The good
news and … the bad news
Well as
the story goes.... the Dover Kearsney: Into Action (Wednesday) cult
group (see meeting details below) have been kicked out of their
premises. We don't as yet have full details on the cause of their
rather abrupt expulsion but the landlords of the property (a
registered charity – The Sisters of the Religious Retreat) had
apparently received numerous complaints about the activities of this
cult group over the past few years. Last Wednesday (23/5) - or so we
are told - the group was visited by a representative who informed
them they no longer had permission to use the facility. Unfortunately
…. and here's the bad news …. there was collateral damage with
the Tuesday AA meeting (at the same venue and a legitimate Alcoholics
Anonymous gathering) also being requested to vacate. Fortunately the
latter have already found a new venue (in Deal) but the cult group is
currently homeless. For our part of course we're always delighted to
hear about the demise of a cult group (a by no means infrequent
occurrence). However they will attempt to remedy their 'vagrant'
status either by finding new premises or (more likely) attempt to
take over another group. We've heard that the prime target in the
latter case is the Birchington Thursday meeting.
Herein
however lies a warning! So long as AA continues to tolerate this
abusive presence within our midst then we can expect further closures
along the same lines. Landlords of such premises will not
discriminate between genuine AA meetings and those run by the cult in
its various manifestations. Quite reasonably they will conclude that
they must safeguard their interests and make a clean sweep of
anything calling itself an AA meeting. It is interesting to note
that in the case of West Kent (intergroup area), where there is a
considerable cult presence (if not dominance), the number of hospital
venues available to AA has shrunk dramatically over the last few
years. Not so long ago both Maidstone Hospital and Medway Hospital
used to accommodate no less than 5 meetings between them. These are
now all closed (although the groups themselves have successfully
relocated) on the instigation of the managing trusts. We have been
reliably informed that these decisions were (off the record) prompted
by an increasing concern about what was going on in AA (or more
accurately the cult groups within AA) with respect to anti-prescribed
medication issues, religious dogma etc. Unless AA (its groups,
intergroups etc) take steps to distance itself from these rogue
enterprises then we will all end up being tarred with the same brush.
They will drag us down with them!
DOVER
KEARNSEY LUNCHTIME, TUESDAY Meeting
Time:
13.00
Kearsney
Abbey Nursing Home, Alkham Valley Road (closed)
DOVER
KEARSNEY: INTO ACTION, WEDNESDAY [cult] Meeting
Time:
19.30
Kearsney
Manor Nursing Home, Alkham Valley Rd (closed)
Cheerio
The Fellas
(Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
PS What
the above does demonstrate however is the effectiveness of making a
complaint. Eventually the landlord will have to take notice if a
sufficient number are submitted (preferably with supporting evidence
or testimony). To that end we will be adding the relevant contact
details (where we can determine them) to our Cult: Where to Find
listings in order to facilitate this. However where a location also
hosts legitimate AA meetings it is important that any complaint
clearly distinguishes this fact.
