From
Pennhurst Memorial and Preservation Alliance. Here is the
petition link if you want to join the protest.
Over the past months, the Pennhurst Memorial and Preservation Alliance (“PMPA”) has been asked to present an official position regarding the advertised “Institute of Terror” planned by Mr. Randy Bates to take place on the Pennhurst State School grounds in October 2010.
PMPA is dedicated to the proposition that the triumphant yet tragic story embodied on this International Site of Conscience must be preserved to inform and inspire future generations. Quite simply, Pennhurst is a codeword for an entire human rights movement whose history, if not written at this time and at this place, lies subject to incursions of time and ignorance that leave it open to misinterpretation and perversion. The best way to write that history is through the Preservation of Pennhurst and the truthful narratives of those who lived and worked there.
We are very pleased to be working with Pennhurst's current owner toward the preservation and adaptive re-use of this historic campus with these goals in mind. We believe bringing people to campus is important and we are very sensitive to the owner's need to make a profit from Pennhurst; however, emails and letters to the PM&PA have expressed considerable concern with the appropriateness of the Institute of Terror’s imagery and theme for a site that is hallowed ground for persons with disabilities, many of whom are still alive. It is indisputable that conditions at Pennhurst and similar institutions shocked the conscience. We celebrate the fact that Pennhurst was the place where these conditions were struck down as unacceptable, and as such, we are required to evaluate portrayals of conditions there with strict scrutiny. Any entertainment at the expense of people's suffering is repulsive on its face and becomes more so, when there is no credible venue available for people to hear the true story.
While we do not believe a haunted attraction is entirely unacceptable, the current available descriptions of the attraction are concerning. At this time, we must agree with the mental health professionals who have stated that the as-described proposed event insults and demonizes our fellow citizens who live with chronic mental illness and trivializes the conditions under which those persons continue to struggle in institutions across the world. As successful examples at Eastern State Penitentiary have shown, there are more constructive, yet profitable, ways to run such an event.
Amid an outcry from the disability and mental health community, we have offered to work with the owner to address these concerns. To date, the sponsors have agreed to meet with PM&PA leaders and pledged to modify the proposed event to address sensitivity concerns. Our recommendations include the following:
1.We have proposed that the event sponsors work with us to offer historically and factually-based tours in addition to any terror-themed events as well as provide literature about Pennhurst’s true history to event participants.
2.We have learned the owner plans a “museum” on site as part of the event. While the PMPA is the primary repository of Pennhurst history, we have not been consulted to provide any resources to inform this museum.
3.The site http://www.pennhurstasylum.com/ says that the terror event will be used to help preserve the site. If this is the goal, we urge the owner to enter into an agreement with the PMPA, the township, and other interested parties to commit to preserve a core portion of the site as recommended by the Pennhurst Re-Use Study completed by the Community Design Collaborative.
From Pennhurst Memorial and Preservation Alliance. Here is the petition link if you want to join the protest.
