Pacifica/KPFA: Lyn Duff's Resignation Letter
Lyn Gerry
This is Lyn Duff's resignation letter. She was a reporter with
"Flashpoints" on KPFA.
============================================
November 13, 1996
Dear Dennis [Bernstein] and Julie [Light],
I just wanted to write to you and explain why I decided to leave KPFA.
The past two years of working on Flashpoints have been some of the
best experiences I've had as a journalist. I have a ot of respect for
both of you and I think I've learned alot from working with you.
In these times of increased scapegoating of young people, it is ever
so more important for my generation's perspective to be included in
the public debate. Unfortunately, I won't be able to contribute to
that public debate through Flashpoints any longer. I'm sad to go, but
I know that at this point I really can't justify it to myself if I
stay.
When I first came to the station I was only vaguely aware of the
controversy surrounding KPFA and the incipient programming changes. I
believed that a progressive institution would probably always be
involved in a debate around issues like freedom of speech, how to
remain progressive without becoming what we're fighting against, etc.
In theory, I supported the programming changes because I heard they
were being made to attract more younger listeners.
But in the time I've been at the station, I've realized that the
"progressiveness" of KPFA and Pacifica is really just an illusion. I
deplore the union busting that management has engaged in. I am
disgusted with the way that public affairs programming is not given
the support it needs and deserves while management's "pet" programs
have an abundance of funds, despite lacking an abundance of listeners.
Maybe I should be leaving solely for those reasons. But it's taken
until I was personally affected by Pacifica's mismanagement and
meanness that i felt compelled to act.
Several incidents stand out as deciding factors, but my final decision
to leave is based on the events that followed the Radyo Timoun
fundraiser on October 6th.
On October 8th I returned from a meeting in New York to find seven
messages on my home voicemail, five from Max Schwartz and two from
Amina [Hassan, Development Director at KPFA]. Max, a personal friend
of Amina's and a former KPFA programmer, was calling to request a copy
of the October 6th program so that he could play it at an event the
following week. Amina was leaving me urgent messages telling me to
Federal Express a copy of the DAT to Max. She left me the Pacifica
FedEx account number and told me to do it the next morning. As you
know, I was hesitant to do this for several reasins. I had made an
agreement with Bob Baldock [KPFA Events Coordinator] for President
Aristide to speak at the fundraiser and I had done that on behalf of
the Aristide Foundation for Democracy. Part of the agreement was the
[sic] Bob didb't want the program to be used by anyone else before it
went on KPFA. Because I agreed to this I was forced to turn down
several people who wanted copies of the program. Then Amina called and
told me to give it to Max before it went on KPFA, and when I explained
the situation to her, she told me no one would find out I had given it
to Max, and if they did, I should lie.
Needless to say, I was a little unnerved by the way the conversation
was going. I told Amina that I needed to think about it before I
agreed to send Max a copy of the DAT. I didn't want to be dishonest,
but I felt bullied by Amina.
Amina started screaming at me, saying "I'm management, don't you
understand that? You're so stupid you can't understand that? I'm not
just a programmer, I'm management and I'm telling you to give Max a
copy of the fucking program. I'm in charge here, you're nothing, do
you understand that? I'm management." She continued to scream at me,
even though I wasn't arguing or yelling. She kept yelling "fuck you"
and "you're through at KPFA." She told me I'd better "get out of the
movement" because "you're too stupid and out of it to know what's
going on."
This was not the only incident with a Amina. I met her for the first
time, not in a meeting to discuss her behavior towards me, but in the
station after I had already told you, Dennis, of my decision to leave
KPFA. I was a guest on the morning show on Election Day and when Amina
heard me on the air she immediately camo out of her office and paced
in front of the on-air studio for 25 minutes. Finally, when the show
was over, she came it[sic] and asked if I was Lyn. I had no idea who
she was. She shoved an envelope in my hand and said "next time have
the speakers sign this." I still couldn't figure out who she was so I
opened the envelope and found the release Bob had had President
Aristide and Danny Glover sign. I was confused as to why she gave it
to me, because when I spoke at the October 6th event I was speaking on
behalf of the Aristide Foundation for Democracy, not as an employee of
KPFA. So I gave her back the envelope and told her I didn't work at
KPFA any longer. She replied "Good!" and left. As she was leaving I
said, " I really don't like the way that you've treated me." She
replied that it was "my problem."
Surely you can understand why I cannot stay at KPFA. It is a difficult
environment to work in and I have respect for both of you, as well as
the morning show and news people, for staying despite the incidents
that I am sure must have happened during your time at KPFA.
Amina's acceptance of dishonesty, management's lack of an adequate
response to her behavior (if they did respond it obviously wasn't
enough to keep her from needlessly harassing me again), are not the
only problems I see. Individuals in management and at Pacifica seem to
be amazingly lacking in social skills. I have never met so manay
people before, who seem unable to say a simple "please" of "thank you"
or even a friendly "hi! how are you?" Many people in management seem
to find a lot of enjoyment from gossiping and spreading rumors. I
don't know why this, but it makes KPFA a hostile, and more
importantly, an unprofessional environment to work in.
It's been a difficult decision for me to leave. I wish it had happened
at a more convenient time for all of us, but it was a decision I had
to make. I will miss working with both of you regularly, although I
know that this world is so small that hopefully we'll have the chance
to work together again.
As far as my personal plans, I've started doing regular commentaries
for KQED and Monitor Radio, and I'll start doing them occaisionally
for NPR as well. I'm working full time at Pacifica News Service as an
editor, and I'm going to Haiti again in January for several months. I
can be reached at the address above, or at PNS during business hours.
Please feel free to share this letter with those who should see it as
well as other friends at the station who may be wondering where I am
and why they haven't seen me.
Sincerely,
Lyn Duff
From: m...@netcom.com (Mark S. Bilk)
Message-Id: <1997041812...@netcom12.netcom.com>
Subject: Lyn Duff's History and Resignation
To: progress...@tango.rahul.net
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 1997 05:46:38 -0700 (PDT)
)This is Lyn Duff's resignation letter. She was a reporter with
)"Flashpoints" on KPFA.
Thanks for posting this, Lyn!
It is worthwhile to look up Lyn Duff in DejaNews and AltaVista.
For example, at this Web page is an interview she did with
Jean-Bertrand Aristide:
<LI><a href="http://www.pacificnews.org/yo/issues/1996/6.2/duff-aristide.html"> [YO! 6.2] Lyn Duff, "This is the Family of God": An Interview with Jean-Bertrand Aristide by Lyn Duff</a>
Regarding the reason she left KPFA,
Lyn has described on Flashpoints and on national TV, how, as a
15 (I think) year old lesbian, she was kidnapped by thugs hired
by her parents, and imprisoned in a mental hospital in Utah
(ironically called Rivendell) run by extremely homophobic Mormons.
She and hundreds of other homosexual kids were variously subjected
to drugs, electroshock, solitary confinement for days on end, some-
times in the dark, "four-point restraints" (hand cuffs and leg
irons), "aversion therapy" (being forced to breathe ammonia while
looking at pictures of people of the same gender), and were held
down and sat on by strong adults and screamed at violently for hours
at a time. They were told that they were mentally ill perverts
and child-molesters and would never be able to live happy lives
unless they changed.
All this was done to them solely to force them to stop being homo-
sexual, which was the only reason they were put in the facility.
Of course it failed, and several of those whom Lyn knew personally
committed suicide as a result of this treatment, which is *still*
being used there on gay and lesbian teenagers.
Lyn is in fact a survivor of prolonged torture, and has told her
story in public in various forums, including KPFA. It seems
extremely likely that (certainly by last Fall) Amina Hassan knew
Lyn's history, and, consciously or unconsciously, subjected her
to the same kind of prolonged authoritarian screaming, threats,
and verbal degradation that she knew Lyn had experienced before,
and that would reawaken in her the same feelings of terror.
This is unforgivable.