Inside the "White House" toilet facility (used by permission from Roger Keiser)
Copyright (C) 2010 Orange Toilet News, Incorporated (EXCLUSIVE)
I asked Julian what he learned from his experience during his stay at the Dozier “School” for Boy. He said, “complete disrespect for authority.”
Today, Julian Michael Sapp is a Snook Fisherman. He grew up and moved on with his life but wants to hold those persons accountable for his mistreatment as a youth. He was a Plaintiff in the Class Action Lawsuit which has been filed against the State of Florida for the abuses of the Dozier “School” for Boys. “I withdrew myself because I don’t want money off the tragedy”. Mr. Sapp said. “Off my book Chasing Freedom, Life of a white House Boy, yes, off the law suit no.”
Julian was assigned to “Pierce Hall” as shown in the picture in our November 23rd, 2009 article, The Life of a “White House Boy” I. Julian said, “It was isolated from everything else; it was on a hill where they sent kids they thought were mentally disturbed and I was given some type of medication. I am not sure what it was.”
Julian said that during his stay “I was beaten two more times but they were minor, not like the first time.” He would go on to witness other children when they were showering who had disgusting marks from beatings on their buttocks, thighs and backs. He said, “you could not miss it.”
Julian was released from the Dozier “School” for Boys on June 06, 1961 to his biological fathers wife, whose name we have redacted from the included document titled “Florida Department of Juvenile Justice” dated October 06, 2009. (EXCLUSIVE)
I asked Julian what he learned from his experience from his stay at the Dozier “School” for Boys? He said, “complete disrespect for authority.”
I was recently reading Ben Montgomery’s and Waveney Ann Moore’s story from the Sunday December 06, 2009 St. Petersburg Times edition titled “Florida juvenile justice: Dozier school’s roster of the lost.” The story focused on boys from the “Dozier Class of 88″ and how many of them were arrested again after their stay at the Dozier “School” for Boys and found shocking evidence of an almost complete rate of failure of the Dozier “School” for Boys to “reform” or rehabilitate any of the boys from the “Class of 88.”
I took notice of the comments section of the storyand I think this comment summarizes the ignorance of some of the readers; “lillapoyka” commented, “If you would have behaved as a kid you never would have been sent their. You have nobody to blame except yourselves and maybe your parents.” (St. Petersburg Times comment section December 06, 2009)
Let us not forget these were minors and the State of Florida was charged with protecting them once committed to their care and the state failed and continues to fail to this day.
In Julian’s case he would go on to get into further trouble with the law.
When he was 16 Julian and another boy, whose father happened to be the local Police Chief, were walking along and saw a row boat. So they took it for a joy ride. When they returned to the dock a deputy was waiting for them. The Police Chief did not want Julian hanging out with his son. And so, for this joy ride, Julian was sentence to 3 months probation which he completed successfully.
Shortly thereafter the Police Chief found out Julian was back hanging out with his son and had him rearrested for a 2nd time for stealing the row boat. This time Judge Sample sentenced Julian to Florida State Prison for a period no shorter than 6 months and not longer than 3 years depending upon his behavior.
Julian said, “Before they rearrested me a 2nd time for stealing the row boat I was still salvageable.” Julian was held in the local jail for the next 14 months and, at about age 17½, he was transferred to Raiford State Prison in Florida. Julian’s fate would now be in his own hands. He had been dehumanized by his stay at the Dozier “School”. He had had his civil rights trampled there as well as by the local Police Chief who felt he could arrest anyone whom he did not like hanging around with his son.
Julian would go on to appeal this case himself all the way to the United States Supreme Court.
Julian’s trouble with the law was not over. While at Raiford, Julian escaped and committed additional crimes. His sentence was extended by 97 years. At the retrial in 1965 he accepted a plea deal for 20 years. He completed the 20 years sentence and was released from the Orlando Work Center on October 18, 1975 as did expiration of the sentence.
But something happened along the way that “would change my life forever,” I inquired as to what that was. Julian said, “someone took an interest in me.” I asked who and he said “While in prison a woman starting writing to me and started visiting me. She would drive a lot of miles a week to see me. It change me, it changed my life.”
Julian was released from prison on October 1st, 1975. His sentence had been reduced by several years because Julian had appealed his 2nd arrest and charge as a Juvenile for stealing the row boat. Upon his release they started dating in 1975 and had children together. “This changed my whole life,” Julian said.
I asked him if he was involved with any drugs or drinking when he committed the crimes we discussed. He said “no, I tried a marijuana cigarette in 1975 and it freaked me out and to this day I am not involved with any of that period!”
Julian left the state in 1975 and went to work for a deaf school in West Virginia. “I worked there until they got my background check back and they found out I was an ex-con and my employment was terminated as a result. I was hired for a special skill I learned while in prison and that was sign language because back then ‘mutes’ were treated differently–like outcasts from society and it was hard to find a person who knew sign language and I got that job pretty quickly.”
In 1976 Julian started working in Columbia South Carolina, as a dredge engineer ”because no one cared about your background just as long as you could do the job and it paid well,” he said. He would go on to become chief engineer on the dredge in 1979 he was working a tug boat in Tampa, Florida the day the ship struck the Skyway Bridge knocking numerous cars and a bus off the bridge into the water. He said, “we went right over there and started pulling survivors out of the water.”
He did a brief stint as an orange grove manager in the early 1980’s and then went back to work as a dredge engineer “because it paid so well,” he said. 1985 he was working in Longwood, Florida installing fire sprinklers and was promoted by the company in 1988 and started teaching at Seminole Community College in the Vocational Training Program. He taught apprentices at the college how to become Journeymen and Master Pipe-fitters.
But then trouble stuck again; the college got back his background check. “They were going to terminate me if not for one man; Mac Blyth,” Julian said. “He went to bat for me.” Mr. Blythe got the school to hold off on terminating Julian until he could hear back from the governors office on his request for a pardon.
On April 12, 1988 Julian Michael Sapp was pardoned for all of his past crimes by then Florida Governor Bob Martinez. His civil rights have been restored with the exception of his right to carry a firearm. (EXCLUSIVE)
Julian kept his job and in 1990 went on to work as youth minister at Osteen Baptist Church outside of Daytona Beach, Florida. In 1991 he went to work for the Salvation Army at a homeless lodge. In about three months he was promoted to Disaster Director for the Salvation Army and then promoted to Director of residential Drug Treatment for their drug treatment program. He worked closely with Volusia and Flagler county to coordinate disaster relief.
Julian retired in 2001 as a result of a heart attack the year before. He said, “I tried to go back to work but my short term memory gave me some trouble and i figured it was about time to retire.”
"Gone Fishing"
You can reach Julian and the other ‘White House Boys” at http://www.theofficialwhitehouseboys.com.
Brill Smith can be reached at brillsmith@gmail.com
Copyright (C) 2010 Orange Toilet News, Incorporated (EXCLUSIVE)