In Memory of Susan Denise Atkins-Whitehouse
civitas angeli
In Susan's work
The Myth of Helter Skelter
(by Susan Atkins-Whitehouse),
Susan shares with us some of her experiences
living in San Francisco;
In Susan's work
The Myth of Helter Skelter
(by Susan Atkins-Whitehouse),
Susan shares with us some of her experiences
living in San Francisco;

"By the age of nineteen I'd survived a series of
nightmarish episodes to finally find a moment of stability
among a group of people living in San Francisco
in the counter-culture environment.
At the time this was not a terrible place to be..."
Susan continued on about a rough setback she encountered;
"...That brief moment of stability ended when my friend Ella-Jo
and I came home one day to find my place empty-
my boyfriend had been arrested and once again
I found myself completely broke and on my own.
After three long years of fighting to survive
and find some stability I was right back where I'd started.
I didn't even have a place to sleep."
nightmarish episodes to finally find a moment of stability
among a group of people living in San Francisco
in the counter-culture environment.
At the time this was not a terrible place to be..."
Susan continued on about a rough setback she encountered;
"...That brief moment of stability ended when my friend Ella-Jo
and I came home one day to find my place empty-
my boyfriend had been arrested and once again
I found myself completely broke and on my own.
After three long years of fighting to survive
and find some stability I was right back where I'd started.
I didn't even have a place to sleep."

Susan introduces the story of her summer trip
to Los Angeles with her friends;
"But Ella-Jo said it was okay,
I could stay with her.
And that's when I met
a group of her friends who were
all going down to Los Angeles for the summer.
Ella-Jo said it ought to be great.
She said I'd already met one of the guys-
he had an old school bus
and they were going to just pack it
full of people and head off.
It sounded good.
It was the summer of 1967..."
to Los Angeles with her friends;
"But Ella-Jo said it was okay,
I could stay with her.
And that's when I met
a group of her friends who were
all going down to Los Angeles for the summer.
Ella-Jo said it ought to be great.
She said I'd already met one of the guys-
he had an old school bus
and they were going to just pack it
full of people and head off.
It sounded good.
It was the summer of 1967..."

"...I'd been in San Francisco for a year or two
and the prospect and [sic] starting over from nothing
didn't sound very compelling.
How bad could a summer trip to L.A. be?
Hindsight is always perfect-
I should have stayed in San Francisco..."
and the prospect and [sic] starting over from nothing
didn't sound very compelling.
How bad could a summer trip to L.A. be?
Hindsight is always perfect-
I should have stayed in San Francisco..."
Susan continued;
"...I think it is also important to show that
big disasters do not start with a decision to create a disaster,
but with a series of small poor decisions..."
"...I think it is also important to show that
big disasters do not start with a decision to create a disaster,
but with a series of small poor decisions..."
"...And so Ella-Jo and I set out
on a light-hearted summer trip to L.A.
with a group of young people."
on a light-hearted summer trip to L.A.
with a group of young people."
"Hindsight is always perfect.
I should have stayed in San Francisco",
is what Susan said...
(All quotes are from
The Myth of Helter Skelter
by Susan Atkins-Whitehouse)
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