. Imperial Marines carried an E-11 blaster rifle, a MiniMag shoulder-launched proton torpedo launcher, and multiple thermal . In lessons, children were taught how to fight the Holy War" to defend their leader. Those who went to jail for Synanon were treated as heroes. ( Dederich tapes on Synanon history; Tony Lang, Synanon, Guy Endore, Synanon, Gerstel Paradise, Inc). Only the threat of violence was prohibited. Synanon mobs attacked teenagers and youngsters who got too close to the property. Yes. (IRS vs. Synanon). We will make the rules. These changes led Synanon to its then certain fate. 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. Some cried for their mothers. Much of the violence by Synanon had been carried out by a group within Synanon called the "Imperial Marines". He remarried, but alcohol did in that marriage, too. On October 10, 1978, Morantz was bitten by a rattlesnake which had been placed in his Pacific Palisades home mailbox by two members of the Synanon Imperial Marines, Lance Kenton and Joe Musico. AN ULTRA-violent cult brainwashed addicts into shaving their heads, and enforced mass sterilizations in "Gestapo-like" demands. By BRANDON MESSICK Bmessick@havasunews.com Dec 9, 2018 Updated Aug 21, 2022 2 Stay Informed.. Paul Morantz got the court order giving Ms. White custody, but Synanon refused to turn them over. It is claimed that Dederich, after taking LSD,[7] All three minors were then returned to Ms. White. Finally, during the third stage, members both worked and lived outside of the community, but still attended regular meetings. Brainwashing is powerful enough to cure drug addiction while members remain subject to it. [23] Morantz had successfully brought suit on behalf of people who were being held against their will by Synanon. Synanon became a Third sector within United States borders, seeking to have its Embassy in Washington, D.C. 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. His life was saved by a neighbor who applied a . Childbirth said Dederich, was no more important than squeezing out a football. Fluid leaked into his spine causing a near fatal case of spinal meningitis. The Trip was so successful that in only its second year the lifestylers business contributed $500,000. This article is about the organization. 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). This made him a public hero and Governor Edmund Brown, Sr. signed a save Synanon bill giving Synanon an exemption from Health licensing laws. Synanon enterprises would run gas stations, pottery making, apartment buildings and other income businesses without having to pay workers or taxes. He got a job at Hughes Tools. (Deposition of Charles Dederich, Morantz vs. Dederich; Morantz vs. Synanon, IRS vs. Synanon wanted the kids to try to keep their tax free status and placed them in a militaristic Punk Squad (forerunner of Scared Straight and other failed camp programs). In June of l978 Ernestine White, a black grandmother was trying to get her three grand kids out. Though local newspapers and broadcast media covered the case, they were largely silenced by lawsuits from Synanon lawyers charging libel. The concept of lifetime rehabilitation did not agree with therapeutic norms, and eventually in l977 attorney Paul Morantz would bring to the Health Depts attention that the group was running an unauthorized medical clinic and taking in people with medical needs Synanon had no license to treat. And there was no way that its leader was going to share any of that with the taxman. On June 13, 1977 it was decided that the Imperial Marines would help teach doctors martial arts. A reference point for the rest of your life. Babies were taken from the parents and raised in the Hatchery. Mothers who wanted to see their kids too much were called head suckers. Children were reared communally in the Synanon School where eventually they wrote essays on Dederich telling everyone what to do, Syndo (karate) changing partners, childliness, and fighting the Holy War. (Casriel, So Fair a House, Yablonski, The Tunnel Back: Guy Endore, Synanon; Charles Dederich tapes on history of Synanon; Dederich, Childiness; Time Magazine l977). To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Synanon was a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center and movement-turned-cult in California that existed from 1958 to 1991. Morantz said: I had my first case in court involving them in June 1977. Founder of Synanon House for drug addicts Charles Dederich, Chuck Dederich stands by his new wife, Ginny, at Synanon branch in Marshall, California, Founder of Synanon House for drug addicts Charles Dederich (centre) and staff members during rehabilitation session, Drug addicts at Synanon House for rehabilitation, Donald Trump announces enhanced counter-narcotics crackdown on drug cartels amid the coronavirus crisis, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). [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. The 'marines' retaliated by clubbing him over the head. [32] The snake bit him, and he was hospitalized for six days. 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. Dederich and his wife sat on thrones and often wore robs. He existed on a $35 unemployment check and charity from others. (Robson card, Morantz memorandum). Aired: 06/14/2020 TV-14 | 2 years left Season 2 - Episodes 43:49 S2 - E1 Spiritual Warriors 43:49 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. (Synanon board minutesJady Dederich, Wendall Stamps Imperial Marine diary, People vs. Dederich, IRS vs, Synanon). 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. "They are draining life's blood from us, and expecting us to play by their silly rules. "By July and August, I realized what Id stepped into, but it was too late to get out of it.. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. 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 . "But it wasn't too long before I knew it was true," Morantz says. 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 former compound of a notorious cult in the foothills of northeastern Tulare County will soon be vacation rentals. Let your ego golet things happen to you. By 1991 the community had essentially folded. Skip to content It's Time for Morning Meeting Sharing our Synanon Stories Menu About Stories Contact Kids Places Faces Philosophy The End Early Days Work Play 'imperial marines 1978' Leave a Reply Cancel reply A . The cult required mandatory abortions and vasectomies for its members, and married couples would accept new partners selected by Synanon every three years. (Casriel, So Fair a House, Yablonski, The Tunnel Back: Guy Endore, Synanon; Charles Dederich tapes on history of Synanon, Columbia Pictures: Synanon). Dederich declared they were better than the world and through his experimentation Synanon would lead the human race into the 21st Century. He decided to move to Santa Monica and become a beach bum. 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." Publicly one was berated (haircut) for misdeeds and this was designed to carom off and affect behavior of those watching. Abused Children assigned to Synanon began running away, helped by an underground railroad, led by neighboring rancher Alvin Gambonini, who sought to return them to their parents. 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.. (IRS v. Synanon; Morantz vs. Synanon; Winn vs. Synanon; Renfroe vs. Golden State). 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.. The group said that was a lie, and denied kids were being held prisoner. He gathered his own following in AA and after a time of meetings at apartments, they rented a small store in seedy Venice. "Light to celebrate 25th anniversary of its Pulitzer", Marconi Conference Center State Historical Park, "The Story of This Drug Rehab-Turned-Violent Cult Is Wild, Wild Country-Caliber Bizarre", "A Violent, Deadly Cult With Forced Abortions and Shades of Scientology", The Cult That Spawned the Tough-Love Teen Industry, "The Man Who Fought the Synanon Cult and Won", "Synanon's Sober Utopia: How a Drug Rehab Program Became a Violent Cult", "Playing the Game: The Origins and Impact of Synanon", "The True History of Synanon Violence and How it Started", "The History of Synanon and Charles Dederich", "Charles Dederich, 83, Synanon Founder, Dies", "Synanon Founder Advocated Violence Against Opponents", "U.S. Indicts Nine From Synanon in Tax-Exemption Effort", "Ever unconventional, long controversial", "The Cult That Spawned the Tough-Love Teen Industry", "TrueAnon Presents: The Game -- First Episode drops September 26 on http://patreon.com/trueanonpod", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Synanon&oldid=1133004690, This page was last edited on 11 January 2023, at 20:24. 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. 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 . This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. The husband hired attorney Paul Morantz, who had recently finished a case against persons who had kidnapped skid row alcoholics and kept them on thorazine in nursing homes in order to bill the State. During summer l978 California congressman, Herschel Rosenthal, a long-time Synanon supporter, attached a rider to a bill that if passed would exempt Synanon from all health licensing laws regardless of condition person taken in. Synanon fought and lost the action on summary judgment based on their own admissions in their internal records. Some laughed, others howled and sobbed. Synanon began as a two-year residential program, but Dederich soon concluded that its members could never graduate, because a full recovery was impossible. According to court records, the cult formed a militant branch, known as the "Imperial Marines," to inflict violence against opponents of the organization. Former Synanon President Jack Hurst spoke out against Synanon and found his home door open and his dog hung. [5] Outside of The Game, members were required to act civilly to each other. Two members of a Synanon security force known as the "Imperial Marines," Lance Kenton and. (Deposition of Paul Morantz, Morantz vs. Synanon; People vs. Dederich; IRS vs. Synanon. The school attracted lawyers, screenwriters, and business executives, all wanting to educate their children in a progressive environment. [5] The group ultimately became a cult called the Church of Synanon in the 1970s. This included taking vengeance against. It will produce a new breed of human beings with greatly expanded potentials. The concept was based on law that even charities are taxed if they commit acts against public policy. Mitchell developed a deep throat in the Sheriff department, Art Disterheft. Philip K. Dick makes several references to Synanon in his 1977 novel A Scanner Darkly and 1981 novel VALIS. In 1974 Synanon declared itself a religion and centered on middle-class searching for utopia rather than addict curing. And Synanon, which is to say Dederich, was not happy about being made to look foolish. 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. Monetary donations came in from the rich and Hollywood, as guys like Robert Wagner, Leonard Nimoy and Ben Gazzra came to Synanon to play the game with ex-addicts and ex-hookers. Synanon Holy War file memos on beating). 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. [citation needed]. 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. . "It's kind of like saying you can't go to therapy," Nolan told reporters outside the courtroom. In 1974 Synanon declared itself a religion and centered on middle-class searching for utopia rather than addict curing. All such notions Dederich declared were also a squeeze to get rotten fruit out of Synanon (those who will not obey). The Imperial Marines was Synanon's private fighting force, trained inside the organization and heavily armed. At age 12 his mother remarried and Dederich went on a jealous rage turning to drinking and rebel rousing. According to Department of Justice records, Dederich discussed the possibility of Morantzs assassination with Synanon Imperial Marines leader Doug Robson. 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.". 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. 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). People originally inspired by their CEDU experience developed or strongly influenced a significant number of the schools in the therapeutic boarding school industry. (Gerstel, Paradise Inc.) Beginning in 1974 the authorities began to question Synanons promises and practices. They acted as "the punch" of the Imperial Starfleet. Dederich called it an insight producing experience. Members were brainwashed, tortured mentally and barred from leaving the communityescaped members were subject to beatings. [7] It has been called one of the "most dangerous and violent cults America had ever seen. Ofshe, Richard. Dederich was arrested for operating in Santa Monica without a health license and out of zone. It was a game because one being gamed could turn the game on another. He had outsmarted Synanon and its team of lawyers. 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. [14][22], The game turned into a 72-hour version and was admitted by Dederich to be brainwashing. 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. The tax assessment due to the violence conspiracy led the properties to be confiscated and/or sold. Dan Garrett ordered a kidnapping and then changed the order to beating the person on the spot. 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. The founder, Charles Dederich, a recovering alcoholic. So did Synanon member Steve Simon in his Harvard dissertation (the danger of being a participant observer is that you may be converted). Members were to confess in games and no secrets were allowed. 40 years ago, Synanon, a cult with a violent past, moved into Havasu. Synanon organized groups called the "Imperial Marines" and the "National Guard," and called for "Holy War" against its enemies. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. (Yablonski, The Tunnel Back: Guy Endore, Synanon; Charles Dederich tapes on history of Synanon). Now in a ballroom the Trippers were surrounded by hundreds of cheering, clapping Synanites. It no longer obeyed zoning rules, sympathetic donations reheated and Synanon soon became Santa Monicas largest land owner. (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. Synanon members were instructed in writing to physically harm others, take responsibility for it and never reveal Synanons involvement. [14] The practice has been charactized as a form of attack therapy. 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. Synanon is mentioned in Joan Didion's 1979 essay The White Album. 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. But there was a catch: new members had to transfer their assets to the organization. (See id. Curing dope fiends was what they wanted. (Freidenber, Nation 1965). Synanon is a US-founded social organization created by Charles E. "Chuck" Dederich Sr. in 1958 in Santa Monica, California, United States. On September 21, 2008, the Marines tried to murder ex-member Phil Ritter. Did Synanon betray me an wound me? For a shower, a hose ran through a window (Casriel, So Fair a House, Yablonski, The Tunnel Back: Guy Endore, Synanon; Charles Dederich tapes on history of Synanon). I am quite willing to break some lawyer's legs, and next break his wife's legs, and threaten to cut their child's arm off. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. "Synanon House A Consideration for Its Implications on American Correction". 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. 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 . (Robson) suggested blowing me away with a shotgun, Morantz said. All Rights Reserved. (Defendant's Statement of Material Facts at 68-74, 108-09.) The group is featured in the 2021 book Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by American linguist Amanda Montell. Beatings occurred in Synanon basements. Their armed security was known as the Imperial Marines. He was passed out when he was arrested for the assault and attempted murder of Paul Morantz. 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. [37][38][39], Mel Wasserman, influenced by his Synanon experience, founded CEDU Education. Performance & security by Cloudflare. decided to create his own program to respond to their needs. The result was implantation of a common bond and sense of ideals, all identified with Synanon. Synanon is purported[by whom?] Such acts comprised the bulk of a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation by Dave Mitchell, of the Point Reyes Light weekly newspaper. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. [22] During this practice, members were encouraged to be critical of everything, using harsh and profane language. Cole had received a court order to enroll in Synanon before she disappeared. During the second stage, members worked outside of the community but still resided within the community. One was four months pregnant. Despite the Trip conversion success, the old-timers, the Retired Dope Fiends, aka The Walking Dead, remained a problem. Later the flies (Dederich trained youngsters) took over the attack. It would grow to become a well-funded utopian society throughout the late '60s and early '70s, before declaring itself a religion in 1974. . In l977 when Dederichs wife Betty died he married a volunteer to be his wife and decided to save others from pain of death or divorce by ordering all married couples to break up every 3 years and take new partners selected by Synanon (love matches). [7] A state Grand Jury in Marin County issued a scathing report in 1978 that attacked Synanon for the very strong evidence of its child abuse, and also for the monetary profits that flowed to Dederich. This included taking vengeance against former Synanon members. Synanon expanded an old Trans-Pacific Marconi RCA radio station in Tomales Bay now Marconi Conference Center State Historical Park. [43], Straight Life: The Story of Art Pepper includes several chapters (21 - 23) about living at Synanon from 1969 - 1971.[44]. The Story of This Drug Rehab-Turned-Violent Cult Is Wild, Wild Country-Caliber Bizarre . 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. [27] People who left the organization were at risk of physical violence for being a "splittee"; one ex-member, Phil Ritter, was beaten so severely that his skull was fractured and he subsequently fell into a coma with a near-fatal case of bacterial meningitis.[28][29][30]. Synanon ) new partners selected by Synanon every three years therapeutic boarding industry! 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