During a bout of paranoia where he would not leave his room, he read Emersons Self Reliance and using it as a bible he quit his job to devout full time to cleaning up other Alcoholics. [32] The snake bit him, and he was hospitalized for six days. Robert Graeme told reporters that upon arriving, the cult's leader threatened him. In September 26, 2022, the TrueAnon podcast also released a 5-part series on the history of Synanon called The Game. It can also make dangerous criminals out of good people, also subject to it. Casriel went on to found Day Top in New York and thus came the birth of modern day drug rehabs (Casriel, So Fair a House). All thought the experience was beautiful. It is currently active in Germany. (Robson) suggested blowing me away with a shotgun, Morantz said. Synanon expanded an old Trans-Pacific Marconi RCA radio station in Tomales Bay now Marconi Conference Center State Historical Park. She has not been seen or heard from since. It would grow to become a well-funded utopian society throughout the late '60s and early '70s, before declaring itself a religion in 1974. . [7][32][33] This incident, along with the press coverage, prompted an investigation by the police and government into Synanon. A hoop-a-la began (Synanons dance). (Synanon Punk Squad Files; Deposition of Synanon school master, Morantz vs. Synanon, IRS vs. Synanon), Dederich was ahead of times in ordering aerobics, running, diets and non smoking. The Foundation had the wire, an internal broadcasting system that played 24 hours with repeated talk of getting the enemies. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Synanons goal, Dederich said, was to lead the world into the 21st Century and anything less than changing the world is Mickey Mouse. (Morantz archives on Synanon, Gerstel, Paradise Inc.). [14] Upon their arrival, those newcomers were forced to quit using drugs cold turkey, going through withdrawal for the first few days in the program. Dederich experimented with environmental manipulations so as to recreate the heightened awareness and inner discoveries he experienced while taking LSD. Disoriented by lack of sleep, each was moved to the point of intense disillusionment. They also beat a neighboring rancher, Gamboninni, who was helping children run away from Synanon and return to their parents (Light on Synanon; Dave Gerstel, Paradise Inc.; Marin County crime report on Gambinini beating, Synanon memos describing incident. [14] [25] Initially Synanon did not support violence; Dederich later changed the rules to allow for violence in order to maintain control. [21] Furthermore, for their first ninety days in the community, members were expected to cease contact with outside friends and family. [23], Beginning in 1964,[24] the legal authorities began to investigate Synanon's practices. Morantz said: I had my first case in court involving them in June 1977. Publicly one was berated (haircut) for misdeeds and this was designed to carom off and affect behavior of those watching. Synanon is referred to in Bob Dylan's song "Lenny Bruce", from his album Shot of Love (Bruce "never made it to Synanon"). For other inquiries, Contact Us. Members were brainwashed, tortured mentally and barred from leaving the communityescaped members were subject to beatings. Deborah Swisher, a former Synanon member, recounts her experiences growing up in several Synanon communes in her one-woman show Hundreds of Sisters and One Big Brother.[45]. Knowing away from the environment people were using, he closed the doors in l967 and ended the idea anyone should ever leave. He studied on his own in a library and his AA speeches changed from typical religious overtones to a psychological/philosophy slant. Before the snake in the mailbox, Dederich, to escape a warrant for his arrest in Washington, D.C. fled to Europe where he returned to alcohol drinking. So did Synanon member Steve Simon in his Harvard dissertation (the danger of being a participant observer is that you may be converted). On remote properties in California such as Tomales Bay in Marin County and Badger, Tulare County, the organization had built un-permitted buildings, a trash dump, and an airstrip. "One big dysfunctional family: A former member of the Synanon cult recalls the 'alternative lifestyle' that shaped her, for better and worse". Its a feeling of closeness to each other we are after, the death of the ego. Following its broadcast, executives of the network and its corporate chairman received hundreds of threats from Synanon members and supporters, including letters that said, Your actions place you in legal and physical peril and We are going to teach you a lesson you will never forget.. He was said to have coined the phrase "today is the first day of the rest of your life". [citation needed]. Social scientists flocked to see for themselves, while Hollywood came out with the film Synanon in 1965, starring Edmond O'Brien as Charles and Eartha Kitt as Betty. In l977 in Santa Monica, Synanon took in a woman in a pre-psychotic break, and would not return her to her husband and transferred her to Tomales Bay. In 1967, Synanon purchased the Club Casa del Mar, a large beachside hotel in Santa Monica, as its headquarters and a dormitory for those undergoing treatment for drug addiction. After the rattlesnake incident, Mary Robson, wife of Imperial Marine leader Dr. Douglas Robson, went to a neighbor of Paul Morantzs mother and left her card so Morantz would know Synanon knew where his mother was. Containment was instituted, which meant no contact with the outside world. In the 1970s, two men were run off the road near one of their properties. While his associates went to jail, Dederich avoided imprisonment by pleading no contest to conspiracy to commit murder, agreeing as part of probation to formally step down as Chairman of Synanon and agreed to have nothing to do with running Synanon. It was read on the Synanon wire while Dederich would bellow when will one of you have the guts to go to LA and do something about him, break his knees. While in The Game, members criticized each other, but left as friends and supportive community members. The name was chosen when a member slurred the words Symposium and Seminar. One of its early cardinal rules was no violence or threat of same. [47] Throughout the series, one of the show's hosts, Brace Belden, talks about his childhood experience in a correctional, co-ed private facility called the Monarch School, which has been closed due to allegations of widespread abuse under the watch of its founder, Patrick McKenna, a Synanon disciple. But there was a catch: new members had to transfer their assets to the organization. Julie Moncharsh recalled: "One boy, who was mentally retarded, was physically beaten because he did not do the 20 push-ups he was assigned. This became a successful enterprise that for a time generated roughly $10 million per year.[13]. Both were members of Synanon's 'Imperial Marines,' a security group within the drug and alcohol rehabilition organization. Synanons purchase of over $200,000 dollars of weapons from a single gun store also brought media attention. They would adopt the Synanon family, said the board, or the fifth circle in Dantes hell, where tormented souls are terrorized and torn, awaited them. Taxation issues also arose. Two other Synanon residents, Joe Musico and Lance Kenton (son of the musician Stan Kenton) were also arrested and pleaded "no contest" to charges of assault and conspiracy to commit murder. There was The Witching Hour which featured a Ouija Board to be operated by Witches, two women in black and white robes. He had outsmarted Synanon and its team of lawyers. [31] NBC continued with a series of reports on the Synanon situation on the NBC Nightly News. Cloudflare Ray ID: 78b89606dbb5b76a In another terrifying experience, a former junkie wanted to visit the cult, but he took a personal security man, Jack Harding, in case things turned nasty. Neighbors complained fearing Synanon would unleash non-recovered addicts into Santa Monica who came from other areas. Though local newspapers and broadcast media covered the case, they were largely silenced by lawsuits from Synanon lawyers charging libel. Dederich said freedom to think to a dope addict was like a gun to a baby, and they wash dirty brains. We will make the rules. The city claimed it owned the beach front and rather than take the issue to court it sent police officers and bulldozers across the sand knocking down cabanas and paved courts. The Galactic Empire trained these stormtroopers to board rebel warships. The Imperial Marines was Synanon's private fighting force, trained inside the organization and heavily armed. A search of the vehicle turned up a fingerprint that matched one of Dederich's so-called "Imperial Marines," a no-nonsense security detail unafraid to employ violence should the moment call for it . The board would spell out Emerson messages on self-reliance, but self-reliance was interpreted as the ability to make choices and the best way to end loneliness and suffering was through trusting in Synanon. he rattlesnake lashed out too quickly for Morantz to react, and its fangs sank into his wrist. Teeth were knocked out. visited in 1962, lived there in 1963 and wrote a book about his experiences. Beatings of opponents, alleged thieves and ex-members ( splittees) occurred across the country. Eventually, on September 21, 2008 the Marines tried to murder ex-member Phil Ritter, who was trying to get his child out and had gone to the authorities complaining of forced vasectomies in Synanon, by clubbing him over the head (Berkely Gazette September 1978; Mitchell, the Light on Synanon). Synanon claimed it had cured thousands but by 1967 Dederich turned the organization into a "lifestyle" by recruiting non-addicts ("Squares") and building cities in Marin County, then Tulare County and eventually Lake Havasu. A big shot would advise the Trippers they were not really chosen as an honor, but each was really selected because each was a resister, thinking he or she knew better the direction Synanon should go, part of the dummies that hold Synanon back. Maybe, Dederich said, one day we will just put dingbats like you against the wall and wash them off and bring them back into the human race. (Tony Lang, Synanon, Morantz archives on Synanon). These lawsuits ultimately turned out to be a large part of Synanon's undoing, by giving journalists access to Synanon's own internal documents. He flunked out of Notre Dame for lack of effort and worked for the Mellon family. [34][35] Dederich died on 28 February 1997, at age 83, after a series of strokes; the cause of death was cardiorespiratory failure. A Grand Jury in Marin County, pushed by Paul Morantz, issued a scathing report in March of 1978 attacking Synanon for its child abuse and for the profits that flowed to Dederich, weapons, threat and also attacking authorities for their lack of oversight. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. As full recovery for graduates was not happening sufficiently, Dederich proclaimed no one should ever graduate. (Robert J. Lifton, Coercive Persuasion, The Psychology of Totalism; Dr. Edgar Friedman, The Nation 1965, a review of Yablonskis the Tunnel back The author fails to see the inhumanity he observesSynanon is a trade of one addiction for another..one day there will be a Synanon state of Mind more important than the club itself). Paul Robert Morantz (born August 16, 1945) is an American attorney and investigative journalist. ), On March 20, 1978, a former member of Synanon, Tom Cardineau was severely beaten (for being an alleged spy) while tied to a post during his honeymoon when he took his bride to show her where he had once lived on the Walker Creek Ranch. Synanon claimed it had cured thousands but by 1967 Dederich turned the organization into a "lifestyle" by recruiting non-addicts ("Squares") and building cities in Marin County, then Tulare County and eventually Lake Havasu. He later founded AREBA, the oldest surviving private addiction treatment centre in the United States, as well as Daytop Village, one of the world's largest therapeutic communities. Synanon is purported[by whom?] His success in trapping so many people - at its height the cult had more than 1,300 members - resulting in a healthy bank balance, as its assets totaled about $33 million. The "Game" was presented as a therapeutic tool, and likened to a form of group therapy; but it has been criticized as a form of a "social control", in which members humiliated one another and encouraged the exposure of one another's innermost weaknesses. Dederich declared when he moved to The Home Place in Badger he did not want ex dope fiends around him (Gerstel, Paradise Inc.). (IRS vs. Synanon) Before the attack on Morantz, Synanon had opened a new private corporation city in Lake Havasu which was a plan to send Synanon money to the private corporation and then into the hands of Synanon leaders through salaries. It even invited professionals including non-addicts to join. They survived by begging stale food from catering trucks, hookers doing tricks and donations. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, In 1975-Oakland, CA- more than 500 women from Synanon communities throughout California shaved their heads, Members of Synanon have their head shaved in 1969, Synanon, poster: Richard Conte (cigarette left), Edmond O'Brien (top head), Alex Cord (arm outstretched), Stella Stevens (bare shoulder), Eartha Kitt (bottom right), 1965, Synanon founder Charles Dederich was arrested in Arizona on a California warrant charging suspicion of conspiracy and solicitation to commit murder in the rattlesnake attack of a Los Angles lawyer, The name was chosen when a member slurred the words 'Symposium' and 'Seminar', explains, Members of Synanon at the North Beach branch have a party to celebrate the 1,000 live-in member, April 4, 1968. spread throughout California, and Synanon became a counter-culture community by 1964. more than 1,300 members - resulting in a healthy bank balance, as its assets totaled about $33 million. [26] Over 80 violent acts were committed, including mass beatings that hospitalized teenagers and ranchers who were beaten in front of their families. The New York psychiatrist Daniel Casriel M.D. It left a droopy eye and a facial tick. Members were to confess in games and no secrets were allowed. On the wall was a lifesaver called the U.S. The 'marines' retaliated by clubbing him over the head. After his small group, called "Tender Loving Care", gained a significant following, Dederich incorporated the organization into the Synanon Foundation in 1958. In 1974 Synanon declared itself a religion and centered on middle-class searching for utopia rather than addict curing. The group said that was a lie, and denied kids were being held prisoner. Hollywood Park: A Memoir, by Mikel Jollett (founder of The Airborne Toxic Event) was published in May 2020 and describes Jollett's life in, and escape from Synanon. Childbirth said Dederich, was no more important than squeezing out a football. "Synanon: Toward Building a Humanistic Organization". Synanon leaders and members have been linked with a large number of beatings and other acts of physical violence, and some have been convicted. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. (Tony Lang, Synanon, Morantz archives on Synanon). Teachers, lawyers, doctors, police, politicians, all got hooked, many forming an allegiance previously not matched in their lives to the group and trainers that trained them. [40] The CEDU model was widely influential on the development of parent-choice, private-pay residential programs. Founded to get people off junk, Synanon was now creating it. According to court records, the group also formed a militant branch, known as the "Imperial Marines," to inflict violence against opponents of the organization - including former Synanon members. (Reynolds memo, People vs. Dederich; IRS vs. Synanon). Synanon.) (Yablonski, The Tunnel Back: Guy Endore, Synanon; Charles Dederich tapes on history of Synanon). Bombs, he would say in l978 to news reporter Connie Chung (CBS NEWS l978), could go off in homes of critics (Deposition of Dederich, Synanon vs. Time, Inc.; Synanon vs. ABC). Life Magazine did a 14 page photo spread, which a Congressman called the Miracle on the Beach, and Columbia Pictures made a movie Synanon, starring Edmond OBrien, Chuck Conners and Stella Stevens. That is the end of that lawyer. Dederich preached Act as If which meant do not try to reason as to what Synanon asks they do; as thinking got them there, just trust what they were told and act as if it is right. [16] Unsurprisingly, abused kids began running away, helped by an 'underground railroad', led by neighboring rancher Alvin Gambonini, who tried to reunite them with their parents. ( Dederich tapes on Synanon history; Tony Lang, Synanon, Guy Endore, Synanon, Gerstel Paradise, Inc). ; [43], Straight Life: The Story of Art Pepper includes several chapters (21 - 23) about living at Synanon from 1969 - 1971.[44]. Much of the violence by Synanon had been carried out by a group within Synanon called the "Imperial Marines". Eartha Kitt, right, giving dancing lessons, donated the proceeds from her classes to the Synanon House, aving an abortion is like squeezing a boil, nothing more. (IRS v. Synanon; Morantz vs. Synanon; Winn vs. Synanon; Renfroe vs. Golden State). (Dave Mitchell, The Light on Synanon; Gerstel, Paradise Inc.: Letter from Dederich to Mike Garrett. Escape From Cielo Drive (A Tale of Three Charlies) 0 December 26, 2010. Beginning in the mid-1970s, women in Synanon were required to shave their heads, and married couples were made to break up and take new partners. The Department of Justice in the 80s, hiring Morantz and sociologist Richard Offshe as consultants, sued Synanon to remove its tax-free status retroactively for committing a reign of terrorism. Beginning in the mid-1970s, women were required to shave their heads (men did the same and bib overalls became the uniform). [9] Dederich and Yablonsky acknowledged that the system was brainwashing (thought reform) as described by Dr. Robert Jay Lifton in Coercive PersuasionThe psychology of Totalism (Yablonski, The Tunnel Back). Ex-Synanon members heard from members inside Synanon, that they had Morantzs address and that he was next, While Morantz was meeting with the California terrorist unit and LAPDID (intelligence) for protection on October 10, 2008, Synanon Marines Joe Musico and Lance Kenton, son of band leader Stan Kenton, as part of conspiracy with Dederich and other top officials, placed a 4-foot rattle snake sans rattles in Morantzs mailbox. In 1974 Synanon declared itself a religion and centered on middle-class searching for utopia rather than addict curing. Most of his remaining time he was segregated in Synanon, as the foundation tried to revert back to early images and goals. Plus, control freak Dederich wanted even more power. (Tony Lang, Synanon, Morantz archives on Synanon). (See id. As a result of its poor conduct, Santa Monica surrendered and Synanon became untouchable. Ofshe, Richard. Web. Dederich was familiar with Waldens Pond and the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and B. F. Skinner. (Morantz archives on Synanon, People vs Dederich, IRS vs. Synanon). (Tony Lang, Synanon, Morantz archives on Synanon). Synanon is a US-founded social organization created by Charles E. "Chuck" Dederich Sr. in 1958 in Santa Monica, California, United States. Everyone was to cop-out (confess to past sins). [5] Outside of The Game, members were required to act civilly to each other. Former Synanon President Jack Hurst spoke out against Synanon and found his home door open and his dog hung. The Grand Jury report also rebuked the governmental authorities involved for their lack of oversight, although it stopped short of directly interceding in the Synanon situation. California donated a block long building in San Francisco. The tax assessment due to the violence conspiracy led the properties to be confiscated and/or sold. They weren't welcomed. Mr. Dederich even kept an elite squad of enforcers that he called the Imperial Marines. "[28] During the investigations researchers also came across multiple lawsuits and arrests against Synanon members. that the Synanon group was running an unauthorized medical clinic. (Synanon Holy War file, Robson letters, IRS vs. Synanon). By the early 1960s it had become an alternative community as well, attracting people with its emphasis on living a self-examined life, as aided by group truth-telling sessions known as the "Synanon Game." At its Aug. 12 meeting, the Tulare County Planning Commission approved a final site plan for the Sequoia Resort, which will house 67 vacation rental units on a 71-acre property formerly owned by Synanon, a drug rehabilitation turned religious cult that operated a commune on the . (Casriel, So Fair a House, Yablonski, The Tunnel Back: Guy Endore, Synanon; Charles Dederich tapes on history of Synanon, Columbia Pictures: Synanon). They are draining lifes blood from us and expecting us to play by their silly rules. Dederich called it an insight producing experience. And there was no way that its leader was going to share any of that with the taxman. So, Lance Kenton and Joe Musico thought up this plan, and they went and found a rattlesnake," Aron said. (Marin Grand Jury Report on Synanon l978). As a condition of probation, he was disallowed from taking part in managing Synanon. A Synanon mob beat Gambini in front of his family. In October 1977, attorney Paul Morantz was embroiled in a civil suit against the cult when he was introduced to Synanon's violent side the so-called Synanon Imperial Marines. After litigation over the tax assessment, which in the end it could not pay, Synanon doors finally closed for good in 1991. Robson wrote back the mission was accomplished (Garfield-Robson letters). Men were given forced vasectomies, and a few pregnant women were forced to have abortions. It is claimed that Dederich, after taking LSD,[7] You can get killed dead, literally deadthese are real threats, he snarls. ", Private Investigator Jack Harding said: "They reminded me of a young Gestapo group.". [41], Father William B. O'Brien, the founder of New York's Daytop Village, included Synanon's group encounters and confrontational approach in his research into addiction treatment methods. Synanon, is the first ever self helpno doctors drug rehabilitation program, founded by Charles Chuck Dederich Sr. (19131997) in 1958 in Santa Monica, California. Their armed security was known as the Imperial Marines. (Tony Lang, Synanon, Morantz archives on Synanon). In 1977, a group of Synanon thugs pistol-whipped a truck driver who had cut off their vehicle on a highway. For the film, see, Synanon's influence in the behavior-modification field. Its ultimate doom came when Dederich and members tried to kill by means of a de-rattled rattlesnake in the mailbox, Pacific Palisades lawyer Paul Morantz who was battling Synanon in the court and trying to expose the Foundation for criminal conspiracies. Synanon was a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center and movement-turned-cult in California that existed from 1958 to 1991. According to court records, the cult formed a militant branch, known as the "Imperial Marines," to inflict violence against opponents of the organization. (Deposition of Paul Morantz, Morantz vs. Synanon; People vs. Dederich; IRS vs. Synanon. It was alleged[by whom?] Was it a wonderful place to be? Synanon enterprises would run gas stations, pottery making, apartment buildings and other income businesses without having to pay workers or taxes. Members were taught that if caught on a violent mission to go to jail and to not blame Synanon. Juveniles in the 70s were often sent to Synanon by juvenile agencies or by courts on juvenile officers recommendation. Start the ball rolling by posting a comment on this article! Dederich designed an efficient program of individual emotional breakdowns followed by a mass group euphoria all designed to re-educate individuals into the Synanon II philosophy and lifestyle. The former compound of a notorious cult in the foothills of northeastern Tulare County will soon be vacation rentals. (Freidenber, Nation 1965). . Believed trespassers were taken into the basements of Santa Monica Del Mar building and worked over on directions of Dr. Robson. Dederich became an AA favorite speaker and went to an AA meeting every day. Paddy Wagons awaited Synanon protesters. Episode 22 of Mannix depicts Synanon members involved with a fictitious 1945 Daily Clarion bombing that killed 14 men. [22] During this practice, members were encouraged to be critical of everything, using harsh and profane language. Beatings occurred in Synanon basements. Vile Dederich declared that, "having an abortion is like squeezing a boil, nothing more.". After winning a $300,000 judgment against Synanon, a once respected drug rehab group that had devolved into a paranoid, paramilitary cult, the ice under his feet got even thinner. Synanon Holy War file memos on beating). Synanon is a US-founded social organization created by Charles E. "Chuck" Dederich Sr. in 1958 in Santa Monica, California, United States. Each Tripper was to write a paper on some feeling or admission. Morantz spent six days in a hospital, news of which made national headlines. The group attracted thousands of drug addicts and eventually accepted juvenile delinquents who were ordered by the courts to receive Synanon's services - for a fee of course. (Robert Jay Lifton, Coercive Persuasion, the Psychology of Totalism). He remarried, but alcohol did in that marriage, too. decided to create his own program to respond to their needs. [14] The practice has been charactized as a form of attack therapy. (Dederich, The Graduate Question). Control over members occurred through the Synanon Game. The Game could be considered a therapeutic tool, likened to group therapy; or a social control, in which members humiliated one another and encouraged the exposure of ones innermost weaknesses, or both. (Robson letters, crime reports, Synanon memos on each event, Synanon Holy War file, Depostions of ex-Synanon member, Morantz vs. Synanon; IRS vs. Synanon). Increasingly-wacko Dederich also created his own "Imperial Marines," while hundreds of his cult followers were ordered to get vasectomies and divorces! The Trippers, many of whom had been awake for 65 or more hours, were hugged and cheered. One, Richard Marino, said they were handcuffed and beaten, and their heads were shaved. [5] The group ultimately became a cult called the Church of Synanon in the 1970s. Copyright Paul Morantz. With its sudden fame, by early 1964 Synanon had also become an alternative community, attracting people with its emphasis on living a self-examined life, as aided by group truth-telling sessions known as the Synanon Game. With its new wealth, they started building its first city in Marin County (Tomales Bay). Declaring Synanon a religion (shades of L. Ron Hubbard! Dederich also created an armed wing within Synanon called the Imperial Marines, and ordered those within the unit to prevent any of the residents from leaving. A Los Angeles District Attorney search warrant led to a discovery of an audio tape wherein Dederich bragged of beatings that had occurred, the Imperial Marine training, and said one day the message would be delivered to everyone Dont mess with Synanon. by | May 25, 2022 | why does kelly wearstler wear a brace | diy nacho cheese dispenser | May 25, 2022 | why does kelly wearstler wear a brace | diy nacho cheese dispenser While his associates went to jail, Dederich received probation because his doctors claimed that due to ill health he would most likely die in prison. By 1991 the community had essentially folded. Synanon mobs attacked teenagers and youngsters who got too close to the property. 'I want you to take these two, I want that one's legs broken, I want this one's legs broken, and I want you to shove him into the back of his car, and run it off the pier'. Synanon is mentioned in Joan Didion's 1979 essay The White Album. It is currently active in Germany. Because there was no hierarchy in The Game, members could freely criticize Synanon's highest leadership, who would then take member concerns into consideration when deciding policy. By then Synanon's assets, including real estate, ten aircraft, 400 cars, trucks and motorcycles, totaled around $33 million. The game was eventually used to pressure people to submit to Dederich's will, abort pregnancies, undergo vasectomies, and commit violence. Synanon lawyer Howard Garfield ordered Marine head Dr. Douglas Robson to collect all Synanon memos describing their violence and transfer them to legal department so attorney client privilege would attach. XHTML: You can use these tags:

. The psychotic leader of Synanon, Charles Dederich, features in a new series of Oxygens Deadly Cults which examines how this tyrant wielded so much deadly power over his many besotted followers. Fluid leaked into his spine causing a near fatal case of spinal meningitis. Finally, during the third stage, members both worked and lived outside of the community, but still attended regular meetings. [12] Cole had received a court order to enroll in Synanon before she disappeared. The game took on each unbrokens dirty rotten story with great brutality. Then it went to war. As a rule, Synanon wasn't a violent place while my dad was there, but over time, Dederich grew crueler and more deranged. [7], Dederich eventually changed his way of thinking about Synanon and transformed it into something resembling a human progressive group. Dan Garrett ordered a kidnapping and then changed the order to beating the person on the spot. Cook, an account of the journalists who exposed the abuses; it starred Paul Michael Glaser, Linda Kelsey, and Barbara Babcock. When they asked for friends they were hugged in mass. Recovering alcoholic Charles 'Chuck' Dederich founded Synanon in 1958 to provide substance abuse reform to drug users as well as alcoholics in Santa Monica, California. Dederich was arrested for operating in Santa Monica without a health license and out of zone. I really do want an ear in a glass of alcohol on my desk.[3]. The games turned on one than another. Local authorities refused to investigate after the Gran Jury report issued and this caught the attention of Dave Mitchell who ran a small weekly, The Point Reyes Light. Mitchell found the report rejection was led by Sheriff Lou Montanos who turned out to have been nominated for Sherriff with Synanon help and who had given gun permits to Dederich and second in command Dan Garrett. The Synanon organization also developed a business that sold promotional items. The Imperial Marines had caught and caged rattlesnakes in training (Wendall Stamps, Imperial Marine diary) and the snake was from Visalia (expert testimony, People vs. Dederich). Though many San Francisco area newspapers and broadcasters covered the Synanon case, they were largely silenced by legal action from Synanon's lawyers[citation needed], who made claims of libel. Drug users started coming, and the alcoholics objected, and since there was already AA Dederich tossed out the drunks and kept the dope fiends. A members sluring the words symposium and seminar led to name Synanon. He had been trying to get his child out of the cult, and had gone to the authorities complaining of forced vasectomies in Synanon. Synanon members bought stock in ABC and attended a stock holders meeting, and naming their names, the members, identifying themselves as former members of Murder Incorporated, asked if the board had protection for their wives (Synanon vs. ABC, AP Western Union Telegram; Pat Lynch, NBC segment 3). Women removed all makeup and jewelry, a symbolic stripping of past selves. Children who had been assigned to Synanon began running away, and an "underground railroad" had been created in the area that sought to help them return to their parents. The couple claimed that the wife had been held captive by Synanon and that during her stay, leaders at Synanon had attempted to brainwash her. Some cried for their mothers. More than 80 people had been attacked by Synanon, Morantz said. By BRANDON MESSICK [email protected] Dec 9, 2018 Updated Aug 21, 2022 2 Stay Informed.. On Oct. 10, 1978, Morantz was bitten by a rattlesnake left in his Pacific Palisades home mailbox by two members of the Synanon Imperial Marines. (Eidson v. Robson, Synanon; Synanon memos describing incident). Children were reared communally in the Synanon School. "By July and August, I realized what Id stepped into, but it was too late to get out of it.. imperial marines 1978 - It's Time for Morning Meeting Sharing our Synanon Stories Visit the post for more. Several weeks later, October 10, 1978, two Synanon members placed a de-rattled rattlesnake in the mailbox of attorney Paul Morantz in Pacific Palisades, California. The Imperial Marines was Synanon's private fighting force, trained inside the organization and heavily armed. Their last hope. It is also referred to in the song "Opening Doors" from Stephen Sondheim's musical Merrily We Roll Along, which mentions it as a hypothetical song title in a satirical revue of the 1960s. In 1959, Synanon moved from their small storefront to an abandoned armory on the beach. Escape From Cielo Drive (A Tale of Three Charlies) The strange tale of Charlies Manson, Charles Watson and the suggested unknown forewarnings of an eventual murder attempt on my life through similar circumstance. Yet the Imperial Marines were named officially Her Majestys Imperial Marines, and she was often at their training and spoke of a militant Synanon (Wendell Stamps Imperial Marine diary). Tax issues arose. (West Magazine, l967, Morantz archives on Synanon) Subsequently, Synanon acquired a large industrial building in Oakland, California, transforming it into a residential facility for its members, outsiders were permitted to attend the Game there as well. In the summer of 1978 NBC produced a hard hitting news segment on Synanon. Newcomers were first interviewed by Synanon leadership to gain entrance into the community. At age 12 his mother remarried and Dederich went on a jealous rage turning to drinking and rebel rousing. Baby among 6 festival-goers sliced to death by glass-encrusted kite strings, BBC1's live FA Cup coverage hit by porn noises from mobile hidden by prankster, Three major energy suppliers paying you to turn off appliances tonight, Putin to make very important announcement on Ukraine war today', News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. [14][22], The game turned into a 72-hour version and was admitted by Dederich to be brainwashing. Synanon Imperial Marines. It went from the first ever no doctor involved self help drug rehab (Synanon I), to a building of a new society in Synanon cities to lead the world into the 21st Century (Synanon II), to becoming a self-claimed religion (Synanon III). The below Synanon 1, II and III are Synanons own designation of its history (Deposition of Charles Dederich; People vs. Dederich; IRS vs. Synanon, Morantz Synanon archives), Dederich was born in Ohio in 1913. Morantz's website says that babies were taken from their parents and raised in the so-called hatchery., Moms who wanted to spend time with their own kids were callously dubbed head suckers.. "[7][8], Charles Dederich, a member of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), was known to speak for hours uninterrupted at AA meetings. Joe Musico proposed to the Board that at its June 26 meeting it reconsider the idea of an additional Synanon National Guard and place him in charge of training it. Violence was then permitted upon them, breaking for first time Synanons non violent rule. Children were struck across the face, knocked down, otherwise punished and then gamed. Soon the OK on violence would spread to splitees, suspected thieves and perceived spies and enemies. (Synanon vs. KGO, Los Angeles Times archives, CBS News archives)/ Law suits brought by Morantz, and ones by Synanon against ABC and Time Magazine ultimately turned out to be Synanons undoing, giving through legal investigation journalists access to some internal documents on violence. (Dave Mitchell, Light on Synanon; Dave Gerstel, Paradise Inc.; Marin County crime report on Cardineau beating.). The snake did bite Attorney Paul Morantz, but he survived and went on to prosecute Synanon, as well as Church of Scientology, Hare Krishnas, and more. Yes. Those suffering from addictions to illegal drugs were not always welcomed into AA because it was considered that their addiction issues were significantly different from those suffered by alcoholics. By the late 1970s, he'd formed a small army called the Imperial Marines, which committed dozens of heinous crimes, like mass beatings against defectors, whom Dederich called "splittees." Click to reveal After complaints about child abuse attracted attention in the press and visits from the police, Dederich ordered followers in 1976 to stop having kids, saying: I think children are a very bad investment.". After several inquiries into their practices and financial holdings, Board of Directors passed declaration which made Synanon . Information from former members of the cult quickly identified two of Synanons Imperial Marines as suspects in the snake-attack. Two members of a Synanon security force known as the "Imperial Marines," Lance Kenton and. Trade players like stocks: https://codes.jockmkt.com/?utm_campaign=BAWS-A9EE Come%20join%20Jock%20MKT.%20Use%20my%20referral%20link:%20https://codes.jockmkt.. (Robson card, Morantz memorandum). Through a telehone call to Paul Morantz by the Marin County council, the Supervisors requested Morantz lobby to defeat the bill which was in its last committee for vote. Some laughed, others howled and sobbed. Synanon began as an addiction support group that gathered in a grimy Californian flat in the late 1950s. This included taking vengeance against. Its members believed in Synanon enemies and encroachment of spies, created their own words (synanese), sought isolation from outside contaminants and committed to its destiny. (Mitchell, Light on Synanon. He got a job at Hughes Tools. He married, but drinking ended it. (Berkeley Gazette l978, Mitchell, Light on Synanon). Get this The Hanford Sentinel page for free from Thursday, August 9, 1979 ,Aug. 9, 1979 JWork jkn&ul upi Photo Synanon Imperial Marine Lance Kenton runs down the stairs at Superior Court after his . He had outsmarted Synanon and its team of lawyers. Dederich and his wife sat on thrones and often wore robs. Morantz had prepared for that. Curing dope fiends was what they wanted. Some rolled up on the floor in fetal positions. ", Los Angeles police officer Richard Grotsley holds the rattlesnake that bit attorney Paul Morantz. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. He decided to move to Santa Monica and become a beach bum. (Dederich tape: The Freebies are Over; Arizona vs. Home Place Inc., Morantz archives on Synanon. Read More. This made him a public hero and Governor Edmund Brown, Sr. signed a save Synanon bill giving Synanon an exemption from Health licensing laws. Convicted, rather than move as condition of probation he chose to go to jail. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. The cops uncover a group of blind followers willing to do anything at their leader's urging, even murder. In lessons, children were taught how to fight the Holy War" to defend their leader. During the second stage, members worked outside of the community but still resided within the community. [22] The Game served not only as Synanon's most prominent form of therapy and personal change, but also worked as a way for leaders to collect the opinions of community members. 81.169.224.1 In this chapter: After building a small fortune, Synanon's megalomaniac leader turns the revolutionary rehab into a violent cult, with mass sterilization, a paramilitary group and a rattlesnake in a mailbox. (Dave Mitchell, The Light on Synanon; Gerstel, Paradise Inc.. Synanon Holy War file memos on beatings, Dr. Doug Robson letters, various police reports). Later on, Synanon acquired a large building that had been the home of the Athens Athletic Club, in Oakland, California, and then transformed it into a residential facility for Synanon's members. Crying, Trippers embraced, feeling euphoria and transcending love. Ultimately, it purchased an arsenal of high-powered weapons, developed its own security force and in an isolated concealed valley across its airfield called Depot Flats, it set up camp to train the Imperial Marines. (Synanon board minutesJady Dederich, Wendall Stamps Imperial Marine diary, People vs. Dederich, IRS vs, Synanon). The broken joined the attack. Marino said: "I thought they were going to kill us.". While the early Synanon has been declared a success by most observers, there were also early critics who claimed the success only applied to those who remained in the environment where no drugs was pushed by peers or in cases of old timers who had reached saturation point. You may change your value system, notions about life and viewpoints about people. Sternberg, David. IMPERIAL MARINES, AND DOPE FIENDS by George Pendle, Cabinet Magazine, Winter 2012-2013 . CEDU's schools used the confrontation model of Synanon. He existed on a $35 unemployment check and charity from others. The Marines were led by Dr. Douglas Robson who would eventually flee in fear of arrest and set up practice in Seattle. He and his family were represented by Paul Morantz and Ed Martin in a civil suit. But he nearly lost his life as a result of his investigation into Synanon. Everyone bonded. The Story of This Drug Rehab-Turned-Violent Cult Is Wild, Wild Country-Caliber Bizarre . The group is featured in the 2021 book Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by American linguist Amanda Montell. "It's kind of like saying you can't go to therapy," Nolan told reporters outside the courtroom. Despite the Trip conversion success, the old-timers, the Retired Dope Fiends, aka The Walking Dead, remained a problem. [15], Control over members occurred through the "Game". Montell's father was a member as a child and spoke freely to Amanda about his experience in Synanon. [clarification needed] Synanon moved to create schooling for members, and Dederich wanted members to mentally change in order to improve society on the outside. Given its growing popularity, it began to spread throughout California, and Synanon became a counter-culture community by 1964. (Time Magazine, Dec, 1977). Dederich would elsewhere declare that if you kept people up long enough you can make them believe anything (Deposition of Charles Dederich, Morantz vs Synanon, Morantz archives on Synanon. Such acts comprised the bulk of a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation by Dave Mitchell, of the Point Reyes Light weekly newspaper. One was four months pregnant. Dederich concluded in l967 that the program was not a success, and ended the concept of graduation. Without continued peer pressure, most ex-addicts reverted on leaving, as did the Korean prisoners of War (giving up Communism) in 90-days. Outsiders were permitted to attend the "Synanon Game" there as well. Paul Morantz got the court order giving Ms. White custody, but Synanon refused to turn them over. He volunteered for a Dr. Keith Ditman LSD experiment and felt he had a cathartic break through and now understood the world and that good and bad were the same. Synanon would possess its own fleet of trucks and automobiles, hundreds of motorcycles, a mini-armada of 21 boats, a squadron of ten airplanes and its own airstrip. Soon, Synanon owned properties across America; at Tomales Bay, it had a fleet of ships, and at the Badger property hundreds of motorbikes and trucks, not to mention an airstrip and a private plane. The school was headed by Al Bauman, who believed in an innovative philosophy and aimed to teach children in the same manner to think differently. (Deposition of Charles Dederich, Morantz vs. Dederich; Morantz vs. Synanon, IRS vs. that on remote properties in California such as at Marshall in Marin County and in Badger, Tulare County, Synanon had erected buildings without the legally-required permits, had created a trash dump, and built an airstrip. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. According to court records, the cult formed a militant branch, known as the "Imperial Marines," to inflict violence against opponents of the organization. Synanon purchased in 1967 the Club Casa del Mar, a large beach side 1926 hotel in Santa Monica (during WW II it was a military headquarters), and used it as a center and dormitory for drug treatment and business operations. Synanon emphasized tough love and a cold turkey approach to rehabilitation for substance abusers. It no longer obeyed zoning rules, sympathetic donations reheated and Synanon soon became Santa Monicas largest land owner. Morantz was bitten and hospitalized for 11 days. The 1950s were a time when incarceration was considered the only cure for drug addiction. A reference point for the rest of your life. Synanon was allowed to have members kick addiction cold turkey without drugs. Inside were Synanon members and Imperial Marines Joe Musico and Lance Kenton, and they were held on suspicion of involvement in the rattlesnake attack. As the alcoholics had not wanted change, neither did they. (Tony Lang, Synanon). He is considered an expert on these subjects. At eight a.m. Monday hand in hand the Trippers went down the corridor toward the sounds of band music. Paul Morantz, an American attorney and investigative journalist has written substantially about the cult - as he delves into brainwashing cases for victims. Synanon began as a two-year residential program, but Dederich soon concluded that its members could never graduate, because a full recovery was impossible. 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