synanon imperial marines

(Robert Jay Lifton, Coercive Persuasion, the Psychology of Totalism). 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. So, Lance Kenton and Joe Musico thought up this plan, and they went and found a rattlesnake," Aron said. Start the ball rolling by posting a comment on this article! Dederich officially declared it a Holy War. (Dederich letter to Mike Garrett, Synanon Holy War file, 1978 Board minutes of SynanonJady Dederich, Morantz vs Synanon, IRS vs. Synanon. Originally established as a drug rehabilitation program, by the early 1960s, Synanon became an alternative community centered on group truth-telling sessions that came to be known as the "Synanon Game," a form of attack therapy. 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. ), 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. Your IP: 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 [14] The practice has been charactized as a form of attack therapy. 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. He was said to have coined the phrase "today is the first day of the rest of your life". Some laughed, others howled and sobbed. (Synanon board minutesJady Dederich, Wendall Stamps Imperial Marine diary, People vs. Dederich, IRS vs, Synanon). Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. It is currently active in Germany. Much of the violence by Synanon had been carried out by a group within Synanon called the "Imperial Marines". As full recovery for graduates was not happening sufficiently, Dederich proclaimed no one should ever graduate. (Robson letters, crime reports, Synanon memos on each event, Synanon Holy War file, Depostions of ex-Synanon member, Morantz vs. Synanon; IRS vs. Synanon). The New York psychiatrist Daniel Casriel M.D. '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'. According to Department of Justice records, Dederich discussed the possibility of Morantzs assassination with Synanon Imperial Marines leader Doug Robson. Robert Graeme told reporters that upon arriving, the cult's leader threatened him. Paul Morantz got the court order giving Ms. White custody, but Synanon refused to turn them over. According to court records, the cult formed a militant branch, known as the "Imperial Marines," to inflict violence against opponents of the organization. Though local newspapers and broadcast media covered the case, they were largely silenced by lawsuits from Synanon lawyers charging libel. I see nothing frightening about it I am quite willing to break some lawyers legs and next break his wifes legs and threaten to cut their childs arm off. Dederich said freedom to think to a dope addict was like a gun to a baby, and they wash dirty brains. In 1974 Synanon declared itself a religion and centered on middle-class searching for utopia rather than addict curing. Finally, during the third stage, members both worked and lived outside of the community, but still attended regular meetings. Synanon evicted by tossing people and belongings out of apartments (even off a roof). Dederich and his wife sat on thrones and often wore robs. Synanon, is the first ever self help-no doctors- drug rehabilitation program, founded by Charles "Chuck" Dederich Sr. (1913-1997) in 1958 in Santa Monica, California. [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. In response to these accusations, Dederich declared that Synanon was a tax exempt religious organization, the "Church of Synanon". 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 program was based on testimony of fellow group members about their tribulations and urges of relapsing, and their journeys to recovery. ", Los Angeles police officer Richard Grotsley holds the rattlesnake that bit attorney Paul Morantz. Synanon leaders and members have been linked with a large number of beatings and other acts of physical violence, and some have been convicted. Dederich called it an insight producing experience. (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. 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 began as an addiction support group that gathered in a grimy Californian flat in the late 1950s. Dederich refused all suggestions. He had outsmarted Synanon and its team of lawyers. [citation needed]. Watches were taken as time was no longer important. After several inquiries into their practices and financial holdings, Board of Directors passed declaration which made Synanon . He got a job at Hughes Tools. 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. While in The Game, members criticized each other, but left as friends and supportive community members. The game was a session during which one member would talk about themselves and then endure intense criticism by their peers. Synanon organized groups called the "Imperial Marines" and the "National Guard," and called for "Holy War" against its enemies. [10][11] He married, but drinking ended it. On June 13, 1977 it was decided that the Imperial Marines would help teach doctors martial arts. Believed trespassers were taken into the basements of Santa Monica Del Mar building and worked over on directions of Dr. Robson. 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. Dederich was arrested while drunk on December 2, 1978. In the summer of 1978 NBC produced a hard hitting news segment on Synanon. Synanon struggled to survive without its leader but with a severely tarnished reputation. Six weeks later the Los Angeles Police Department performed a search of the ranch in Badger that turned up a recorded speech by Dederich in which he said, Were not going to mess with the old-time, turn-the-other-cheek religious postures our religious posture is: Dont mess with us. The Imperial Marines was Synanon's private fighting force, trained inside the organization and heavily armed. (Deposition of Paul Morantz, Morantz vs. Synanon; People vs. Dederich; IRS vs. Synanon. Fluid leaked into his spine causing a near fatal case of spinal meningitis. Several weeks after NBC began receiving threats, on October 10, 1978, two Synanon members placed a de-rattled rattlesnake in the mailbox of attorney Paul Morantz of Pacific Palisades, California. The Imperial Marines was Synanon's private fighting force, trained inside the organization and heavily armed. It can also make dangerous criminals out of good people, also subject to it. Imperial Marines were shock troopers that primarily served on Imperial-class Star Destroyers as defence provided by the Stormtrooper Corps. "But it wasn't too long before I knew it was true," Morantz says. [clarification needed] Synanon moved to create schooling for members, and Dederich wanted members to mentally change in order to improve society on the outside. 81.169.224.1 IMPERIAL MARINES, AND DOPE FIENDS by George Pendle, Cabinet Magazine, Winter 2012-2013 . 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. A Shepherd led them through candle-lit and incense-burning corridors to a locker room filled with rows of Army cots with name cards. Each Tripper was to write a paper on some feeling or admission. He recalled: "Chuck Dederich walked in, and he said 'I'm tired of these guys coming in this place. 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. 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. Synanon members were instructed in writing to physically harm others, take responsibility for it and never reveal Synanons involvement. Knowing away from the environment people were using, he closed the doors in l967 and ended the idea anyone should ever leave. Legal problems continued, despite this change. "The Social Development of the Synanon Cult". (See id. He decided to move to Santa Monica and become a beach bum. 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. You can get killed Dead. 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. This bankrupted Synanon, which formally dissolved in 1991. (Tony Lang, Synanon, Morantz archives on Synanon). The original name was The Tender Loving Care Club. Marino said: "I thought they were going to kill us.". 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 . Some believe Bettys Death unleashed Dederichs fury. In lessons, children were taught how to fight the Holy War" to defend their leader. This article is about the organization. Synanon sought religious status in 1974, with Diedrich as its leader. [32] The snake bit him, and he was hospitalized for six days. Members were to confess in games and no secrets were allowed. He would never bond with kids again, including his own until they became adults. Dederich bought and sold real estate. 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. By then Synanon's assets, including real estate, ten aircraft, 400 cars, trucks and motorcycles, totaled around $33 million. Remain forever and they could build a Utopian world designed by Dederich. (Tony Lang, Synanon, Morantz archives on Synanon). It was first offered to the selected few as an honor, but the entire population was eventually targeted. Was it a wonderful place to be? 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. During the first stage, members did community and housekeeping labor. Plus, control freak Dederich wanted even more power. Founded to get people off junk, Synanon was now creating it. 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). (Yablonski, The Tunnel Back: Guy Endore, Synanon; Charles Dederich tapes on history of Synanon). "It was no secret that Charles Dederich wanted to at least hurt Paul Morantz if not kill him. Journal of Humanistic Psychology 18.3 (1978): 320. Synanon A Los Angeles lawyer is attacked by a poisonous rattlesnake leading police to a bizarre cult veiled as a drug and alcohol rehab facility. he rattlesnake lashed out too quickly for Morantz to react, and its fangs sank into his wrist. The main character discusses a drug rehabilitation cult "The Church of Niebor," which is based on Synanon.[46]. ( Dederich tapes on Synanon history; Tony Lang, Synanon, Guy Endore, Synanon, Gerstel Paradise, Inc). 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. Remarkably, the authorities refused to intercede. 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). Children were reared communally in the Synanon School. The name was chosen when a member slurred the words 'Symposium' and 'Seminar', explains Paul Morantz, an expert on the cult. Only the threat of violence was prohibited. The Foundation had the wire, an internal broadcasting system that played 24 hours with repeated talk of getting the enemies. In the 1970s, two men were run off the road near one of their properties. It even invited professionals including non-addicts to join. (Berkeley Gazette l978, Mitchell, Light on Synanon). Imperial Marines carried an E-11 blaster rifle, a MiniMag shoulder-launched proton torpedo launcher, and multiple thermal . The games turned on one than another. 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.). 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. Lance Kenton was sentenced to a year in prison. The Story of This Drug Rehab-Turned-Violent Cult Is Wild, Wild Country-Caliber Bizarre . synanon imperial marines. 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. In 1974 Synanon declared itself a religion and centered on middle-class searching for utopia rather than addict curing. All Rights Reserved. (Tony Lang, Synanon, Morantz archives on Synanon). 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.). [31] NBC continued with a series of reports on the Synanon situation on the NBC Nightly News. (Mitchell, the Light on Synanon). His successful prosecution of Synanon led to an attempt against his life, by means of a rattlesnake. [43], Straight Life: The Story of Art Pepper includes several chapters (21 - 23) about living at Synanon from 1969 - 1971.[44]. Read More. Sternberg, David. Dederich was familiar with Waldens Pond and the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and B. F. Skinner. In the 1970s, two men were run off the road near one of their properties. Some Trippers began to hallucinate, Dederich having achieved his LSD replicated altered state of consciousness. Morantz said: I had my first case in court involving them in June 1977. Deadly Cults is back for a chilling second season, starting Sunday, April 26 at 7pm ET/PT on Oxygen. Its a feeling of closeness to each other we are after, the death of the ego. The founder, Charles Dederich, a recovering alcoholic. Mitchell had tried to warn authorities, without success, that Synanon was going to try to kill Morantz. Two members of a Synanon security force known as the "Imperial Marines," Lance Kenton and. The Internal Revenue Service revoked the organization's tax-exempt status and ordered them to pay $17 million in back taxes. He had been trying to get his child out of the cult, and had gone to the authorities complaining of forced vasectomies in Synanon. Their last hope. View our online Press Pack. Other journalists who took on Synanon were LA Times reporter Narda Zuchinno and CBSs Connie Chung. 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. 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]. It will produce a new breed of human beings with greatly expanded potentials. Copyright Paul Morantz. 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." It was just weeks after Morantz had won a $300,000 judgment against Synanon, a shady drug rehab facility that opened in Santa Monica in 1958. Paddy Wagons awaited Synanon protesters. Synanon disbanded in 1991[6] due to members being convicted of criminal activities (including attempted murder) and retroactive loss of its tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) due to financial misdeeds, destruction of evidence, and terrorism. They acted as "the punch" of the Imperial Starfleet. Click to reveal Men were given forced vasectomies, and a few pregnant women were forced to have abortions. Beatings occurred in Synanon basements. 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). It no longer obeyed zoning rules, sympathetic donations reheated and Synanon soon became Santa Monicas largest land owner. At eight a.m. Monday hand in hand the Trippers went down the corridor toward the sounds of band music. AN ULTRA-violent cult brainwashed addicts into shaving their heads, and enforced mass sterilizations in "Gestapo-like" demands. "[7][8], Charles Dederich, a member of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), was known to speak for hours uninterrupted at AA meetings. 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. 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. Sitting in comfortable green armchairs, they made the dope fiends tell their tales of drugs, rape, crime and beatings. "[28] During the investigations researchers also came across multiple lawsuits and arrests against Synanon members. Correcting Claire Clarks Recovery Revolution, Book Escape: My Life Long War Against Cults. 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. The two other Synanon Imperial Marines, one of whom was Lance Kenton, son of musician Stan Kenton, pleaded no contest to charges of assault and conspiracy to commit murder. Did Synanon save my life? Both were members of Synanon's 'Imperial Marines,' a security group within the drug and alcohol rehabilition organization. [37][38][39], Mel Wasserman, influenced by his Synanon experience, founded CEDU Education. 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. 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 .

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