As we go through life , the pitfalls of learning to interact with people is a never ending process. Of course this starts from the moment we first open our eyes. Discovering the process of refining our ability to read body language , comprehending words spoken to us , the intent of people , recognizing the difference between a threat and a friend , understanding verbal and non verbal interactions is so important , in finding how we fit in this world. The people who raise us need to understand these interactions to be able to share their insights with us. They also need to have the ability to communicate on many different levels in order to assure themselves that we fully understand the unlimited ways people have , to interact with each other.

When a person is raised without a coach , enabler or a parent who takes the time to make sure their child has these important abilities , they are forced to learn through experiences. These can sometimes be brutally hard. An unfortunate brutality is not being aware of how to interact with people. Without support you are learning hard lessons on a daily basis. Trying to figure out the in’s and out’s behind communications skills. Why some people react differently than other people. Realizing how much you do not know and wondering where you fit in on the hierarchy scale. This can become overwhelming , especially if you are forced to grow up and learn these things in a confined space. When you are forced to learn these things while growing up in jail. Every institution has it own set of rules. None of them are ideal as a child growing up. Everyone has regrets and makes mistakes. Turning these mistakes and learning life lessons from them , enables us to take mistakes and turn them into experiences which makes us stronger people.

We may as well admit that when your a child living at home , you have a wide margin of error. There is a lot of room to make mistakes and learn. In elementary school you start to understand there are different groups of people within a classroom. There are athletic people who are naturally talented with agility , flexibility , strength and endurance. Then there are others who may not be athletic but the have the advantage of being attractive. This gives those people an ability to have certain advantages over others. Doors that are usually closed to most people are easily opened.

There’s also people who may not be favored with looks or being athletic but they have an ability to understand their environment and learn quickly. It is like a natural gift of understanding. Then there are some people who do not fit neatly into any of these groups and they tend to feel awkward and out of place. They also tend to be alienated by others because they do not fit into any of the afore mentioned molds. Kids usually feel threatened by things they do not understand. Some kids stand out and have special needs . While others have the favorable trait of making people laugh. A class clown so to speak. As long as you can be part of the crowd , you can be accepted There are also some people who have a normal appearance and have a little piece of every sub-set. All of us still need to grow into adults though and without proper guidance and encouragement , we will all be challenged and go through adversities.

No matter who we are or where we fit in , two things separate most people , how we can interact with other people and our abilities to learn. It does not really matter to children where everyone came from , it does matter if we our accepted. We will go to great lengths to fit in. Being excluded for one reason or another is where issues develop and depression starts it’s cycle. Young people have the capacity to be so kind but also are sometimes the cruelest people. Since people are social animals , we have an inner desire for acceptance. To fit in or at the very least , not to become excluded. People behave almost the same as a pack of young dogs. We want to be accepted and be part of the pack. We learn through our interactions with others. When we are centered out we feel remorse and the worst thing that could happen , is to be discarded from the pack. We would then be a lone wolf , so to speak. Most lone wolves do not do well.

We are not wolves though. We have a much greater capacity to know who we are. Our brains also work on a different level than dogs or wolves. Some times to fit in , people will do things that draw attention to themselves. I chose to do this when I found myself going to this new school. As it so happened , I found out through daily news that certain classes were being cut from my new school. It was not just this school but all of them in the Province. I talked with classmates to see if they would protest against the MLA who was trying to shut down Extra Curriculum Classes. Such as Gym , Woodworking , Metal Shop , Cooking , Arts and Crafts and others , to save money in the Budget. My friends from previous schools were taking action to stop the cut backs and I felt an obligation to support them.

I talked with the main people in my new school and stated my case. They all agreed it was a good idea. They embraced the Solidarity with joining the other school’s. I suggested we should all attend home room the next day. So we would be registered as being present in the morning. After home room we would not to go to our first class of the day. Instead we were to meet out front of the school and march down to the Parliament Building. The group forming this plan were guessing that most of the students would go along with the plan but would not go to the Parliament Buildings. Most students would take advantage of the situation , to take the day off. There were only around 10 – 15 of us that were dedicated to confront the MLA who wanted to take away our seriously fun classes.

As I write this blog , I am ashamed to admit there are still problems with my memory. I am realizing when I attended Cedar Hill School , I had moved back in with my father. I apologize for lying and it is no way intentional. I had believed when I stole money and booze from him and he came downtown to find me , when I told him to ” Fuck Off ” , That was the last time I saw him. I was wrong. I struggled to live on the streets but became very cold as the seasons changed. I ended up back at my father’s apartment. It was a shock seeing him turn and walk away from me , when downtown and drunk.. He got in his car and I honestly thought I would never see him again. I was even more shocked when he allowed me back in his place , with no real conversation about how I acted or what his feelings or thoughts were on this issue.

The fact is I was too stubborn to go crawling back to him the next day. I tried to make a go of life on my own. Between my life on the street and by the time I came back , Ken was already living with another woman. Ken was the Manager of the Apartment Building he was living in. It was located on Shelbourne Street , very close to Cedar Hill School. So if I was to be living under his roof , it was mandatory I attend school. I agreed since I needed somewhere to live and I enjoyed being at school. Two school’s I had previously attended were both in Langford. As I had already stated on the news I heard both schools were doing a walk out , to protest a MLA who wanted to take away a lot of classes from the schools , to save money on their Budget. They had just started protesting and I agreed with their philosophy. So I organized the walk out in my new school.

I took a string of about 50 firecrackers to school on the morning of the organized walk out. I set them off in the girls bathroom , just as the first bell rang to signify home room was beginning. I did not think anyone was in the bathroom as I lit and dropped them into the metal garbage can. Two girls came running out and ran directly to the first teacher they could find. I was quickly pointed out and was not able to escape to my homeroom class. Even though I had discussed the best line of approach , to organize this walk out with other people , missing home room , put all of our efforts to a test that none of us had prepared for. I was spotted inside the Principal’s room and spoke with the other leaders. I instructed them to stick to our plan and I’ll try as hard as I can to make this meeting as short as possible. Within ten minutes I made up my mind to walk out on the Principal’s lecture to me , regarding the safety factor of releasing firecrackers in a school.

By the time I made it outside most of the students had already left to go home. There were a few people who understood the bigger issue and wanted to walk or bus downtown to the Parliament Buildings. I felt as though I had personally screwed everything up because I had brought firecrackers and was busted setting them off. I had prepared a small speech to boost morale into people , in hopes of everyone going down. Instead around 10 or 15 people made the journey. I went with a friend who owned a van to get a ride downtown. We stood in front of the Parliament Building until the media showed up. Of all the people the media choose to speak with me regarding why all these students decided to protest.

I explained Bill Vander Valm was thinking it was a good idea to take away the students ability to exercise , by shutting down gym classes. As well as shutting down the long list of classes the students learned a trade or skill from. I also stated if the MLA was a child in school and was forced to accept this as a reality , he would probably be doing the same kind of actions that we are. If public attention is not going to bring about positive change then there really is nothing we can do to change their minds. Except maybe to stop going to school until these classes are reinstated. I remember not pronouncing his name correctly but I did represent my fellow students adequately. It was the first time I was actively engaged in public speaking and I thought I did a good job.

My father saw me on the T.V. that night on the news. He told me he was ashamed of me since I made myself sound like an idiot. I did not pronounce the MLA’s name correctly. I was told not to come back to the house since I had publicly embarrassed our family. I , of course , was shocked and confused. My friend who owned a van said I could crash in the van for a few days until I figure something else out. I was more than happy to accept his offer. I explained to him and some of our other friends that in a couple days it is going to be Saturday the 14th. I explained that this is considered a holy day for Satanists. They were highly skeptical but I assured them I knew what I was talking about. I told them we need to go to the Ross Bay Cemetery to see if we can watch any Satanic Rituals being performed.

The only real reason I suggested this trip to Ross Bay was so I knew I could stay in his Van for a couple days , until my dad could cool off. It did not work out the way I had hoped. As I have said , they were highly skeptical , so they guessed if they were going to tag along with me , we should not waste our time by going straight. They decided to grab a few doubles of acid so at least we can trip around Ross Bay Cemetery high on acid , or LSD. We were all still young teenagers but we had experienced LSD on several different occasions. We had no idea what this night was going be like but at least we would be high.. We all had hopes the night was going to be an awesome experience.

None of us were prepared to find exactly what we were looking for.. We met in the late afternoon at the school because it was an easy central location. We met and dropped a double of window pane acid each. Back in those days window pane acid was a reliable product which brought on hallucinations but was not speedy or overwhelming. With the 9 or 10 of us prepped and ready for the night , we all pilled into a van to drive to Ross Bay Cemetery.

When we arrived on the edge of the cemetery and the district of Oak Bay , we parked and got out of the van. The acid we had ate was just starting to kick in. We could all feel the distinct taste of tin or copper at the back of our tongues. We entered from the north gates and started a slow walk past the tomb stones. As we walked I was asked repeatedly were we were going and what we were looking for. I explained that Saturday the 14th was a religious night for Satanist and it would simply be a matter of luck if we found anyone here. We continued to walk south towards the water. At the outside edge of Ross Bay Cemetery was the Straight of Juan De Fuca.

We wandered in a zig zag fashion to try and cover as much ground as possible. I do not know if it was the overwhelming feeling of the acid we had eaten but I felt as though I was being pulled into a certain direction. I had a feeling that something was just around the corner. Most of the crowd was slowly following behind me. As I came upon a giant tree I started slowing down. I crept underneath the lowest hanging branches to see if there was anything on the other side. I became nervous and overwhelmed as I saw a couple people lined up shoulder to shoulder. I could hear the group I was with coming towards me and cautiously signaled for them to be very quite.

As I crouched even lower , I advanced my position a couple feet further , under the outside of the lower hanging branches. As I gave myself a better vantage point to witness what was going on , I realized there was more than a couple people. There must of been an easy dozen people lined up , shoulder to shoulder. They all had there backs against a long line of trees. They stared directly ahead , like they were in a trance. Even though I did not think that is what was really happening. I advanced a little further to see why they were lined up. At the same time I encouraged the people I was with to come see what I was looking at. Three or four of the guys took advantage of the situation . The other mix of guys and girls were laughing and making a small racket of noise.

I immediately signaled for everyone to shut their mouths since we seem to of found what we were looking for. At the same time I believe all of us were starting to regret that we were high on LSD. As I seemed to of calmed down the noise the others were making , I slowly crept a little further under the tree to obtain a better look. I was definitely more than a little scared at this point. I had some experience with Satanic Cults and Rituals and understood all too well the serious nature they took , in keeping their secrets safe. Bringing harm to people who saw or witnessed , anyone or any of their practices , was a common occurrence.

As I advanced my position , lying flat on the ground , it gave me a great vantage point to see the open area that these people were in. As I scanned the people who were lined up in a row , I noticed an off duty police officer. He had been involved with me in my youth for simple shoplifting . I looked from him up the line. At the end of this line of people , there was an open grave , with five people surrounding it. All of these people were not dressed in street cloths. I was in shock from what I was witnessing. I really did not think I was going to stumble onto anything of this magnitude. I was not able to focus on the group of people who I had talked into coming with me.

I know there were at least five or six people who were laying down beside me watching what I saw. Two of the five men at the open grave wore black satin robes outlined in red satin. Another two of the men were wearing similar robes but had more pronounced red cuffs and collars. They all had black satin hoods pulled over their heads. There were two men on each side of the open grave. There was a lone man at the top of the grave who held a book. He appeared to be reading from it as all the others were intently listening. At least that is what appeared to be happening. This lone man was dressed differently from the rest. He seemed to be in charge and even though he also wore black and red satin , he was primarily dressed in red with black outlines on hic cuffs and collar.

Who or what was in the grave is anyone’s guess. As I was trying to figure out what was happening , I guess the rest of my group was coming to the realization that I had actually found what we were hoping to find. No one was going to let this opportunity pass them by without even getting a single look. Unfortunately as more people tried to fit under the tree , the more obvious we became to the line of people. When you are high on most drugs you have a heightened sense of awareness and this almost gives you a sixth sense. I flashed a look at the off duty police officer and locked eyes with him.

He reacted immediately and shouted out our position to the rest of his group. He also pointed his finger as he ran towards us , yelling , “Get them !” , ” You guys get the hell out of here !!”. We did not need any encouragement in any way. Fear took hold of everyone of us and we ran like our lives were depended on it. The group in line gave chase immediately. When you are a young person , high as a kite on acid and running for your life, it does not matter who is chasing you. You react on instinct. We ran out of the Cemetery towards the Ocean. We ran parallel to the water until we passed Clover Point.

It is only a 5 to 7 minute run but we probably did it it under 4. On the other side of the access road down to Clover Point there is a fairly steep drop off to the shoreline. It is an easy 50 foot drop at certain points but none of that mattered to any of us. We gladly jumped down the steep hill. We all slid on our sides , mostly resting on our hips , down to the water. We thought none of these people would jump down the cliff to follow us and we were correct in our assumptions. We were not even sure if they were still running after us once we got outside of the Cemetery. We were running scared for our lives and could not believe what we had witnessed.

I remember that no one believed in any of the bullshit I was trying to pass off as truth but I guess I got the last laugh on them. I also remember being back in school a couple days later and how everyone seemed to want to keep their distance from me since I seemed to of known things that they thought was not even real. That scared a lot of people. I had stated that we could find a Satanic Ritual in Ross Bay Cemetery and I was 100 % right. Though that kind of put me into a certain category that most people were a little rattled by. They were not sure what to think of me and that scared a lot of people.

After we ran down the coast for a few hundred feet , the small group of us that stayed together , went up the stairs leading into Beacon Hill Park. Once into the Park we all agreed to separate in case the police were contacted to look for us. Since we all saw the off duty police officer we concluded there might be the possibility of them getting involved. That not only scared us but since we were still high from the acid , we did not want to get thrown in jail. Even worse was the thought that the police might take us back to the Satanist who could do all kinds of cruel things to us. Either way we looked at it , we figured separation would probably be our best line of attack to defuse any bad outcomes.

Now this incident matured from a walk out , in pursuit of stopping the Government from taking away all of the school’s extra curriculum activities . We actually were successful in our attempt to stop all of these classes from becoming obsolete. Even though we did not know of the effectiveness of all the students walking down to the Parliament Building , at the time. My father was unhappy in my role of this and especially unhappy that I pronounced the MLA’s name incorrectly , so he decided to kick me out of his apartment.

I believe this was the final excuse he needed to finally get rid off his problem child. The Principal of the school had called my father to tell him about the walk out , which I admitted to organizing , as well as the firecrackers that I threw into the girl’s bathroom. When I look back at my childhood and try to place myself in my parents shoes , I honestly do not know how I would of acted or reacted. All of these recent activities made it easier for my father to sever our relationship. I personally think he was glad to have this problem child off of his hands. It is a shame he did not have some kind of resource to help him through these troubling times.

I did not honestly believe we would see something so profound in the Ross Bay Cemetery. All of us were surprised at seeing the collection of people , as well as those 5 robed figures. What their objective was and why they were there seems obvious but none of us knew the truth of the matter. Since we were all high on LSD , we never really talked about that night with each other. It was more than our young minds could process. I could not pretend I did not see the off duty police officer. We both recognized each other and that simple fact was burned into my mind. I highly suspected our paths would cross at some point in time.

It is a fact that I would consistently be pulled into the Victoria Police Station , for a variety of reasons. Only now when I was being pulled inside the cop shop , I would see the off duty cop who was at the cemetery. It was like he tried to show me that he knew who I was and also remembered seeing me that night. It was not as though I did not have enough bad thoughts going through my young mind but now this guy was playing mind games with me too. He would not give me dirty looks or spend any length of time staring at me. It felt like he was keeping tabs on me. Which left me feeling ill at odds with myself.

I had no real people in my life that I felt I could talk to regarding this issue. So I did not share my thoughts with anyone. I did not know if I should try and talk with this man or what that conversation would even entail. I did not want to bring up the incident with him and I believe he was feeling the same way. So for a few years nothing was said but we would constantly see each other. Being a young man and knowing I had some information on a police officer , left me feeling more than a little uncomfortable. I constantly felt this information was going to harm me unless I did something with the information. Since this man was in a position of power and authority , I did not want to take any action with the information I had.

One day I was downtown in Victoria when I should not of been. I had a Red Zone that encompassed most of downtown Victoria. This Red Zone was handed down to me by the Courts. It was part of my conditions the court imposed and I had to agree to , in order to be released from jail. While in my Red Zone the off duty cop from the cemetery drove by me and as soon as he saw me , I knew I was in trouble. He was driving in a police car and threw the red and blue lights on and did a u turn in the middle of Douglas Street. There was next to no traffic around so it was easy for him to drive in any direction. The fear and adrenaline kicked inside me and the fight or flight response jumped into action.