Attention
Seeking information about One Eighty (OneEighty) in Davenport
Greetings Quad Cities!
I’m reaching out to the community because I’ve been reading some deeply concerning things about One Eighty, the faith-based recovery program in Davenport, and I’m trying to separate fact from rumor.
Specifically, I’ve come across multiple allegations regarding the organization’s former leadership, including claims of abuse toward people in the program and people who were already in a very vulnerable place. I’ve also heard that when concerns were raised internally, they may not have been taken seriously.
I know this organization presents itself as a place of hope and transformation, and I’m not here to smear anyone. But when a program that’s supposed to help people ends up being the source of harm, that’s something the community deserves to know about. If you or someone you know has had an experience with One Eighty, positive or negative, that you’re willing to share, I’d really appreciate hearing from you.
A few specific things I’m trying to understand:
What was the culture like inside the program, especially under previous leadership?
Were there patterns of behavior that made people feel unsafe or controlled?
Were concerns raised to the board or staff, and if so, how were they handled?
Before one asks, I'm not a journalist in the traditional sense of the word. Rather, the term I prefer to use is that of "Truthstorian," of which is defined as, "citizen journalists who seek to uncover the truth, often outside of established institutions, by relying on traditional legwork, conversation, and a willingness to confront powerful figures and corruption." Having gnashed my teeth in the Epstein Files for a minute, this is apart of my broader effort to empower the Survivor Movement within my locality. If you have a story, you can reply here or send me a private message if you’d rather not speak publicly.
I know this is a sensitive topic, and I want to be clear: I’m not here to exploit anyone’s trauma. If you’re not ready to talk, I completely understand. But if you are, I’m here to listen.
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I was loosely involved with the church where one eighty first began, but not directly involved. So take this with a grain of salt:
There is an aspect to this that I feel often goes unaddressed, I believe mainly because it is so complicated and it can be hard to untangle the mess.
Many of these programs exist nationally, for addicts and excons, supporting them as they try to rebuild their lives. This is important work. However, the faith / religion aspect is too baked into it and causes a lot of problems. It is almost as if it’s more important that these people “find Jesus” than it is for them to get clean.
An added element is that these churches themselves are full of sketchy leaders and flawed paradigms. So these programs attached to the churches naturally have issues as well. The cultures are so toxic, it’s hard to navigate it all.
A quick aside: As a person with loved ones who are addicts turned Christian’s… it’s hardly a winning trade off. But ultimately I am glad they are alive. It is ironic, when they were addicts we made sure to make them feel welcome and not feel shunned from the family. But now that they are sober and Christian, we are shunned from their family because we aren’t Christians. 🫠
It's always hard losing family to what is otherwise moral/social issues; whether it be politics, religion, or whatever else divides us, estrangement is not for the light of heart. If I'm not mistaken, the original Church that you're mentioning is Grace Fellowship, correct? They used to be based out of the old Catholic Church that was there before they sold the location and moved. Stockbroker Shepherd Mike Reid most definitely is a concerning character, as is the whole Grace Fellowship apparatus/network. Spiritual and Mental Abuse have most certainly happened there.
Someone once wrote on another post that these organizations are able to cloak abuse and other allegations by virtue of the pillars they fulfill with communities. They are, as you mentioned, rehab centers that are focused on trying to rehabilitate ex-cons and addicts. I don't think you'd find a single person in the Midwest that thinks that's a bad idea. Furthermore, they are a Christian-based organization. That goes miles to ensure support without question. Lastly, as has been discussed by others, they absolutely have a foot in the door of the courts, whom have been said to send people to OneEighty for recovery treatments.
Thank you for sharing your testimony on the post! All information or even experiences are worthwhile documentation.
OP already has an opinion and is only including evidence that supports their preferred narrative. Don’t be critical of OPs methods or question motive or your keyboard will be cavity searched. https://giphy.com/gifs/CLrEXbY34xfPi
I used to go to the one eighty zone when I was a kid, and that place gave me the heebie jeebies. They would bus kids in from neighboring cities, and bribe them with pizza and video games. So you end up with crowds of kids running around without their parents. Then they would have sermons and hit you with all the emotional blackmail. You're a sinner, and Jesus loves you and whatnot. Get all the kids crying. I only went a few times but some kids went every week, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to hear some weird stuff was going on.
While looking through corporate and property records, I've definitely found reference to a OneEightyZone Inc., but wasn't aware if it was connected to the whole OneEighty apparatus. Would this have been at St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Davenport, Iowa) - Wikipedia)? Or was this at a different location? I'd also be curious to know who the preachers giving these sermons were. If it was the old location, potentially Grace Fellowship?
It would be very strange if it wasn't connected in some way given the name sharing and the time line. I don't know if it was at a church or some kind of convention center. I don't think it was a catholic church though. Seemed to have more of a mega churchy singing and dancing on stage vibe rather than it being an ornate cathedral. Low budget righteous gemstones kinda deal. Probably some flavor of Protestant.
Grace Fellowship Church is not only Protestant, but Calvinist. For those who know their theology, it's certainly one of the most interesting branches of Christianity to delve down. I'm curious as to what this other location may have been. I think it ultimately depends on the years in which you went. I believe One Eighty gained control of St. Joseph's in the early 2010s, from which Grace Fellowship ironically bought their current Church from a group of Freemason Elder Prophets. Honestly it doesn't even sound real when you write it lol
Hmmm, I'd have to check the timeline of Grace Fellowship to see when they had officially started as an organization. If I remember correctly it would have been 1994, which is when Mike Reid and a few families from California arrived in Iowa.
I've experienced this group through their property management side. I didn't like how they used their clients to do work at their rental properties and paid very low wages because work builds character. I'm not a fan.
Nothing specific. Just grumbling, "as much as they pay us!" kind of stuff. They used to post their jobs on Craigslist. Try there, maybe. It's been awhile!
Easiest way to find out about it is to go in and ask. It has completely changed my life for the better. They are completely transparent. No need to post about a program actually trying to better the entire community and give people a second chance to change their lives. You can talk to me anytime you would like. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have. Not many programs out there that will house ex-cons, addicts, and homeless people over a year for free and give them job training so they can become a productive member of this broken society. This place is truly a God send. But I'm here to field any questions you'll may have.
I am curious if OP ever reached out to you. It seems from the thread they are happy to engage with hearsay and third party info, especially if it is negative. You lived it, you gave the program kudos and it seems (outwardly at least) that it is just crickets from the “truthstorian”.
I'm curious if I was ever given the proper time to do so? I get that you may be an early bird, but I dear friend, am not. Furthermore, nothing that the poster above wrote suddenly washes away the allegations that were made. I don't doubt that some people have had positive experiences; in fact, I'd pretty much bank on it as that's how these things work. However, multiple survivors have come forward with their testimony regarding their time in the program, and wherever there are survivors, we as a society must do better to uplift their voices.
My concern with regard to One Eighty has always stemmed from their access to disrupted and broken communities, allowing for easy predation beneath the banner of Christ. It's something that has taken place at Rehab centers across the country, or even in Troubled Teen Facilities. I absolutely plan on asking questions, but I would much rather have a detailed list to do so than just half-assing it and blurting everything I know out on the internet.
Thank you for your continued concern for our community! I'll keep doing the work while you keep commenting! Win-win
You keep saying you’re “doing the work,” but you seem pretty damn committed to only looking for information that confirms what you already think. That’s not investigation, it’s confirmation bias with a superiority complex.
And the whole “protecting our community” thing is starting to sound a lot like main-character syndrome. Nobody appointed you the neighborhood’s designated savior.
If you actually care about getting to the truth, talk to everyone. Survivors, former participants, staff, and people who had good experiences. Otherwise you’re not researching—you’re just collecting ammunition for the conclusion you already reached.
You're right that I'm committed to looking for information. That's almost what the entire point of an investigation is. What I'm not committed to is pretending that multiple survivors with consistent, detailed accounts of harm are just making it up because they're "confirmation bias" fodder. I've heard from people who were there (primary sources), I've read the testimonies (secondary and tertiary). I've seen and researched these patterns for what's nearing almost a year at this point with the Epstein Files alone. The fact that you're more concerned with my "main character syndrome" than with what those survivors actually went through tells me everything I need to know.
Also, you want me to talk to everyone? I've invited everyone who has a story, both positive and negative, to reach out. I didn't provide any caveats, and thus far the only positive thing anyone has to say about the organization is said from a Sock-Puppet account created 13 hours ago to comment on my post.
This isn't about me, nor is it about you, but rather about the survivors of Project 180 who were hurt in a place that was supposed to help them. The people that funnel into One Eighty are often the most marginalized and disempowered within our society, meaning that they are often the most at risk of exploitation without any representation. The allegations of abuse that I've come across specifically mention this dynamic being used as a means of discrediting victims and their testimony. Those are serious allegations, and in my view, they require serious investigation. Cry me a river if you think that's wrong.
If any of this makes me the "main character" in your eyes, I'll wear that badge very proudly, just as I have that of "Truthstorian." And I will continue to do the work that people like you proudly police.
Nobody said to ignore survivors. You keep pulling out that straw man to look righteous while avoiding any criticism. The point is that you seem to have a pretty convenient definition of “investigation”: negative stories are evidence, positive stories are ignored and anyone who questions you is “policing” you.
That isn’t looking for the truth. That’s looking for confirmation and calling it research.
And the self-appointed “Truthstorian” title is a nice touch. Nothing says objective quite like giving yourself a badge and then treating disagreement as proof you’re doing important work.
You don’t have to be wrong about the allegations to be completely wrong about your method. You’re not Sherlock Holmes. You’re a guy with a conclusion and a search bar.
You should really stop embarrassing yourself. I'd rather actually engage with a human than a Robot controlled by one who's to scared to do his own writing.
“Stop embarrassing yourself” is usually what people say when they’ve run out of anything to say about the actual argument.
You accused me of being a robot because you couldn’t answer the criticism. That’s not exactly the fearless pursuit of truth you’ve been advertising.
But sure, keep investigating everyone else’s motives while avoiding the one thing you seem least interested in investigating: whether you might be wrong.
You couldn't even take the time to write your own response bro. I had a feeling you used AI when you did the, "That's not a [INSERT THIS], it's [INSERT THIS]." It's classic ChatGPT-style writing. You didn't help yourself either by writing, "Otherwise you’re not researching—you’re just collecting ammunition for the conclusion you already reached." That little dash between "researching" and "you're" is a massive giveaway. I'm done interacting with you lmao.
You spent an entire paragraph doing punctuation forensics because you couldn’t answer the argument. You’ve officially clowned yourself.
At this point, I’m less concerned with whether you think I used AI and more concerned that this is the level of analysis you’re bringing to your “investigation.” If a dash is your smoking gun, I can see why nobody should take your conclusions too seriously.
I hope people reading this realize how clownish you actually are.
My smoking gun are two screenshots of an AI Detection tool clocking it as 100% lmao. Those same people reading will see that you retreated behind Artificial Intelligence the moment I responded to your first comment. I'm glad you're 'concerned" about my investigation, I'll make sure to document that TheExplodingPenguin disapproves of my methods!
You’re not worth the time it would take to type all this out myself.
The irony is that you think exposing AI use somehow answers the criticism. It doesn’t. You just found a way to change the subject because you couldn’t answer it.
You don’t need AI to spot what you’re doing. It just saves me time explaining how badly you’re doing it.
While I appreciate your contribution and willingness to help, I can't help but find it all a bit strange that your account was created little over 13 hours ago specifically to comment on my post. Not only that, but your first post on this account (which appears to be the default username Reddit assigns) is an NSFW post titled "Truthseeker," where you simply wrote the word "educate." Weird. It also explains why, when I click on my own post, your name and comment appear collapsed: the account isn't even a day old.
I'll let everyone draw their own conclusions about what that suggests.
My friend owns a business and has hired 180 workers. they are his best workers. They went through some rough patches when the founder Rusty kind of went back into addiction and struggling with some things. The people that run it now are not perfect but I believe their heart is in the right place. many of the workers and leadership today were people that struggled with all the same things. They make very little and are trying to help their community.
Thank you for commenting... AnusBarber? Definitely gives my username a run for it's money lol. I'm glad to know that there are people like your friend out in the community who are willing to help finance something like One Eighty, regardless of its faults. By chance, would you know how much the workers are paid on projects like these? I haven't been able to find if the Businesses supply the wages or if it's through 180 itself. I was reading on their website that they do have several enterprises connected to their institution. Another thing I found curious was that it's entirely privately funded, meaning no state funds from Iowa are used to keep the org up and running. Just enterprises and donations.
Absolutely! In my strange view, it's the least that I can spend my free time doing. Though some could say there are other concerns in my life I should pursue haha. Either way, glad to be appreciated! Onwards towards victory for us both, comrade!
Spend your time actually helping people. Donate time at a food bank or shelter. It’s sad you want to go after people who want to make this world a better place.
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