Chapter 3 Opening of The Finders

The Finders Network From The 1960s Until The Infamous 1987 Tallahassee, Florida Incident

Finders Network leader Marion Pettie began recruiting people to form the compartmentalized Finders Network during the 1960s. The people within the inner circle of The Finders were allegedly known as “The Crazies” and were supposedly Pettie’s most trusted confidants. Pettie referred to The Finders as being known as “The Crazies” in an interview with Eddie Dean of the Washington City Paper. Pettie states, “We just walk by and see what’s going on, but everybody thinks we’re by just to see them. Before TV, every night people were sitting on all these front porches—nobody sits one ‘em anymore but me. Also, there used to be a lot of walkers—aristocratic, upper-class people would walk—but now nobody walks, except The Finders and a couple of bums. You know, the lazies and the crazies.” Surrounding “The Crazies” were more transient members of The Finders that would often come and go from the network. Another compartmentalized group around The Finders was headed by Hunter Doherty "Patch" Adams and was known as “The Zanies.” Finally, the outermost group around The Finders were people that interacted or worked with The Finders and/or Pettie frequently but were not directly members of the network.[1] [2]