Deadly Cults is back for a chilling second season, starting Sunday, April 26 at 7pm ET/PT on Oxygen. "He was beaten, he was hit in the head and then socked in the stomach.". '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'. 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. In its 21-year history, Synanon's reputation has seesawed from selflessly charitable to kooky and even depraved Dederich founded the group in Los Angeles in 1958, after "trying to take control of his Alcoholics Anonymous chapter and failing." Mitchell related. Some laughed, others howled and sobbed. But there was a catch: new members had to transfer their assets to the organization. "But it wasn't too long before I knew it was true," Morantz says. California donated a block long building in San Francisco. (Tony Lang, Synanon, Morantz archives on Synanon). Paul Morantz got the court order giving Ms. White custody, but Synanon refused to turn them over. Members were taught that if caught on a violent mission to go to jail and to not blame Synanon. Fluid leaked into his spine causing a near fatal case of spinal meningitis. Morantz had successfully brought suit on behalf of a woman abducted by Synanon, winning a $300,000 judgment, obtained release of children, gave information to the press and lobbied (defeating) another Synanon bill written by Herschel Rosenthal. Aids returned with smut obtained from the un-brokens spouses to use. Dederich was arrested for operating in Santa Monica without a health license and out of zone. (Dave Mitchell, The Light on Synanon; Gerstel, Paradise Inc.: Letter from Dederich to Mike Garrett. 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. Upon Synanons disobedience, 13 police vehicles surrounded the building and drew their weapons. (Tony Lang, Synanon, Morantz archives on Synanon). he rattlesnake lashed out too quickly for Morantz to react, and its fangs sank into his wrist. On June 13, 1977 it was decided that the Imperial Marines would help teach doctors martial arts. [14], During its first decade, Synanon members entered into a 12-year program in three stages aimed at preparing members to reenter greater society. They are draining lifes blood from us and expecting us to play by their silly rules. Many young teenagers who got too close to Synanon property were beaten brutally by Synanon mobs. One was to participate only in Synanon. 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. ", Private Investigator Jack Harding said: "They reminded me of a young Gestapo group.". [16] As these juveniles did not want to be there, Synanon methods failed. 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). The Associate Press did a study of Synanons efforts to discourage the press (AP Study on Synanon Retraction Program). (Gerstel, Paradise, Inc.). Juveniles in the 70s were often sent to Synanon by juvenile agencies or by courts on juvenile officers recommendation. Two members of a Synanon security force known as the "Imperial Marines," Lance Kenton and. It is currently active in Germany. 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. 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 enterprises would run gas stations, pottery making, apartment buildings and other income businesses without having to pay workers or taxes. Synanon leaders and members have been linked with a large number of beatings and other acts of physical violence, and some have been convicted. So did Synanon member Steve Simon in his Harvard dissertation (the danger of being a participant observer is that you may be converted). At 7 p.m. on Friday the chosen Trippers, around 50 in number, of all ages, were met in the Del Mar lobby by people dressed in long white robes and yellow silk scarves. It would grow to become a well-funded utopian society throughout the late '60s and early '70s, before declaring itself a religion in 1974. . Following this broadcast, several executives of the NBC network and its corporate chairman allegedly received hundreds of threats from Synanon members and supporters. He received an. This included taking vengeance against former Synanon members. But he nearly lost his life as a result of his investigation into Synanon. "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. 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. 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. [14] The practice has been charactized as a form of attack therapy. All Rights Reserved. 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. Brainwashing is powerful enough to cure drug addiction while members remain subject to it. Mr. Dederich even kept an elite squad of enforcers that he called the Imperial Marines. A Synanon mob beat Gambini in front of his family. She has not been seen or heard from since. (Mitchell, the Light on Synanon). Synanon is purported[by whom?] Their last hope. Inside were Synanon members and Imperial Marines Joe Musico and Lance Kenton, and they were held on suspicion of involvement in the rattlesnake attack. Paul Robert Morantz (born August 16, 1945) is an American attorney and investigative journalist. 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. The broken joined the attack. [14][22], The game turned into a 72-hour version and was admitted by Dederich to be brainwashing. As a result of its poor conduct, Santa Monica surrendered and Synanon became untouchable. 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. Women removed all makeup and jewelry, a symbolic stripping of past selves. The Synanon organization also developed a business that sold promotional items. He married, but drinking ended it. Dederich experimented with environmental manipulations so as to recreate the heightened awareness and inner discoveries he experienced while taking LSD. Yes! As full recovery for graduates was not happening sufficiently, Dederich proclaimed no one should ever graduate. 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]. He was found passed out on a kitchen floor and was told, Fatso, if you do not go to Alcoholic Anonymous you will die. (Dr. Dan Casriel, So Fair a House, Yablonski, The Tunnel Back: Guy Endore, Synanon; Charles Dederich tapes on history of Synanon.). But, a Synanon mob brutally beat Gambini in front of his family, Morantz writes. September 21, 1978 ex-member Phil Ritter, was severely beaten by two members, causing him to fall into a coma for a week. Synanon organized groups called the "Imperial Marines" and the "National Guard," and called for "Holy War" against its enemies. (Reynolds memo, People vs. Dederich; IRS vs. Synanon). Finally, during the third stage, members both worked and lived outside of the community, but still attended regular meetings. (Robert Jay Lifton, Coercive Persuasion, the Psychology of Totalism). When one woman successfully fled and managed to get a lawyer to aid her legal case against the organization, that lawyer found himself the victim of a rattlesnake that had been placed in . Carom shots now involved public beatings and getting enemies on missions that went coast to coast. (Dederich tape: The Freebies are Over; Arizona vs. Home Place Inc., Morantz archives on Synanon. 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. (IRS v. Synanon; Morantz vs. Synanon; Winn vs. Synanon; Renfroe vs. Golden State). That is the end of that lawyer. 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. A reference point for the rest of your life. It left a droopy eye and a facial tick. 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. Each person stripped and put on white robes. Hang Tough and Dederich pulled on everyone to stay, promising that a great future would emerge. When members kicked and their shakes disappeared many were told their problems were they still loved their mothers and were given suggested mates for holding power. At the same time Pacific Palisades attorney Paul Morantz won a $300,000 judgment against the group on allegations that it had kidnapped, imprisoned and attempted to brainwash a woman on the verge of a psychotic break. These changes led Synanon to its then certain fate. "By July and August, I realized what Id stepped into, but it was too late to get out of it.. 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.). Click to reveal Simon, not heeding what he wrote, later went to prison for destroying evidence unfavorable to Synanon (People vs. Simon). Believed trespassers were taken into the basements of Santa Monica Del Mar building and worked over on directions of Dr. Robson. Imperial Marines carried an E-11 blaster rifle, a MiniMag shoulder-launched proton torpedo launcher, and multiple thermal . 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. Outsiders were permitted to attend the "Synanon Game" there as well. [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. Ten years after its founding,. Six weeks later, the Los Angeles Police Department performed a search of the ranch in Badger that found a recorded speech by Dederich in which he said, "We're not going to mess with the old-time, turn-the-other-cheek religious postures Our religious posture is: Don't mess with us. [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. 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. All thought the experience was beautiful. In June of l978 Ernestine White, a black grandmother was trying to get her three grand kids out. (Synanon Holy War file, Robson letters, IRS vs. Synanon). [7][32][33] This incident, along with the press coverage, prompted an investigation by the police and government into 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. 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. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Read More. Knowing away from the environment people were using, he closed the doors in l967 and ended the idea anyone should ever leave. He existed on a $35 unemployment check and charity from others. There was The Witching Hour which featured a Ouija Board to be operated by Witches, two women in black and white robes. As a rule, Synanon wasn't a violent place while my dad was there, but over time, Dederich grew crueler and more deranged. While in The Game, members criticized each other, but left as friends and supportive community members. Returning to. According to court records, the cult formed a militant branch, known as the "Imperial Marines," to inflict violence against opponents of the organization. Restaurants near Hotel Imperial, Amsterdam on Tripadvisor: Find traveler reviews and candid photos of dining near Hotel Imperial in Amsterdam, North Holland Province. (Tony Lang, Synanon, Morantz archives on Synanon). Paddy Wagons awaited Synanon protesters. 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