1:23pm · 2 people
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J**** L*****
John, I'm concerned too. And don't think what's been going on is professional or lends a shred of credibility to the organization. The CHSCA page is not the place for carrying out that kind of dispute. But frankly, even before all that, I was concerned in general about some of the coarse language you use in your posts. I'm no sissy, but again I don't think it's professional. A number of people have emailed me and asked why I am affiliated with CHSCA & I am concerned about my own reputation as well. That's not the major issue, as I believe I have solid creds, but the whole thing bothers me on both personal and professional level, and isn't something I want to be part of. There are such bigger fish to fry in this world.
Wednesday at 1:26pm · 3 people
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K**** M******: 
John, I've been very concerned too, and didn't know what to say. This FB page is a strange amalgam of CHSCA, your personal travails, your romantic life, and so forth. It's not working as a professional page at all. At all.

But the CHCSA has also become a personal page, it seems. And that's not helpful to the mission. To be very honest, the CHSCA is no longer looking like a going concern.
Wednesday at 1:26pm · 4 people
________

A***** Z*****:
Absolutely, S****! I simply feel that the focus was lost- and John, that's it. I don't play games- this is/was my complaint. A good article on cyberharrassment could certainly be in the making from all this. The fact that you were bored just suggests that this could deter outsiders as well- we want to be credible.
Wednesday at 1:27pm · 2 people
________

A***** Z*****: 
‎J**** L***** and K****- this is what I was afraid of.
Wednesday at 1:29pm · 2 people
________

S**** B*****: 
good thing to talk this out right here, right now... the plus of social media.
Wednesday at 1:30pm · 2 people
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D*** M*****: 
And to the claim, "I responded as best I could to D***'s concern", that response was merely a brief missive conveying that he was unable or unwilling to address my concerns or even justify his actions. If my actual "opening salvo" had really been to resign, I believe I could be forgiven, for I shouldn't have to correct such basic behaviors in an executive director.
Wednesday at 1:41pm · 2 people
________

J*** B***
Welcome back to FB, John!
Wednesday at 2:04pm · 3 people
________

D*** Mc******: 
Sounds like a lot of miscommunication has been occurring here. How do we go about clearing things up and moving forward?
Wednesday at 3:41pm · 3 people
________

A***** Z*****: 
I'm open to ideas and suggestions; I just want to see this resolved.
Wednesday at 3:47pm · 2 people
________

S**** B*****: 
I'm out. here's my open letter the the board of the CHSCA: ok, so I joined an advisory board and all I got was…
Yesterday at 3:10am · 1 person
________

A***** Z*****:
Even with this discussion on the wall, the e-mail correspondences I've received in the last 24 hours suggests no action is going to be taken to remedy this situation. S**** wants out, other board members are concerned, and nothing is being addressed. I was up for a majority of last night trying to strategize and hoped that John would make an effort to reach me or at least respond to my concerns since he mentioned he was willing to talk to me. No such thing has happened. This just isn't something I can sit on my laurels about. There's been enough public and private harsh e-mail exchange for me to feel that this is not where I can invest my energies any longer. I've been flat-out told that if I'm going to resign, I should just do it, and I feel that all of my work has been a waste just because I have a dissenting opinion of the executive director. This is not healthy. This is not what I signed on for. I'm sorry, John and board, but I am afraid I'm left with no choice but to resign. I hope we can stay in touch and maybe work together in a different climate in the future.

Attached below is a copy of my formal resignation, which will be sent to the Executive Director and any advisory board members' emails I have. I am deeply sorry.

A***** Z*****
Yesterday at 6:37am · 1 person
________

A***** Z*****:
Dear CHSCA Team:

It is with deep regret that I am announcing my formal resignation from the Center, effective immediately. I attribute my resignation to irreconciliable differences of opinion in the current purpose of the website and its relation to the established mission of the Center. I do not believe that the Executive Director and I can come to reasonable agreement on forward moving action regarding recent concerns about the website, and so I am choosing to step down from my position on the executive board.

I have really enjoyed working with all of you and hope we can work together more in the future, perhaps in a different atmosphere.

In the meantime, I ask that my name, biography, and related articles be removed from the website at the earliest convenience.

Thank you for your time and efforts, and my sincerest apologies.

Respectfully Yours,
A*****
Yesterday at 6:44am
________

John M Knapp Lmsw: 
‎@D*** M*****: You made promise after promise you didn't keep, D***. I tried to set up numerous meetings with you. I asked you to handle advisory board matters, nothing happened. YOU volunteered to handle the Carol W****/M***** P******* issue happened.
J.
13 hours ago
________

John M Knapp Lmsw: 
I don't know, D***. Explain it to ME. I brought up the whole Carol W**** issue in January.
13 hours ago
________

John M Knapp Lmsw:
D***, fuck you.
13 hours ago
________

John M Knapp Lmsw: 
‎@A***** Z*****: A*****, the very first chance I had to get on the Internet, I did. I found your hurtful email.

My patented phrase: "Have a nice life."

J.
13 hours ago
________

John M Knapp Lmsw: 
‎@J**** L*****: I'm happy to accept your resignation.

J.
13 hours ago
________

John M Knapp Lmsw: 
‎@K**** M******: I'm happy to accept your resignation.

J.
13 hours ago
________

John M Knapp Lmsw: 
‎@A***** Z*****: S**** is not on the board, A*****. How you could not understand this is beyond me. S**** was on the advisory board. His opinion was always welcome.

J.
13 hours ago
________

John M Knapp Lmsw: 
‎@D*** Mc******: If you'd like, I'd be happy to talk.

J.
13 hours ago
________

John M Knapp Lmsw: 
‎@A***** Z*****: You DO play games, A*****. You NEVER mentioned these deeply held concerns to me once.

J.
13 hours ago
________

John M Knapp Lmsw: 
Dear Asshole, I had NO WAY TO REACH YOU. As you very well knew. What a way for a friendship and working relationship to end.

J.
13 hours ago
________

E***** S***: 
Hey John, I was just busy writing you an e-mail, but I'm a bit slow expressing myself at the best of times... Any chance we can chat a little via Skype?
John M Knapp

[end Knapp's Facebook thread]
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