Fofieeeeeee

I grew up in the Albany suburbs but had very little awareness of the group. It’s been eye opening to watch the documentaries and I’m sad that the local community seems to have turned a blind eye to it to some extent. Were people in the community, such as neighbors in the townhouse development, ever show concern about what was going on or did it go unnoticed?

Yes! In the summer of ‘01 I used to serve the Salzmans at the Starbucks on Wolf Road and one of the other baristas told me they were in a cult but no one seemed very concerned about it. I was shocked when I saw them mentioned in the NYT and more shocked when I realized what a huge + wealthy operation it was.

Thanks, Rachel. A reminder to us all to connect and engage with the people in our neighborhoods/communities as much as possible! I hate knowing how this continued for so long after the Times Union started reporting on it.

And a big thank you to India for sharing your story. Wishing you all the best in your ongoing recovery.

Thanks, India. I so appreciate your courage and generosity in sharing your story!