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- (crowd chatter)
- (upbeat guitar music playing)
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Reporter: We're way up
in northern Marin County
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00:00:17,434 --> 00:00:20,395
at Synanon's Ranch.
The event? A fat-a-thon.
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Mike Gimbel:
At the beginning,
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everybody was very excited
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about the idea of losing weight.
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(singing to the tune
"When the Saints Go Marching In")
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♪ Oh, when the fat,
it turns to thin ♪
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Reporter: Synanon
believes in healthy living.
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No smoking, no drinking,
no drugs.
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And now, no body fat.
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(singing continues)
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Mike: The Lean Normal Diet
actually started as a good thing.
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00:00:44,878 --> 00:00:47,881
You met with the doctor. He
said, "You should weigh this."
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00:00:48,465 --> 00:00:50,592
Everyone got, like, a physical.
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00:00:50,675 --> 00:00:54,721
- (intense upbeat music playing)
- (cafeteria chatter)
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00:00:54,804 --> 00:00:57,265
We ate this Jell-O every night.
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Yeah, I mean,
how do you make things
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00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:02,395
without sugar that taste good?
(laughs)
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(sizzling)
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But then, Chuck mandated
we had to exercise.
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(heavy breathing)
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(dark music playing)
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Most of it was running in place
or step-ups.
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00:01:17,869 --> 00:01:21,289
And then, you had to be
honest about the hours.
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00:01:21,373 --> 00:01:24,584
But it felt a little weird
that it was mandated.
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Was a different feeling
that you had to do it.
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(birds chirping)
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Your name goes up on a chart
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and what is your ideal weight.
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♪♪
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And then, we would have
weekly weigh-ins.
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♪♪
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It was a little bit funny
to watch,
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but I can tell you the truth,
the honest-to-God truth,
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it was humiliating
to a lot of people.
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(applause, cheering)
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You talk about
a charismatic leader
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00:02:04,582 --> 00:02:08,461
who was getting people
to do things
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00:02:09,294 --> 00:02:11,297
that they don't think about.
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00:02:12,674 --> 00:02:14,551
And Chuck, his-his power
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00:02:14,592 --> 00:02:16,636
and his control
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makes people do things.
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00:02:20,056 --> 00:02:23,309
Whether it's for him
or his cause.
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And that's what
started happening.
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(projector whirring)
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(whirring slows down)
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(dull whooshing)
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(click)
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00:02:40,035 --> 00:02:42,787
(quiet chatter)
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00:02:56,134 --> 00:02:59,387
(laughter)
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Terry Hurst:
Chuck had a big ego,
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and everybody contributed to it.
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We had people just adoring him.
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I mean, people were just bowing
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00:03:33,254 --> 00:03:35,674
and scraping to him
in every way.
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The show must go on.
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Buddy Jones:
Betty Dederich called me in
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00:03:41,763 --> 00:03:43,223
one day and said,
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00:03:43,305 --> 00:03:45,392
"How come you don't like Chuck?"
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I said, what do you mean
I don't like Chuck? She says,
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00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:51,189
"Well, I don't see you
around him that much.
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00:03:51,231 --> 00:03:53,566
"I don't see you
jumping through hoops
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00:03:53,650 --> 00:03:55,735
to get next to him
and his guys."
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00:03:55,819 --> 00:03:56,945
(cutlery clinking)
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00:03:57,028 --> 00:04:00,198
And I said, "You know, Betty,
I don't see anybody else
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00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:01,783
"pulling something
like Synanon off
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00:04:01,866 --> 00:04:05,370
"other than Chuck.
So I have great respect for him.
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00:04:05,453 --> 00:04:09,666
"But when you see him,
you have his followers.
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00:04:11,084 --> 00:04:13,420
"They're very obedient
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00:04:13,503 --> 00:04:15,296
and he likes that."
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Chuck Dederich: You make
everybody make their beds
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the way you want them to.
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00:04:21,386 --> 00:04:23,555
You insist that
they have manners
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00:04:23,596 --> 00:04:26,349
and that they smile and so on.
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00:04:26,391 --> 00:04:29,561
That kind of a place
makes people healthy.
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00:04:30,228 --> 00:04:32,272
It makes them healthy in mind
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and body and heart and soul.
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♪♪
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Bill Goodson: I didn't really put
Chuck on some kind of pedestal.
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00:04:43,408 --> 00:04:45,201
That might have something
to do with the fact
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00:04:45,243 --> 00:04:48,913
that I was in Synanon
in the early years
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00:04:49,497 --> 00:04:53,710
when it was crude
and rough and new.
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00:04:55,712 --> 00:04:58,757
And what Synanon was becoming
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00:04:58,798 --> 00:05:03,219
with money and success
and power,
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00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:05,847
you could sense that people
looked at him
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00:05:05,930 --> 00:05:09,684
through a different lens
and listened to him
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00:05:10,477 --> 00:05:12,312
in a different way.
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00:05:14,439 --> 00:05:16,566
Chuck:
Now, it seems very simple.
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00:05:16,608 --> 00:05:19,861
Just do the things
we do in Synanon.
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00:05:20,528 --> 00:05:22,405
Keep the joint clean.
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00:05:22,447 --> 00:05:24,240
(over PA)
The reason you fail...
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00:05:24,282 --> 00:05:27,369
Mike: Anything Chuck was
saying was being recorded,
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00:05:27,452 --> 00:05:29,496
was being sent over the Wire.
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00:05:29,579 --> 00:05:32,624
It's on in every building.
It's on everywhere.
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I mean, everywhere you go.
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00:05:35,543 --> 00:05:38,588
It kinda built into
this thing of "Chuck said."
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00:05:39,297 --> 00:05:42,300
And that was really a big thing
there. "Well, Chuck said this,"
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00:05:42,384 --> 00:05:44,469
you know, "Chuck said,
Chuck said, Chuck."
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00:05:44,552 --> 00:05:46,346
It was always Chuck.
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00:05:46,429 --> 00:05:48,473
(Chuck speaking
indistinctly over the Wire)
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00:05:48,515 --> 00:05:51,226
Things would start that way
on the Wire,
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00:05:51,308 --> 00:05:53,520
and because it was on the Wire,
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all the other facilities heard.
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Chuck (on PA):
Learn to live the way we do!
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If you don't or won't
or can't do that,
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00:06:02,404 --> 00:06:05,156
go somewhere else!
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00:06:05,198 --> 00:06:06,783
We stop being...
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00:06:06,825 --> 00:06:10,412
Rod Mullen: The benign
explanation for the Wire
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00:06:10,495 --> 00:06:13,998
was keeping
the community together.
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00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:18,003
- (beeping) - There were over
2,000 members of the community.
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You had all these
different facilities.
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You had three campuses
at Tomales Bay,
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00:06:23,508 --> 00:06:25,218
you had Oakland,
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00:06:25,301 --> 00:06:27,303
you had Santa Monica.
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00:06:27,345 --> 00:06:30,390
But, you know,
like any powerful tool,
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a sharp knife is great
for cutting a steak.
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00:06:32,851 --> 00:06:36,354
It also is pretty good
for cutting off a finger.
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And as time went on,
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00:06:38,773 --> 00:06:41,860
the Wire was used
very deliberately politically.
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00:06:51,411 --> 00:06:54,080
Rod: The Synanon
Game, in many ways,
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00:06:54,164 --> 00:06:58,084
was the primary ritual
and social glue for Synanon.
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00:06:58,168 --> 00:07:01,463
One of the really important
things about that ritual
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00:07:01,546 --> 00:07:04,132
was that it was private.
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00:07:04,215 --> 00:07:06,843
What was said in the Game
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00:07:06,926 --> 00:07:08,303
was left in the Game.
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00:07:09,054 --> 00:07:12,390
The Wire, of course, was
a complete antithesis of that.
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00:07:13,266 --> 00:07:16,936
All of a sudden, what was being
said in Games was public
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00:07:17,020 --> 00:07:18,730
for anybody to hear,
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00:07:18,813 --> 00:07:21,566
and, essentially,
the Games became
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00:07:21,608 --> 00:07:24,444
a way of conveying a message.
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00:07:33,661 --> 00:07:35,830
Are you gonna get in on this
act or are you gonna sit...
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00:07:35,914 --> 00:07:39,250
Terry: I had loved
Synanon at one point.
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00:07:39,334 --> 00:07:40,752
I grew to not love it
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00:07:40,835 --> 00:07:44,214
when I saw all
the manipulation going on.
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00:07:44,255 --> 00:07:46,800
Things had started
to deteriorate.
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00:07:46,883 --> 00:07:50,595
It was a regular Synanon Game
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00:07:50,679 --> 00:07:53,640
when I was talking about
how Synanon was changing,
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00:07:53,723 --> 00:07:56,643
everybody had to show
their loyalty to Synanon,
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00:07:56,726 --> 00:08:00,188
you had to prove that
you were worthy of Synanon.
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00:08:00,271 --> 00:08:01,940
(indistinct chatter)
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00:08:01,981 --> 00:08:04,109
I don't remember
what all I said,
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00:08:04,150 --> 00:08:06,486
but Chuck didn't like it
when he heard it.
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00:08:07,696 --> 00:08:10,240
If I was talking
negatively about Synanon,
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00:08:10,323 --> 00:08:12,742
I was talking negatively
about Chuck.
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00:08:14,285 --> 00:08:16,079
That was not acceptable.
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00:08:16,121 --> 00:08:20,417
And... boy, we got demoted
very fast after that.
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00:08:20,457 --> 00:08:22,669
(soft music playing)
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00:08:22,752 --> 00:08:24,796
You know,
Jack had been president,
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00:08:24,879 --> 00:08:28,133
and he was demoted
to being a truck driver.
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00:08:30,510 --> 00:08:33,804
Then, Chuck started
doing things to Jack.
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00:08:33,888 --> 00:08:36,057
Undermining our marriage.
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00:08:36,140 --> 00:08:37,808
Chuck: You know,
Jack's always talking about
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00:08:37,851 --> 00:08:39,769
being married 21 years
and everything.
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00:08:39,811 --> 00:08:42,147
Well, you know,
for what we look at,
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00:08:42,230 --> 00:08:44,232
they seem to be hooked up
with each other. But goddamn,
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00:08:44,315 --> 00:08:46,943
they don't seem to be very happy
very much of the time.
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00:08:46,985 --> 00:08:48,987
And that-that could
certainly be a...
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00:08:49,070 --> 00:08:52,198
Terry: In the end,
Jack was in a Game with Chuck,
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00:08:52,282 --> 00:08:57,370
and I heard on the Wire
what Chuck was saying to Jack.
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00:08:57,454 --> 00:08:58,997
(Chuck continues)
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00:08:59,039 --> 00:09:01,583
Chuck said,
"Get rid of your wife,
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00:09:01,666 --> 00:09:03,543
or get the hell outta here."
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00:09:03,626 --> 00:09:06,171
I started packing.
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00:09:06,212 --> 00:09:08,715
Jack wasn't gonna leave.
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00:09:08,798 --> 00:09:11,676
(somber music playing)
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00:09:11,718 --> 00:09:14,554
I felt like the world
was ending.
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00:09:14,637 --> 00:09:17,265
I had never been hurt so badly.
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00:09:17,349 --> 00:09:18,975
It was horrible.
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00:09:19,601 --> 00:09:20,852
But Jack said,
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00:09:21,770 --> 00:09:23,521
"Chuck saved my life."
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00:09:23,563 --> 00:09:25,357
(water lapping)
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00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:29,903
(birds chirping)
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00:09:29,986 --> 00:09:33,365
Phil Ritter: There was another
woman who lived in Synanon.
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00:09:33,990 --> 00:09:37,202
When she thought
she had something
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00:09:37,285 --> 00:09:40,205
on somebody in a Game,
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00:09:40,288 --> 00:09:42,248
she would not let go.
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00:09:42,332 --> 00:09:43,667
(indistinct)
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00:09:43,708 --> 00:09:44,876
She thought she had
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00:09:44,959 --> 00:09:47,545
and indictment
on Chuck in a Game.
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00:09:47,587 --> 00:09:50,715
And she kept going on
and on and on.
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00:09:50,799 --> 00:09:52,550
I'm just talking
about the contradiction.
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00:09:52,592 --> 00:09:54,010
I'm just getting
at the contradiction
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00:09:54,052 --> 00:09:56,388
in the way you act
and the line you run.
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00:09:56,429 --> 00:09:59,724
- Chuck: Anybody who lives the life can be... What?
- I look at the way you act.
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00:09:59,808 --> 00:10:02,560
Phil: And he
walked across the room
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00:10:02,644 --> 00:10:04,396
with a can of root beer
188
00:10:04,479 --> 00:10:07,357
and poured it
on top of her head.
189
00:10:07,399 --> 00:10:11,277
- That was as big a no-no as you could have.
- Yeah.
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00:10:11,361 --> 00:10:13,863
Short of picking up a weapon
191
00:10:13,905 --> 00:10:16,408
and going over there
and clubbing her with it.
192
00:10:17,283 --> 00:10:19,911
Jady Dederich Montgomery: We're talking
about not just a member of management,
193
00:10:19,994 --> 00:10:22,205
but the founder
of the organization
194
00:10:22,247 --> 00:10:24,791
crossing a physical line
with a subordinate.
195
00:10:25,083 --> 00:10:27,127
Chuck Dederich Jr.: But if he
apologized for it and said, "Look,
196
00:10:27,210 --> 00:10:28,878
"you know, I just lost it,
you know,
197
00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:30,296
and I'm really sorry.
I shouldn't have done it."
198
00:10:30,380 --> 00:10:32,215
- Jady: He did apologize.
- Chuck Jr.: He did!
199
00:10:32,257 --> 00:10:34,426
- Jady: And then do you remember
what happened after? - Chuck Jr.: No.
200
00:10:34,467 --> 00:10:37,846
- Jady: Then he apologized for apologizing.
- Chuck Jr.: Oh. Mm-hmm.
201
00:10:37,929 --> 00:10:39,806
Jady: And then, he threw
his table upside down
202
00:10:39,889 --> 00:10:43,852
in the middle of the Game.
"I'll do whatever I want."
203
00:10:43,935 --> 00:10:47,856
When people do things in groups,
they must have leaders.
204
00:10:47,939 --> 00:10:50,775
And the autocracy works,
205
00:10:50,859 --> 00:10:53,987
the... dictatorship works.
206
00:10:54,070 --> 00:10:57,866
When you try
to practice democracy,
207
00:10:57,949 --> 00:11:01,953
you get an animal like that
pure half-cured drunk,
208
00:11:02,037 --> 00:11:05,957
that menopausal goddamn fool
that was talking
209
00:11:06,041 --> 00:11:07,959
when she should've
been listening.
210
00:11:08,001 --> 00:11:11,713
In a room that contained people
like my wife,
211
00:11:11,796 --> 00:11:13,465
me, you see?
212
00:11:13,506 --> 00:11:15,800
You know, I did a kindly thing.
213
00:11:15,884 --> 00:11:18,178
I threw some root beer over her.
214
00:11:18,261 --> 00:11:20,722
If Betty hadn't let her
outta the room, the next thing,
215
00:11:20,805 --> 00:11:23,308
I was gonna throw her
out the window.
216
00:11:23,350 --> 00:11:25,352
You see?
Because, uh,
217
00:11:25,435 --> 00:11:29,939
no physical violence
is not an absolute in the world.
218
00:11:29,981 --> 00:11:33,109
There aren't any absolutes!
There aren't any.
219
00:11:33,151 --> 00:11:36,029
No physical violence
is the policy, I suppose,
220
00:11:36,112 --> 00:11:38,573
that we will use
here in Synanon,
221
00:11:38,615 --> 00:11:41,493
as long as it is feasible
and works for us.
222
00:11:41,534 --> 00:11:43,370
♪♪
223
00:11:43,453 --> 00:11:46,790
Pretty good, huh? Hm...
224
00:11:46,831 --> 00:11:50,627
That was the beginning
of breaking the cardinal rule
225
00:11:50,669 --> 00:11:53,296
of no violence or threat
of physical violence.
226
00:11:53,338 --> 00:11:54,673
That was it.
227
00:11:55,465 --> 00:11:59,260
My dad was betraying
his own moral compass,
228
00:11:59,844 --> 00:12:01,721
his own rules.
229
00:12:01,805 --> 00:12:03,515
Everything he had set up.
230
00:12:05,725 --> 00:12:08,770
It was a sort of
demarcation point
231
00:12:08,853 --> 00:12:11,856
where Synanon departed from,
232
00:12:12,649 --> 00:12:15,193
you know, nonviolence and stuff
233
00:12:15,235 --> 00:12:18,488
to some kind of
activity that was not...
234
00:12:18,530 --> 00:12:21,324
not good.
You know? It wasn't good.
235
00:12:22,951 --> 00:12:25,829
Bill: If Synanon was going
to make some big changes,
236
00:12:25,870 --> 00:12:29,791
that was also going
to trickle down to us,
237
00:12:29,874 --> 00:12:31,376
the kids,
238
00:12:31,459 --> 00:12:34,754
and how it would trickle down
239
00:12:34,838 --> 00:12:37,841
sometimes was-was traumatic.
240
00:12:37,924 --> 00:12:42,053
Members: One, two, three,
four, one, two... Three! Four!
241
00:12:42,095 --> 00:12:46,141
- Leader: Go left! Right! Go left! Right!
- Followers: Left! Right!
242
00:12:46,474 --> 00:12:50,478
- Leader: Hidey hidey hidey ho!
- Followers: Hidey hidey hidey ho!
243
00:12:50,562 --> 00:12:52,605
Leader:
Oh, oh, oh, oh!
244
00:12:52,689 --> 00:12:54,232
Followers:
Oh, oh, oh, oh!
245
00:12:54,315 --> 00:12:56,609
Leader:
That's the boot camp boogie!
246
00:12:56,693 --> 00:12:58,653
Followers:
That's the boot camp boogie!
247
00:12:58,737 --> 00:13:00,405
Leader:
What a crazy sound!
248
00:13:00,447 --> 00:13:04,451
Rod: We had a group of
kids in the Synanon school
249
00:13:04,534 --> 00:13:09,581
who were getting large enough
and aggressive enough
250
00:13:09,664 --> 00:13:10,915
that they were
threatening the teachers.
251
00:13:10,999 --> 00:13:13,543
Pushing up against
the women in the school
252
00:13:13,585 --> 00:13:15,503
and getting away with it.
253
00:13:16,546 --> 00:13:18,173
That was very dangerous.
254
00:13:18,256 --> 00:13:22,093
- (dark music playing)
- (quiet chatter)
255
00:13:22,177 --> 00:13:23,970
Rod:
Chuck said, you know,
256
00:13:24,054 --> 00:13:25,764
"I want you to take those kids
out of the school,
257
00:13:25,805 --> 00:13:28,266
"and I want you
to run a little, uh...
258
00:13:30,185 --> 00:13:33,521
"experiment with them.
And if they get outta line,
259
00:13:34,272 --> 00:13:36,941
I want you to use
some physical discipline."
260
00:13:38,109 --> 00:13:42,030
Chuck had himself been
in Catholic Jesuit school.
261
00:13:42,113 --> 00:13:44,157
I think from his own experience,
262
00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:47,077
he thought that was
perfectly acceptable.
263
00:14:02,384 --> 00:14:04,969
Rod: We started what
Chuck called Punk Squad,
264
00:14:05,053 --> 00:14:08,223
and, uh, Buddy Jones joined me.
265
00:14:09,974 --> 00:14:12,102
Buddy: I was in
construction and called in
266
00:14:12,143 --> 00:14:15,480
for working
with the Punk Squad kids.
267
00:14:16,690 --> 00:14:19,067
The job was to let
these guys know
268
00:14:19,150 --> 00:14:22,487
what it was like
to push up against some men
269
00:14:22,987 --> 00:14:25,365
and to have some of
that kind of discipline.
270
00:14:25,448 --> 00:14:26,908
♪♪
271
00:14:26,991 --> 00:14:30,829
At the time, getting
corporal punishment was normal.
272
00:14:31,204 --> 00:14:33,957
Know what I mean?
Was not a big deal.
273
00:14:33,998 --> 00:14:37,836
That was part of,
you know, I mean...
274
00:14:37,877 --> 00:14:41,006
Did your mother ever
send you after a switch?
275
00:14:41,506 --> 00:14:43,091
Rod:
In the Punk Squad,
276
00:14:43,174 --> 00:14:45,510
we just did a lot
of physical exercise
277
00:14:46,511 --> 00:14:49,180
and then physical projects.
278
00:14:49,848 --> 00:14:52,767
Had some kids
who just, phew, blossomed.
279
00:14:52,851 --> 00:14:55,020
They're looking pretty compliant
280
00:14:55,061 --> 00:14:57,147
and doing really well.
281
00:15:00,025 --> 00:15:02,902
They beat 'em.
And I just remember
282
00:15:02,986 --> 00:15:05,030
hearing rumors and stuff
283
00:15:05,113 --> 00:15:07,032
about kids getting beat,
284
00:15:07,073 --> 00:15:09,242
and it was so antithetical
285
00:15:09,325 --> 00:15:11,703
to the way I grew up at Synanon.
286
00:15:11,745 --> 00:15:14,831
♪♪
287
00:15:14,873 --> 00:15:18,877
Rod: Chuck, like
the megalomaniac he was,
288
00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:21,004
thought if you did something
and it worked,
289
00:15:21,046 --> 00:15:24,215
that you should apply it
to everybody, you know?
290
00:15:24,257 --> 00:15:27,594
Let's do this with the kids
who are currently in the school
291
00:15:27,677 --> 00:15:29,387
who are not behavioral problems.
292
00:15:29,429 --> 00:15:32,057
One minute, you were
a happy-go-lucky kid, sort of,
293
00:15:32,140 --> 00:15:34,225
and then,
you were in the military.
294
00:15:34,309 --> 00:15:38,897
(indistinct boot camp boogie)
295
00:15:38,980 --> 00:15:40,940
They built this tent city.
296
00:15:41,608 --> 00:15:45,653
We had these huge
barrack-type tents.
297
00:15:45,737 --> 00:15:48,448
And you had a bed
298
00:15:48,531 --> 00:15:51,659
and this military trunk
299
00:15:52,118 --> 00:15:54,329
and that was all you had.
300
00:15:55,955 --> 00:15:58,249
Josh Silvers:
I'm, like, 10 or 11 years old.
301
00:15:58,333 --> 00:16:00,835
We woke up at
5:00 in the morning,
302
00:16:00,877 --> 00:16:03,505
and then we would run
for four or five miles.
303
00:16:03,588 --> 00:16:06,091
And I remember getting
smacked in the head
304
00:16:06,174 --> 00:16:09,010
a bunch of times. Like, "Run!"
(imitates smack)
305
00:16:09,094 --> 00:16:11,179
Then, you had to shower,
306
00:16:11,262 --> 00:16:13,181
make your bed, military-style,
307
00:16:13,264 --> 00:16:15,266
so you can bounce
a quarter off it.
308
00:16:15,308 --> 00:16:17,769
If it wasn't perfectly
straight underneath,
309
00:16:17,811 --> 00:16:20,647
they would rip up your bed,
and you would miss breakfast.
310
00:16:22,148 --> 00:16:25,694
There was a lot of marching.
You had to dig holes.
311
00:16:25,777 --> 00:16:27,278
And I remember
my hands bleeding.
312
00:16:27,362 --> 00:16:29,698
And, you know, you're a kid.
You have no say.
313
00:16:31,741 --> 00:16:33,743
Sometimes, at, like,
2:00 or 3:00 in the morning,
314
00:16:33,785 --> 00:16:35,120
they'd wake you up.
315
00:16:35,161 --> 00:16:37,372
Everybody would have to
come to attention.
316
00:16:37,455 --> 00:16:39,082
Bill:
Screaming and yelling.
317
00:16:39,124 --> 00:16:42,168
"You bratty kids.
You take everything for granted.
318
00:16:42,252 --> 00:16:44,462
You think you're this,
you think you're that."
319
00:16:45,630 --> 00:16:48,341
I remember one of my best
friends, Buddy Jones,
320
00:16:48,425 --> 00:16:51,428
just hitting him,
like, doubling him over.
321
00:16:51,469 --> 00:16:54,639
Like, he's a little kid,
and Buddy Jones' a big dude.
322
00:16:55,473 --> 00:16:58,601
I just remember
being really afraid of him.
323
00:16:58,643 --> 00:17:01,896
- (gentle music playing)
- (birds chirping)
324
00:17:02,439 --> 00:17:04,441
Marshall Carder:
I moved in when I was 4.
325
00:17:04,482 --> 00:17:08,028
And corporal punishment
was already a thing.
326
00:17:09,319 --> 00:17:11,823
Buddy had a paddle
called his assistant.
327
00:17:11,865 --> 00:17:13,825
"It's my assistant."
328
00:17:13,867 --> 00:17:16,493
You fucked up, they brought you
in front of the whole crew,
329
00:17:16,578 --> 00:17:19,705
and they'd spank you,
paddle you, knock you down.
330
00:17:19,789 --> 00:17:23,292
(acoustic guitar strumming)
331
00:17:30,342 --> 00:17:33,386
I didn't...
I didn't abuse kids.
332
00:17:33,470 --> 00:17:37,515
And I wouldn't abuse a child.
333
00:17:37,557 --> 00:17:41,686
But in today's culture,
there is that thin line.
334
00:17:43,229 --> 00:17:46,649
I don't... The older I get,
I don't know if...
335
00:17:47,067 --> 00:17:50,695
if, um, if that truly
is the right way to...
336
00:17:51,696 --> 00:17:53,031
treat kids.
337
00:17:53,114 --> 00:17:55,033
But I-I don't see...
At the same time,
338
00:17:55,116 --> 00:17:58,661
I don't see a swat on the butt
as any big thing.
339
00:17:58,703 --> 00:18:01,706
(birds chirping)
340
00:18:01,790 --> 00:18:04,209
Marshall: Now, Buddy and
I have a weird relationship
341
00:18:04,250 --> 00:18:07,462
because Buddy whacked me
around pretty good.
342
00:18:07,504 --> 00:18:09,172
A bunch of times.
343
00:18:09,881 --> 00:18:11,716
And I still talk to Buddy.
344
00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:14,594
And I... But, I always thought
Buddy was fair.
345
00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:18,556
With Buddy,
I knew where the line was.
346
00:18:19,349 --> 00:18:22,394
But there was a lot of people
that were just irrational.
347
00:18:22,477 --> 00:18:24,229
Rod:
You know, people just thought
348
00:18:24,270 --> 00:18:26,398
if you disagreed with a kid,
you hit him.
349
00:18:26,481 --> 00:18:29,150
And who were not some of them...
350
00:18:29,234 --> 00:18:31,069
Yeah, I...
(stammers)
351
00:18:31,152 --> 00:18:33,738
You know, part of
the thing with Punk squad. Yeah.
352
00:18:33,822 --> 00:18:36,574
I did, and I regret it deeply.
353
00:18:44,332 --> 00:18:46,793
I don't wanna go there, Rory.
354
00:18:46,876 --> 00:18:48,086
I-I don't.
355
00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:51,548
When I said we got woken up
at 2:00, 3:00 in the morning,
356
00:18:51,589 --> 00:18:53,800
it was Rod Mullen
waking us up and yelling
357
00:18:53,883 --> 00:18:55,719
and in your face.
358
00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:58,304
He was like our nightm...
Like my nightm...
359
00:18:58,388 --> 00:18:59,556
I don't know everybody else,
360
00:18:59,597 --> 00:19:01,766
but he was like
one of my nightmares.
361
00:19:01,850 --> 00:19:05,145
Um, I remember him
hitting me in the head
362
00:19:05,228 --> 00:19:07,939
and hitting my ear so hard
363
00:19:07,981 --> 00:19:09,649
that I went flying,
364
00:19:09,733 --> 00:19:13,653
and that my ear rang
the whole entire day.
365
00:19:15,030 --> 00:19:18,658
And that's like one of those
memories that's never...
366
00:19:19,242 --> 00:19:20,952
gone away.
367
00:19:25,582 --> 00:19:28,960
Norm Johnson: My nephew
was one of the first kids
368
00:19:29,002 --> 00:19:31,254
thrown into that Punk Squad.
369
00:19:33,298 --> 00:19:36,801
He was so brutalized
that by the time he left,
370
00:19:37,635 --> 00:19:39,137
um...
371
00:19:39,220 --> 00:19:42,057
he could not fit into society.
372
00:19:42,140 --> 00:19:44,517
I tried to take him to therapy.
373
00:19:44,601 --> 00:19:45,852
I did a lot
374
00:19:45,935 --> 00:19:48,563
in conjunction with my sister
to try to support him,
375
00:19:48,646 --> 00:19:52,317
but eventually,
Danny killed himself
376
00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:56,029
with an intentional
overdose of heroin, so...
377
00:19:56,112 --> 00:19:59,366
Um, and that's
the result of Synanon.
378
00:20:00,575 --> 00:20:03,411
His death weighs heavily on me.
379
00:20:06,247 --> 00:20:09,501
(quiet street noise)
380
00:20:10,919 --> 00:20:13,004
Newscaster: At the
Alameda County Courthouse.
381
00:20:13,046 --> 00:20:15,757
The board is being asked by the
Alameda Probation Department
382
00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:18,802
to add the Synanon Foundation
to a list of private agencies
383
00:20:18,843 --> 00:20:22,347
for the custody of various
types of juvenile offenders.
384
00:20:22,430 --> 00:20:25,225
Synanon medical director
Dr. KJ Deisler.
385
00:20:25,308 --> 00:20:29,521
I think it would be ridiculous
not to utilize Synanon
386
00:20:29,562 --> 00:20:32,440
as an outstandingly known,
successful,
387
00:20:32,524 --> 00:20:34,859
and highly specialized
organization.
388
00:20:34,901 --> 00:20:36,695
Ron Cook:
It was decided
389
00:20:36,778 --> 00:20:40,532
that Synanon would bring in
juvenile delinquents.
390
00:20:40,573 --> 00:20:42,492
These are a bunch of punks.
391
00:20:42,534 --> 00:20:44,911
And no other way to describe it.
392
00:20:44,994 --> 00:20:46,496
Bad attitude people.
393
00:20:46,538 --> 00:20:48,039
Their parents
couldn't handle them.
394
00:20:48,123 --> 00:20:50,208
The schools couldn't handle
them. Nobody could handle them.
395
00:20:50,250 --> 00:20:52,544
And now, they're in Synanon
in a boot camp.
396
00:20:52,627 --> 00:20:55,088
(marching band music playing)
397
00:20:55,547 --> 00:20:58,008
Narrator:
Synanon is for boys and girls
398
00:20:58,049 --> 00:20:59,718
between the ages of 10 and 18,
399
00:20:59,759 --> 00:21:03,388
whose behavior is going to
force them out of their homes
400
00:21:03,430 --> 00:21:05,807
and into a juvenile prison.
401
00:21:06,182 --> 00:21:08,560
For a child to enter
Synanon's program,
402
00:21:08,601 --> 00:21:11,813
call one of Synanon's
California communities.
403
00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:14,441
Rod: Synanon started
making a real effort
404
00:21:14,524 --> 00:21:17,736
to recruit more of these
juvenile delinquent kids.
405
00:21:17,819 --> 00:21:19,279
(microfiche clicks)
406
00:21:19,362 --> 00:21:22,198
We went to counties
and said, you know,
407
00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:23,616
you have juvenile delinquents.
408
00:21:23,700 --> 00:21:27,162
We have a program
based on the Punk Squad.
409
00:21:27,245 --> 00:21:29,539
Guess what?
We'll take 'em for free.
410
00:21:29,581 --> 00:21:31,916
- Reporter: How old are you?
- 12.
411
00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,169
Reporter: 12, huh? How
long you been in Synanon?
412
00:21:34,252 --> 00:21:36,254
- Six months.
- Reporter: Six months? Where are you from?
413
00:21:36,296 --> 00:21:37,672
- Bronx.
- Reporter: The Bronx, huh?
414
00:21:37,756 --> 00:21:39,424
It's a lot different
from the Bronx?
415
00:21:39,466 --> 00:21:41,718
- Yeah.
- Reporter: It sure is, huh?
416
00:21:43,595 --> 00:21:44,804
Rod:
The real motivation
417
00:21:44,888 --> 00:21:47,932
for expanding
the juvenile delinquents
418
00:21:47,974 --> 00:21:51,436
was that it would ensure
that Synanon could maintain
419
00:21:51,519 --> 00:21:55,273
its 501(c)(3)
tax exempt certificate,
420
00:21:55,648 --> 00:21:57,942
which people were
getting worried about
421
00:21:57,984 --> 00:22:01,154
because there weren't
enough drug addicts
422
00:22:01,237 --> 00:22:03,907
to justify its nonprofit status.
423
00:22:05,658 --> 00:22:07,077
The kids,
424
00:22:07,118 --> 00:22:09,412
some of the youngsters
that we were working with,
425
00:22:09,454 --> 00:22:12,874
of course, didn't like
the regimen very much
426
00:22:12,957 --> 00:22:14,834
and would leave.
427
00:22:16,586 --> 00:22:19,297
The punks ran away,
428
00:22:19,381 --> 00:22:21,633
and they ran away
to some neighbors.
429
00:22:21,716 --> 00:22:24,511
You know, I could still see,
430
00:22:24,594 --> 00:22:26,304
or hear to this day,
all of a sudden,
431
00:22:26,388 --> 00:22:28,807
you get a frantic
knock at the door,
432
00:22:28,890 --> 00:22:31,476
and it's anywhere from,
you know, 10 o'clock at night
433
00:22:31,559 --> 00:22:33,561
till 2:00 or 3:00
in the morning.
434
00:22:33,645 --> 00:22:37,107
"We need to get outta here.
They're beating us."
435
00:22:37,941 --> 00:22:39,109
We just saw the fear.
436
00:22:39,150 --> 00:22:40,568
(curious music playing)
437
00:22:40,652 --> 00:22:43,697
We're in rural Marin County.
438
00:22:43,780 --> 00:22:47,492
Synanon bought the ranch
behind our family property.
439
00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:51,204
When they first moved in,
440
00:22:51,287 --> 00:22:53,873
they seemed like normal people.
441
00:22:53,957 --> 00:22:56,334
Dad didn't have
a problem with them.
442
00:22:57,002 --> 00:23:01,464
But then, he really started
noticing the change.
443
00:23:02,298 --> 00:23:04,718
Alvina Balistreri: All of a
sudden, their heads were shaved.
444
00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:07,595
And just more and more traffic.
445
00:23:07,679 --> 00:23:10,223
Robert Gambonini:
It started being
446
00:23:10,306 --> 00:23:12,183
a back-and-forth
bad blood situation
447
00:23:12,225 --> 00:23:13,852
with the Synanon people.
448
00:23:14,853 --> 00:23:17,272
You know, with-with the runaways
we were getting and...
449
00:23:17,355 --> 00:23:19,232
You know,
something was definitely wrong.
450
00:23:19,315 --> 00:23:20,734
♪♪
451
00:23:20,817 --> 00:23:23,445
Dad would let the runaways
call their parents
452
00:23:23,528 --> 00:23:26,072
and get them to go back home.
453
00:23:27,866 --> 00:23:30,994
Alvin Gambonini: The youngest
we ever had was 11 years old.
454
00:23:31,036 --> 00:23:32,662
They're just scared.
They wanna get away,
455
00:23:32,704 --> 00:23:35,040
and they're scared
Synanon will catch them again.
456
00:23:36,624 --> 00:23:38,626
Alvina: Dad would
take them to the bus stop,
457
00:23:38,710 --> 00:23:40,754
give them some money.
458
00:23:41,588 --> 00:23:44,549
"Dear Mr. Gambonini, we deeply
appreciate the kindness
459
00:23:44,632 --> 00:23:47,052
and compassion you showed
to our son."
460
00:23:48,094 --> 00:23:51,806
"Dear Mr. Gambonini, thank you
for helping me get home.
461
00:23:52,390 --> 00:23:54,434
You are the nicest man
I ever met."
462
00:23:58,772 --> 00:24:02,233
Rod: Synanon,
seeing the Gamboninis
463
00:24:02,275 --> 00:24:03,985
as facilitating escapes,
464
00:24:04,069 --> 00:24:07,864
began to characterize them
as the enemy.
465
00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:13,078
Bob Navarro: To be fair,
we were out in the country,
466
00:24:13,912 --> 00:24:17,248
and most of the people
around us were ranchers
467
00:24:17,290 --> 00:24:18,750
and country folk, you know?
468
00:24:18,833 --> 00:24:21,920
People would come by
in their trucks,
469
00:24:22,003 --> 00:24:24,464
and they see a Synanon person
on these country roads,
470
00:24:24,547 --> 00:24:26,549
and they would just
drive them off the road.
471
00:24:26,591 --> 00:24:29,386
They would hurl insults
472
00:24:29,427 --> 00:24:31,680
and racial epithets at people.
473
00:24:32,847 --> 00:24:35,016
And it was, it was frightening.
474
00:24:35,100 --> 00:24:37,227
(quiet chatter)
475
00:24:37,268 --> 00:24:41,022
We were taught to yell,
"Hey, rube,"
476
00:24:41,398 --> 00:24:43,942
if any stranger
came onto the property.
477
00:24:44,025 --> 00:24:47,445
That was kind of
the call to arms.
478
00:24:47,946 --> 00:24:49,572
Bill:
If you felt threatened,
479
00:24:49,614 --> 00:24:52,367
if you felt like there
was something that was going on,
480
00:24:52,450 --> 00:24:55,453
we all needed to gather,
grab a bat,
481
00:24:55,537 --> 00:24:57,288
grab a this, grab a that,
482
00:24:57,372 --> 00:24:59,791
and come running
to the, "Hey, rube."
483
00:24:59,833 --> 00:25:03,086
- (insects chirping)
- (car rumbling)
484
00:25:04,004 --> 00:25:05,797
(somber music playing)
485
00:25:05,839 --> 00:25:09,134
Alvina: And it was probably
10:30 at night maybe.
486
00:25:09,175 --> 00:25:10,677
I actually was asleep
487
00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:12,470
in the front seat
between my mom and dad.
488
00:25:12,512 --> 00:25:16,641
♪♪
489
00:25:16,683 --> 00:25:19,477
There was some meeting
that Synanon had,
490
00:25:19,519 --> 00:25:23,398
and people were all pumped up.
491
00:25:23,481 --> 00:25:27,152
I guess my dad saw
a vehicle parked.
492
00:25:27,902 --> 00:25:31,531
And so, my dad parked,
and they came over.
493
00:25:34,534 --> 00:25:36,494
Things happened so fast.
494
00:25:36,578 --> 00:25:39,748
I just remember punches
and then blood.
495
00:25:39,831 --> 00:25:41,041
- (yelling)
- (punching)
496
00:25:41,124 --> 00:25:43,335
♪♪
497
00:25:43,376 --> 00:25:45,170
They pulled the door
open in the car.
498
00:25:45,253 --> 00:25:46,629
Some jumped on the hood,
499
00:25:46,671 --> 00:25:48,548
and they were
kicking the windshield.
500
00:25:48,631 --> 00:25:50,759
Then, they started
pounding me in the face,
501
00:25:50,842 --> 00:25:53,845
and my wife put her hand
over my face.
502
00:25:53,928 --> 00:25:56,222
I wrapped my arm
around the steering wheel,
503
00:25:56,306 --> 00:25:57,891
and they couldn't get me out.
504
00:25:58,183 --> 00:26:01,561
And there's one standing there
with an open knife in his hand
505
00:26:01,644 --> 00:26:03,521
and another one had
a picket in his hand.
506
00:26:04,105 --> 00:26:06,775
And by the time we did get
the door shut of the car,
507
00:26:06,858 --> 00:26:09,569
we noticed our son was gone.
508
00:26:09,652 --> 00:26:13,073
(dogs barking)
509
00:26:13,156 --> 00:26:16,743
I-I just, I guess, got scared.
I mean, well, I did get scared.
510
00:26:16,826 --> 00:26:19,287
So, I jumped out,
511
00:26:19,371 --> 00:26:21,122
I ran, and I just remembered,
512
00:26:21,206 --> 00:26:23,708
I could still see it
to this day, looking back,
513
00:26:23,750 --> 00:26:25,752
and it's like a sea of people.
514
00:26:25,835 --> 00:26:28,672
People and flashlights and posts
515
00:26:28,713 --> 00:26:30,715
and whatever they were carrying
516
00:26:30,799 --> 00:26:34,094
were just trying
to get in the car.
517
00:26:34,886 --> 00:26:38,056
So I just continued on,
and I went up to the neighbors,
518
00:26:38,098 --> 00:26:39,933
and I just pounded on the door
and said,
519
00:26:40,016 --> 00:26:41,851
"They got my dad,
they got my dad."
520
00:26:41,893 --> 00:26:45,689
We went into the house
and called the sheriff
521
00:26:45,730 --> 00:26:47,482
and told him what was going on.
522
00:26:47,565 --> 00:26:49,693
(police radio chatter)
523
00:26:49,734 --> 00:26:53,738
The next morning,
when we did see the car,
524
00:26:53,780 --> 00:26:55,156
it was shoved in a ditch.
525
00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:57,033
(chatter continues)
526
00:26:57,075 --> 00:26:59,411
Alvina: Synanon thought Dad
was gonna try to drive away,
527
00:26:59,452 --> 00:27:04,416
so they shoved us into the ditch
so we couldn't go anywhere.
528
00:27:04,499 --> 00:27:05,917
Robert:
Finally, when we see my dad,
529
00:27:06,001 --> 00:27:09,504
he had a bloody nose.
His shirt was torn.
530
00:27:09,587 --> 00:27:11,089
They kept saying,
"We're gonna finish...
531
00:27:11,172 --> 00:27:13,133
"We'll finish you,
you two-bit farmer.
532
00:27:13,216 --> 00:27:15,885
We're gonna finish you tonight,
you two-bit farmer."
533
00:27:15,927 --> 00:27:19,222
Robert: He said, "If they'd
gotten me out of the car,
534
00:27:19,264 --> 00:27:21,933
it would've been the end."
535
00:27:21,975 --> 00:27:25,520
When people get pumped up
like that, there was just no...
536
00:27:25,603 --> 00:27:27,605
no stopping them.
537
00:27:27,689 --> 00:27:30,942
♪♪
538
00:27:33,028 --> 00:27:35,613
Bill:
I remember thinking to myself,
539
00:27:35,655 --> 00:27:38,825
this, this isn't Synanon.
What...
540
00:27:38,908 --> 00:27:41,786
What in the hell is happening?
541
00:27:42,620 --> 00:27:43,955
I had grown up in a place
542
00:27:44,039 --> 00:27:47,667
where there's no threat
of physical violence,
543
00:27:47,751 --> 00:27:50,253
let alone physical violence.
544
00:27:50,295 --> 00:27:54,215
I felt like... I'm 19.
545
00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:58,803
I have my life in front of me,
546
00:27:58,887 --> 00:28:01,973
and I'm not sure
that I wanna be here.
547
00:28:03,224 --> 00:28:06,102
Um, and...
548
00:28:07,312 --> 00:28:09,439
that's when I left.
549
00:28:09,481 --> 00:28:11,524
♪♪
550
00:28:11,608 --> 00:28:15,862
Narrator: This is backcountry
in the Sierra foothills,
551
00:28:15,945 --> 00:28:18,323
neighboring Sequoia
National Park.
552
00:28:18,365 --> 00:28:22,744
This 360-acre camp
was once a riding academy.
553
00:28:22,827 --> 00:28:26,039
Now, it's been reshaped
into a Synanon facility.
554
00:28:26,122 --> 00:28:28,667
Badger was kind of isolated
up there in the mountains.
555
00:28:28,750 --> 00:28:30,210
(birds chirping)
556
00:28:30,293 --> 00:28:31,961
That property was really lovely,
557
00:28:32,003 --> 00:28:34,506
and it was very sort of wild.
558
00:28:34,547 --> 00:28:35,590
(beep)
559
00:28:35,965 --> 00:28:37,926
Badger was two facilities.
560
00:28:38,009 --> 00:28:41,513
The home place because Chuck
moved there with Betty.
561
00:28:41,846 --> 00:28:45,308
The other property
was called The Strip.
562
00:28:45,350 --> 00:28:48,770
We built a runway
that could land a 737.
563
00:28:48,853 --> 00:28:51,189
It was that big an airstrip.
564
00:28:53,525 --> 00:28:57,362
Speaker 1: We cut a road in
and dammed up the creek.
565
00:28:58,029 --> 00:29:00,240
- (laughing) - Speaker 2: Much to
our neighbors' surprise.
566
00:29:00,323 --> 00:29:02,075
Yeah, much to
our neighbors' surprise.
567
00:29:02,158 --> 00:29:05,203
(trucks idling)
568
00:29:07,997 --> 00:29:10,291
Chuck: There's some very
powerful people who were fixing
569
00:29:10,375 --> 00:29:13,545
to make a barrel
of money on an airstrip.
570
00:29:13,628 --> 00:29:16,089
Well, we put one in first!
571
00:29:16,172 --> 00:29:19,843
So, uh, um, some people
may be mad at us.
572
00:29:19,884 --> 00:29:21,928
We may need some defense.
573
00:29:23,263 --> 00:29:26,850
We will not attack.
We won't go to where they are,
574
00:29:26,891 --> 00:29:29,728
but if they come to where we are
575
00:29:29,769 --> 00:29:31,604
and drive on our property
576
00:29:31,688 --> 00:29:34,482
and threaten to kill our people,
577
00:29:34,524 --> 00:29:36,943
then, of course,
we will mark them up
578
00:29:37,027 --> 00:29:39,988
worse and worse and worse
579
00:29:40,071 --> 00:29:43,116
until they get sick of it.
That's what we will do. Now...
580
00:29:43,199 --> 00:29:46,578
Bob: By this point,
policies were being adopted
581
00:29:46,661 --> 00:29:49,539
as to how Synanon
582
00:29:49,581 --> 00:29:51,875
would actually, physically,
583
00:29:51,916 --> 00:29:56,546
respond to-to violence
committed against us.
584
00:29:56,588 --> 00:29:58,381
And so,
585
00:29:58,423 --> 00:30:01,801
Chuck came up with the idea
of the Imperial Marines.
586
00:30:01,885 --> 00:30:06,097
- (military music playing)
- (footsteps marching)
587
00:30:12,812 --> 00:30:15,440
Rod: It was the Punk
Squad on steroids.
588
00:30:16,316 --> 00:30:19,486
And they were gonna be
the protectors of Synanon
589
00:30:19,569 --> 00:30:22,113
and make sure that no one
messed with us, you know?
590
00:30:24,866 --> 00:30:27,744
Lance Kenton: The Imperial
Marines were an attempt to develop
591
00:30:27,786 --> 00:30:30,747
a sort of cohesive response team
592
00:30:30,789 --> 00:30:32,540
that could deal with
any kind of incident.
593
00:30:32,624 --> 00:30:34,459
I got picked!
I didn't pick it.
594
00:30:34,501 --> 00:30:35,627
(birds chirping)
595
00:30:35,710 --> 00:30:39,214
They just put us in the middle
of nowhere with nothing.
596
00:30:39,297 --> 00:30:42,050
We didn't see anybody
for three months.
597
00:30:42,133 --> 00:30:44,594
We got up in the morning,
we ran,
598
00:30:44,636 --> 00:30:46,137
we did karate,
599
00:30:46,179 --> 00:30:48,640
we built a huge obstacle course,
600
00:30:48,682 --> 00:30:50,809
we meditated,
601
00:30:50,892 --> 00:30:52,477
and at nights,
we'd sit around the fire,
602
00:30:52,519 --> 00:30:55,522
and we would talk, you know,
and we spent hours doing that.
603
00:30:56,231 --> 00:30:59,067
Someone said, "What are we gonna
call ourselves?" And then,
604
00:30:59,150 --> 00:31:02,654
"How about this?
Her Majesty's Imperial Marines."
605
00:31:02,696 --> 00:31:04,322
Like, okay.
606
00:31:04,364 --> 00:31:06,866
And then, "Ah, Her Majesty
sounds a bit funky.
607
00:31:06,950 --> 00:31:09,536
Let's just make it
the Imperial Marines."
608
00:31:09,619 --> 00:31:11,162
It was a joke.
609
00:31:11,246 --> 00:31:13,998
♪♪
610
00:31:16,084 --> 00:31:18,378
Bob:
Synanon had adopted a policy
611
00:31:18,461 --> 00:31:20,296
of zero tolerance toward
612
00:31:21,297 --> 00:31:25,135
any type of insult or intrusion
613
00:31:25,176 --> 00:31:28,013
to our properties
and to our people,
614
00:31:28,096 --> 00:31:30,682
and that it would be met
615
00:31:30,765 --> 00:31:33,184
with this aggressive response.
616
00:31:38,523 --> 00:31:41,359
Reporter: The number of violent
incidents involving outsiders
617
00:31:41,443 --> 00:31:44,571
who crossed Synanon's path
has increased sharply.
618
00:31:45,030 --> 00:31:46,823
Richard Marino and Calvin Smith
619
00:31:46,865 --> 00:31:50,118
say they were run off this
road by Synanon trucks.
620
00:31:50,201 --> 00:31:52,662
Synanon accused them
of attempting to run down
621
00:31:52,704 --> 00:31:54,289
some Synanon bicyclists.
622
00:31:54,372 --> 00:31:57,250
Then, Marino and Smith say
they were handcuffed and beaten
623
00:31:57,334 --> 00:31:58,793
and their heads were shaved.
624
00:31:58,877 --> 00:32:01,421
Hell, I thought they was, for
real, they was gonna kill us.
625
00:32:01,504 --> 00:32:03,882
The one man came up there
and told us,
626
00:32:03,923 --> 00:32:05,884
"We gotta take them both out
and shoot them."
627
00:32:05,967 --> 00:32:08,636
♪♪
628
00:32:10,013 --> 00:32:12,724
Rod:
Synanon did this frequently.
629
00:32:12,766 --> 00:32:14,225
We had scrapes
with the neighbors
630
00:32:14,267 --> 00:32:16,144
and were involved
in some violent incidents,
631
00:32:16,227 --> 00:32:19,230
showed up at somebody's
property and threatened them
632
00:32:19,314 --> 00:32:21,483
and beat up
some of the neighbors.
633
00:32:22,150 --> 00:32:26,071
It was all part and parcel
of the increasing paranoia.
634
00:32:26,654 --> 00:32:28,948
There were only
two categories of people.
635
00:32:29,032 --> 00:32:32,786
People who were 100%
in favor of Synanon
636
00:32:32,869 --> 00:32:35,455
and everybody else
who was the enemy.
637
00:32:37,415 --> 00:32:40,877
Mike: As things started
to progress with the kids,
638
00:32:40,919 --> 00:32:45,965
and we started taking in more
and more of these delinquents,
639
00:32:46,049 --> 00:32:48,760
Chuck really got
on his bandwagon
640
00:32:48,802 --> 00:32:50,261
in one of those talks
641
00:32:50,345 --> 00:32:53,473
that he so often had,
and he goes,
642
00:32:53,556 --> 00:32:56,434
"Why do we have children?
Why do we have them?
643
00:32:56,518 --> 00:33:00,188
"Just to carry our name or have
something to look like us? You know?
644
00:33:00,271 --> 00:33:03,233
"Why people are having children?
They can't take care of them.
645
00:33:03,274 --> 00:33:06,986
They can't... afford them.
They end up in trouble."
646
00:33:07,070 --> 00:33:10,281
Then he all of a sudden
turned into this,
647
00:33:10,365 --> 00:33:12,992
"Why don't we just stop
having children?"
648
00:33:13,785 --> 00:33:17,580
Chuck: But what about
childlessness? You don't have any!
649
00:33:18,289 --> 00:33:21,001
(on PA) We're going to take
care of the world's children
650
00:33:21,084 --> 00:33:24,671
and not indulge ourselves
by having our own!
651
00:33:24,754 --> 00:33:28,174
What about that?
That's a revolutionary idea!
652
00:33:29,759 --> 00:33:32,929
That was his edict.
No more children in Synanon.
653
00:33:32,971 --> 00:33:34,639
Therefore,
654
00:33:35,682 --> 00:33:37,809
men should get vasectomies.
655
00:33:37,892 --> 00:33:41,104
I think it was
such advanced thinking.
656
00:33:41,146 --> 00:33:42,939
I see sexual freedom for women,
657
00:33:43,023 --> 00:33:45,900
I see men, who loved women
and cared about them,
658
00:33:45,984 --> 00:33:47,652
who did that,
659
00:33:47,694 --> 00:33:52,157
and I see people who could make
the decision to leave.
660
00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:54,868
You could always leave.
661
00:33:54,951 --> 00:33:56,619
You did not have to stay.
662
00:33:56,661 --> 00:33:58,872
You were not being held captive.
663
00:33:58,955 --> 00:34:01,166
Now, a lot of people left.
664
00:34:01,207 --> 00:34:03,752
You know, a lot of people left.
There's no question.
665
00:34:04,711 --> 00:34:07,464
But I stayed. And I was...
666
00:34:07,505 --> 00:34:10,842
Maybe I was brainwashed
or committed
667
00:34:10,884 --> 00:34:13,803
or whatever you wanna call it.
668
00:34:13,844 --> 00:34:17,098
(upbeat music playing)
669
00:34:18,058 --> 00:34:20,310
We have Synanon doctors
in-house.
670
00:34:21,436 --> 00:34:22,853
Next thing I know, here I am,
671
00:34:22,937 --> 00:34:25,190
with a group of guys,
672
00:34:25,273 --> 00:34:27,275
getting a vasectomy.
673
00:34:31,321 --> 00:34:35,158
It was bizarre.
No doubt it was bizarre.
674
00:34:36,534 --> 00:34:38,286
And then afterwards,
we're all... (laughs)
675
00:34:38,370 --> 00:34:40,121
We're all in the same boat.
We're all sitting there
676
00:34:40,205 --> 00:34:42,415
with ice on ourselves.
(laughs)
677
00:34:42,498 --> 00:34:45,710
- (gentle splashing)
- (seagulls cawing)
678
00:34:46,753 --> 00:34:50,215
We all went back our little
separate ways to heal.
679
00:34:52,926 --> 00:34:54,678
I didn't know what
a vasectomy was.
680
00:34:54,719 --> 00:34:57,013
I didn't know
what they actually did.
681
00:34:57,054 --> 00:34:59,349
I was maybe 25.
682
00:35:00,308 --> 00:35:02,936
I was so young and immature,
683
00:35:03,019 --> 00:35:05,063
and I didn't understand anything
684
00:35:05,146 --> 00:35:07,399
'cause I'd been on drugs
or in Synanon.
685
00:35:07,774 --> 00:35:10,568
No one even discussed it.
686
00:35:12,237 --> 00:35:14,572
Phil:
I felt right from the get-go
687
00:35:14,614 --> 00:35:17,242
that to put any pressure at all
688
00:35:17,283 --> 00:35:19,285
on one of these young kids
689
00:35:19,369 --> 00:35:21,538
to permanently sterilize
themselves
690
00:35:21,579 --> 00:35:25,250
was a terrible idea, and it
would make the organization
691
00:35:25,291 --> 00:35:28,420
look like... a nuthouse.
692
00:35:36,636 --> 00:35:39,681
(overlapping arguing)
693
00:35:42,434 --> 00:35:44,394
Speaker:
What's wrong with it, Ritter?
694
00:35:44,436 --> 00:35:47,188
Phil: There were
a couple of hundred,
695
00:35:47,272 --> 00:35:49,941
maybe 300 guys,
696
00:35:49,983 --> 00:35:52,235
who hadn't had vasectomies yet.
697
00:35:52,277 --> 00:35:54,821
I guess it was Chuck,
or probably Chuck,
698
00:35:54,904 --> 00:35:58,366
who decided, you know, "Hey,
it's time to wrap this up.
699
00:35:58,450 --> 00:36:00,869
"Let's do all these vasectomies
700
00:36:00,910 --> 00:36:02,912
over the next
two or three days."
701
00:36:02,954 --> 00:36:04,372
And I just went nuts.
702
00:36:04,456 --> 00:36:05,957
(motorcycle engine revving)
703
00:36:06,041 --> 00:36:08,501
(rumbling)
704
00:36:08,585 --> 00:36:11,046
I got on my motorcycle
and rode over
705
00:36:11,129 --> 00:36:12,756
to the Marin County
Sheriff's Office.
706
00:36:12,797 --> 00:36:15,759
His response was,
707
00:36:16,760 --> 00:36:19,137
"Let me get this straight.
708
00:36:19,179 --> 00:36:21,264
"We got a bunch
of drug addicts over there,
709
00:36:21,306 --> 00:36:23,808
"who are all over 18 years old,
710
00:36:23,850 --> 00:36:24,934
"and they have decided
711
00:36:24,976 --> 00:36:28,104
"to voluntarily
sterilize themselves,
712
00:36:28,146 --> 00:36:30,982
and you want me to go over there
and stop them?"
713
00:36:32,150 --> 00:36:33,401
(Lynn laughs weakly)
714
00:36:33,777 --> 00:36:36,654
That was his response.
715
00:36:38,365 --> 00:36:40,241
The big shots in Synanon
716
00:36:40,325 --> 00:36:43,953
made it clear that
I was not welcome to return.
717
00:36:45,330 --> 00:36:49,292
I was thrown out of Synanon.
718
00:36:49,334 --> 00:36:53,129
And Lynn and I broke up over it.
719
00:36:53,213 --> 00:36:55,840
Lynn Ritter: It was just
a power move by Chuck.
720
00:36:56,508 --> 00:36:58,510
"I can do this to you."
721
00:36:59,219 --> 00:37:02,514
You know, "I can do anything
with you guys."
722
00:37:04,015 --> 00:37:05,517
Mike:
The childlessness edict
723
00:37:05,558 --> 00:37:09,062
turned into women
who got pregnant
724
00:37:09,145 --> 00:37:11,439
would also have
to have an abortion.
725
00:37:12,524 --> 00:37:15,944
Less than a week
after my vasectomy,
726
00:37:16,820 --> 00:37:19,739
you know, Stephanie found out
that she was pregnant.
727
00:37:19,823 --> 00:37:21,032
♪♪
728
00:37:21,074 --> 00:37:23,993
And I'm like,
"Oh crud, Jesus Christ,
729
00:37:24,035 --> 00:37:25,286
what are we gonna do?"
730
00:37:25,370 --> 00:37:26,663
And she said, "Well,
731
00:37:26,705 --> 00:37:30,000
they're gonna probably
make me get an abortion."
732
00:37:30,041 --> 00:37:31,960
And so, that's what happened.
733
00:37:33,503 --> 00:37:34,587
Stephanie and I were just
734
00:37:34,671 --> 00:37:37,882
you know, troopers
for-for the cause,
735
00:37:38,925 --> 00:37:41,428
and never looked back, really,
736
00:37:41,511 --> 00:37:43,972
and never talked
about it very much.
737
00:37:44,055 --> 00:37:45,390
(seagulls cawing)
738
00:37:45,432 --> 00:37:47,684
The older I get, obviously,
739
00:37:48,309 --> 00:37:49,686
the sadder it is.
740
00:37:49,728 --> 00:37:53,189
When I look at my brothers,
they all have grandkids now,
741
00:37:53,231 --> 00:37:57,569
and I look at, you know, when
the family gets together and...
742
00:37:57,610 --> 00:38:01,406
I-I think about how old
my child would have been
743
00:38:01,489 --> 00:38:04,534
and what life
would have been like and...
744
00:38:04,576 --> 00:38:07,120
You think about it because,
you know,
745
00:38:07,912 --> 00:38:11,458
whatever time
I have left on this earth,
746
00:38:11,541 --> 00:38:15,211
it's something that I know
I'll continue to miss
747
00:38:15,253 --> 00:38:17,255
all the way till the day I die.
748
00:38:17,339 --> 00:38:19,591
For sure. For sure.
749
00:38:19,674 --> 00:38:22,719
- (gentle splashing)
- (seagulls cawing)
750
00:38:22,761 --> 00:38:26,848
Rod: It just... The
drumbeat of this in Synanon,
751
00:38:26,931 --> 00:38:30,435
first this, and then this,
and then this.
752
00:38:30,477 --> 00:38:34,773
And each one of them
becoming much more difficult.
753
00:38:34,814 --> 00:38:37,192
- (tense music playing)
- The shaved heads,
754
00:38:37,275 --> 00:38:39,527
the vasectomies, the abortions.
755
00:38:39,611 --> 00:38:43,448
All these things were ways
of stripping people
756
00:38:43,531 --> 00:38:46,785
of their
decision-making process.
757
00:38:49,287 --> 00:38:51,581
That was Chuck's thing.
758
00:38:51,623 --> 00:38:53,625
"I'm gonna do it
'cause I can do it,
759
00:38:53,667 --> 00:38:56,628
"and I'm gonna see
how far I can push you guys.
760
00:38:56,711 --> 00:39:00,048
And if you revolt,
I'ma throw you out."
761
00:39:00,799 --> 00:39:05,011
So it really became
authoritarian and dictatorial.
762
00:39:11,393 --> 00:39:13,436
Jady: We no longer
had board members
763
00:39:13,478 --> 00:39:16,356
that had any kind of check
on my dad.
764
00:39:16,439 --> 00:39:18,108
There was nobody that ever
765
00:39:18,149 --> 00:39:22,404
stood up to him in a real way.
766
00:39:22,487 --> 00:39:26,366
It's the cautionary tale
of what happens in groups
767
00:39:26,449 --> 00:39:28,993
and what happens
when someone has too much power
768
00:39:29,077 --> 00:39:31,996
and that power is unfettered.
769
00:39:32,038 --> 00:39:35,000
Marshall: Chuck was
a master manipulator
770
00:39:35,041 --> 00:39:36,543
in so many ways,
771
00:39:36,626 --> 00:39:39,963
and he kept everyone in check.
772
00:39:40,547 --> 00:39:42,924
And I can guarantee you,
most of the people in Synanon
773
00:39:43,008 --> 00:39:46,594
had no idea of the violence
that was happening.
774
00:39:46,678 --> 00:39:48,888
It was very compartmentalized.
775
00:39:49,889 --> 00:39:51,349
For the kids,
776
00:39:51,433 --> 00:39:53,018
corporal punishment
was definitely something
777
00:39:53,059 --> 00:39:54,853
that came from the top.
778
00:39:54,936 --> 00:39:56,104
(somber music playing)
779
00:39:56,187 --> 00:40:00,150
But, uh, for me, that really
wasn't the trauma part.
780
00:40:00,734 --> 00:40:03,236
Because Chuck
also used humiliation
781
00:40:03,319 --> 00:40:06,239
as a way to-to treat people.
782
00:40:06,322 --> 00:40:08,700
Now here, we have demonstrators.
783
00:40:08,742 --> 00:40:12,037
And these were the people
that were assigned
784
00:40:12,078 --> 00:40:13,788
to work in the school.
785
00:40:13,872 --> 00:40:15,707
I guess you could
call it a caretaker.
786
00:40:15,749 --> 00:40:19,836
They were ostensibly
demonstrating to us
787
00:40:19,878 --> 00:40:21,546
how adults behave.
788
00:40:21,629 --> 00:40:23,423
And very quickly,
789
00:40:23,506 --> 00:40:27,427
I developed
an adversarial relationship
790
00:40:27,510 --> 00:40:29,554
to the demonstrators.
791
00:40:29,971 --> 00:40:33,516
I found them to be,
uh, fearsome.
792
00:40:33,850 --> 00:40:36,519
I really was quite terrified
by most of them.
793
00:40:36,561 --> 00:40:38,480
Some of them legitimately so
794
00:40:38,563 --> 00:40:40,732
because they had cruel streaks
795
00:40:40,774 --> 00:40:44,194
and should not have been
anywhere near children.
796
00:40:44,527 --> 00:40:47,655
I remember getting
a public spanking
797
00:40:47,739 --> 00:40:49,699
in front of the whole school,
798
00:40:49,741 --> 00:40:52,827
where they made me take down
my pants all the way,
799
00:40:52,911 --> 00:40:54,579
and my underwear.
So, you know,
800
00:40:54,662 --> 00:40:56,915
I had to drop trou
in front of everybody
801
00:40:56,998 --> 00:40:58,291
and getting just...
802
00:40:58,375 --> 00:41:01,795
And I don't remember what I did
wrong, but whatever it was,
803
00:41:01,878 --> 00:41:05,173
they, you know,
the entire school was there...
804
00:41:05,256 --> 00:41:07,550
you know, all the kids...
in front of all my friends.
805
00:41:07,592 --> 00:41:09,260
It felt horrible.
806
00:41:10,095 --> 00:41:13,306
Rebekah Crawford: The
truth is that human beings,
807
00:41:13,390 --> 00:41:15,433
we need our dignity.
808
00:41:15,767 --> 00:41:19,854
And the one fear was that
you would lose that dignity,
809
00:41:19,938 --> 00:41:22,273
and that's, you know,
by being humiliated.
810
00:41:22,357 --> 00:41:25,568
And I think that was kind of
what Synanon's power was.
811
00:41:27,112 --> 00:41:29,239
Marshall: Imagine, like,
a 9-year-old girl.
812
00:41:30,365 --> 00:41:31,658
And they wanna humiliate you
813
00:41:31,741 --> 00:41:34,119
because they say that
your hygiene is not perfect.
814
00:41:35,620 --> 00:41:37,622
And in front of
an entire room of people,
815
00:41:37,706 --> 00:41:39,874
they make you
take off your pants
816
00:41:39,958 --> 00:41:42,794
and your underwear and show
that your underwear are clean...
817
00:41:44,713 --> 00:41:46,673
In front of an entire...
(stammers)
818
00:41:46,756 --> 00:41:49,134
And still, to this day, I can
see this person's,
819
00:41:49,217 --> 00:41:50,593
like, utter, like...
820
00:41:50,635 --> 00:41:54,305
you know, fear and, like,
just absolutely petrified
821
00:41:54,389 --> 00:41:56,641
that she's doing this or...
822
00:41:57,892 --> 00:42:00,145
Yeah, pulling down
people's pants
823
00:42:00,228 --> 00:42:03,314
and beating the daylights
out of them with a paddle
824
00:42:03,356 --> 00:42:06,109
while they're naked in front
of a huge group of people.
825
00:42:06,151 --> 00:42:09,154
(birds chirping)
826
00:42:09,237 --> 00:42:11,740
Rebekah:
We were not bad kids.
827
00:42:11,823 --> 00:42:13,533
We really were not bad kids.
828
00:42:13,616 --> 00:42:16,494
But, the smallest
transgression... I mean,
829
00:42:16,578 --> 00:42:19,330
even just not having
a smile on your face
830
00:42:19,414 --> 00:42:20,832
could get you in trouble.
831
00:42:22,834 --> 00:42:26,880
It didn't-didn't feel safe.
It felt, you know...
832
00:42:28,757 --> 00:42:30,842
I mean, it was terrifying.
833
00:42:33,094 --> 00:42:37,932
Jady: I was titularly responsible
for the school for years,
834
00:42:38,016 --> 00:42:40,393
from 1976 on.
835
00:42:40,477 --> 00:42:43,646
I had no idea that was going on.
836
00:42:43,688 --> 00:42:47,192
It's horrifying to me to hear.
837
00:42:47,275 --> 00:42:48,443
And painful.
838
00:42:48,526 --> 00:42:50,236
And I have to say to myself,
839
00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:54,824
if I had known about it,
or if I'd been sitting there...
840
00:42:54,866 --> 00:42:57,202
you know, in the room
when it had happened,
841
00:42:57,285 --> 00:42:59,329
would I have done anything?
842
00:43:00,580 --> 00:43:03,041
I don't know.
Probably not.
843
00:43:03,708 --> 00:43:05,543
I don't know.
844
00:43:05,585 --> 00:43:08,838
And I have to,
you know, I have to...
845
00:43:09,673 --> 00:43:11,633
acknowledge that.
846
00:43:11,716 --> 00:43:14,511
(birds chirping)
847
00:43:14,552 --> 00:43:17,597
My dad, he was my boss.
848
00:43:17,681 --> 00:43:19,891
He controlled my life.
849
00:43:19,974 --> 00:43:23,019
And I was not the personality
that was gonna stand up
850
00:43:23,061 --> 00:43:24,729
on my own two legs
851
00:43:24,813 --> 00:43:27,148
at, you know, 20 or whatever
and say,
852
00:43:27,232 --> 00:43:29,651
"I think I'm gonna
do things differently."
853
00:43:30,652 --> 00:43:32,987
I didn't have the courage.
854
00:43:33,071 --> 00:43:36,241
I wish I'd had more courage.
I do.
855
00:43:37,742 --> 00:43:40,453
Even Betty.
I mean, I loved her,
856
00:43:40,537 --> 00:43:43,748
and she was amazing for Synanon.
857
00:43:43,790 --> 00:43:46,251
And she couldn't
control him either.
858
00:43:46,292 --> 00:43:50,088
And she went along, too,
with what was happening.
859
00:43:50,880 --> 00:43:54,092
But that's not unique
to the charismatic leader.
860
00:43:54,801 --> 00:43:57,721
That happens
in other families, too.
861
00:44:00,432 --> 00:44:02,684
And then, Betty got really sick.
862
00:44:22,120 --> 00:44:24,080
I just... I, uh...
863
00:44:30,712 --> 00:44:33,256
Jady:
In January of 1977,
864
00:44:33,298 --> 00:44:36,092
Betty started having
this terrible pain
865
00:44:36,134 --> 00:44:38,345
and couldn't breathe
and everything.
866
00:44:38,428 --> 00:44:41,389
We took her to the hospital.
867
00:44:41,473 --> 00:44:43,308
It was lung cancer.
868
00:44:47,187 --> 00:44:49,230
Very shocking.
869
00:44:50,774 --> 00:44:52,192
Heartbreaking.
870
00:44:53,693 --> 00:44:55,945
Heartbreaking.
871
00:44:55,987 --> 00:44:58,823
Heartbreaking for my dad,
872
00:44:58,865 --> 00:45:02,827
who went into overdrive
and mania around it.
873
00:45:04,621 --> 00:45:07,082
And heartbreaking
for the community,
874
00:45:07,165 --> 00:45:08,792
for Synanon.
875
00:45:09,668 --> 00:45:11,586
It was the family business.
876
00:45:12,128 --> 00:45:14,964
And he was Dad, and she was Mom.
877
00:45:18,927 --> 00:45:21,388
Elena Broslovsky:
We were stunned
878
00:45:22,222 --> 00:45:24,599
and sad.
879
00:45:24,683 --> 00:45:26,893
(deep sigh)
880
00:45:28,186 --> 00:45:31,439
Suddenly, she got
sicker and weaker.
881
00:45:33,191 --> 00:45:37,404
I remember coming into the room.
882
00:45:38,321 --> 00:45:40,865
She was set up in a bed.
883
00:45:40,907 --> 00:45:43,076
Chuck was sitting next to her,
884
00:45:43,785 --> 00:45:47,747
wiping her brow,
giving her water to sip,
885
00:45:47,831 --> 00:45:50,750
and saying,
"It's alright to let go.
886
00:45:50,834 --> 00:45:54,379
It's going to be beautiful.
It's alright to let go."
887
00:45:55,422 --> 00:45:56,464
(sighs)
888
00:46:09,978 --> 00:46:14,566
Elena: Around 3:00 that
night was when she left.
889
00:46:14,607 --> 00:46:17,861
- (sighs)
- (gentle piano music playing)
890
00:46:22,365 --> 00:46:28,788
- (choir harmonizing)
- ♪ Mother to so many children ♪
891
00:46:28,872 --> 00:46:33,585
♪ More than you can see ♪
892
00:46:33,668 --> 00:46:34,919
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
893
00:46:35,628 --> 00:46:38,256
Elena:
The entire community mourned.
894
00:46:38,923 --> 00:46:42,218
It was a profound,
profound loss.
895
00:46:42,260 --> 00:46:46,639
♪ Singing your song,
Betty D ♪
896
00:46:46,723 --> 00:46:50,894
♪ Betty D, oh yeah ♪
897
00:46:52,187 --> 00:46:54,939
Jady:
She was diagnosed in January,
898
00:46:54,981 --> 00:46:57,442
- and she died in April.
- (piano stops)
899
00:46:58,943 --> 00:47:02,197
I was absolutely bereft.
Just outta my mind.
900
00:47:03,365 --> 00:47:04,282
My dad was going crazy,
901
00:47:04,366 --> 00:47:06,159
screaming all the time
on the Wire.
902
00:47:07,410 --> 00:47:10,789
You know, he covered
the pain with anger
903
00:47:10,872 --> 00:47:12,665
because he couldn't grieve.
904
00:47:12,749 --> 00:47:14,000
(birds chirping)
905
00:47:14,084 --> 00:47:17,045
And he was a forward-moving
kind of a person,
906
00:47:17,128 --> 00:47:20,590
so I think he was trying
to move on because...
907
00:47:21,299 --> 00:47:23,677
you know, within three months,
four months,
908
00:47:23,760 --> 00:47:26,304
he was...
he had moved on.
909
00:47:26,346 --> 00:47:29,391
♪♪
910
00:47:31,184 --> 00:47:33,228
Rebekah:
He went on the Wire and asked
911
00:47:33,311 --> 00:47:37,774
for any single woman
who wished to apply
912
00:47:38,191 --> 00:47:41,736
to be his wife
that they should do so.
913
00:47:41,820 --> 00:47:45,031
And my teacher, Ginny, applied.
914
00:47:46,157 --> 00:47:49,160
She was teaching us
when she got the call
915
00:47:49,244 --> 00:47:53,289
on the Wire that he would
like to make her his wife.
916
00:47:53,331 --> 00:47:55,875
And she kind of burst
into tears,
917
00:47:55,959 --> 00:47:58,586
and we were
all set loose that day.
918
00:48:00,338 --> 00:48:03,174
Bob: Obviously, he wasn't
in love with this woman.
919
00:48:03,216 --> 00:48:05,468
He had just selected her.
920
00:48:06,553 --> 00:48:11,307
They were together,
and so it was deemed good.
921
00:48:11,349 --> 00:48:13,518
So, Chuck extrapolated
from that,
922
00:48:13,601 --> 00:48:16,146
as he tended to do,
to the whole community.
923
00:48:16,187 --> 00:48:18,189
"Well, it was good for me.
It's good for you."
924
00:48:19,691 --> 00:48:21,484
Jady:
My dad started pressuring me
925
00:48:21,568 --> 00:48:24,070
about my husband and the idea
926
00:48:24,154 --> 00:48:25,238
of getting me a new mate
927
00:48:25,321 --> 00:48:27,615
that he thought was
somehow better for me.
928
00:48:27,699 --> 00:48:30,118
I broke up with him,
929
00:48:30,201 --> 00:48:34,831
and then, the gals were charged
with finding me a new mate.
930
00:48:34,873 --> 00:48:36,833
I never felt like
I had an option.
931
00:48:36,916 --> 00:48:39,711
It's like, oh,
this is what we're doing now.
932
00:48:39,919 --> 00:48:43,048
And then, he just started
with my brother
933
00:48:43,465 --> 00:48:45,258
to get him a new mate.
934
00:48:46,968 --> 00:48:49,763
Like, he basically
broke up our marriages.
935
00:48:49,846 --> 00:48:51,389
But then, that snowballed into
936
00:48:51,431 --> 00:48:53,224
this is what we're
all gonna do now.
937
00:48:53,266 --> 00:48:54,392
We're gonna do this experiment.
938
00:48:54,434 --> 00:48:56,519
We're gonna make love happen.
939
00:48:57,687 --> 00:48:59,481
The conversation was in the air
940
00:48:59,564 --> 00:49:02,025
about relationships
941
00:49:02,067 --> 00:49:04,861
and making...
making love happen.
942
00:49:04,903 --> 00:49:07,781
We needed to learn
that love can be made,
943
00:49:07,864 --> 00:49:10,867
and it's just a matter of
944
00:49:10,909 --> 00:49:12,243
more or less kind of
a discipline
945
00:49:12,285 --> 00:49:14,579
of cherishing somebody
and caring for them,
946
00:49:14,662 --> 00:49:16,414
and then love would emerge.
947
00:49:16,456 --> 00:49:18,792
(projector whirring)
948
00:49:18,875 --> 00:49:21,086
Mike:
It was a Friday night,
949
00:49:21,127 --> 00:49:24,756
and we had gotten
the "Rocky One" movie.
950
00:49:24,839 --> 00:49:26,216
Adrian!
951
00:49:26,257 --> 00:49:29,177
- Adrian: Rocky!
- Referee: 8-7 for Creed!
952
00:49:29,260 --> 00:49:30,929
Mike:
I remember coming out.
953
00:49:30,970 --> 00:49:34,015
Everybody's like
yelling and screaming
954
00:49:34,057 --> 00:49:37,268
and running around...
(stammering) What's... What...
955
00:49:37,310 --> 00:49:39,771
"Oh, my God! Chuck just said
956
00:49:39,854 --> 00:49:42,941
"that all relationships
are over,
957
00:49:42,982 --> 00:49:45,402
"and we need to find
another partner
958
00:49:45,443 --> 00:49:47,612
because that's what
he did with Ginny!"
959
00:49:47,654 --> 00:49:50,198
It was total panic.
960
00:49:50,281 --> 00:49:54,327
And it grew and grew and grew,
961
00:49:54,411 --> 00:49:57,497
and changing partners happened.
962
00:49:59,624 --> 00:50:03,086
Jady: It was like, you know, names
and people being hooked up and...
963
00:50:04,129 --> 00:50:07,590
It seems absolutely madness now,
964
00:50:07,632 --> 00:50:09,426
looking back.
965
00:50:09,467 --> 00:50:13,513
Bonkers. Bonkers.
966
00:50:13,596 --> 00:50:16,516
Bob: It was more or
less a psychotic event
967
00:50:16,599 --> 00:50:18,810
for a significant portion
of the people
968
00:50:18,852 --> 00:50:21,646
who suddenly had to break up
969
00:50:21,730 --> 00:50:24,149
with the person they were
perfectly happy with.
970
00:50:24,482 --> 00:50:28,862
And, in the way
these things tended to happen,
971
00:50:28,945 --> 00:50:34,492
it had this sort of
crazy drama to it.
972
00:50:34,576 --> 00:50:37,328
My friend Lori Cook
changed partners,
973
00:50:37,412 --> 00:50:39,039
and her life had gotten better.
974
00:50:39,122 --> 00:50:40,874
I said, well, why not try it?
975
00:50:40,957 --> 00:50:42,667
♪♪
976
00:50:42,709 --> 00:50:46,004
Ron: I'd been married
to my wife for 17 years.
977
00:50:46,046 --> 00:50:47,630
I truly was unhappy,
978
00:50:47,672 --> 00:50:49,841
and she wasn't that
happy in it either.
979
00:50:50,342 --> 00:50:51,801
Connie Chung:
Ron is an accountant.
980
00:50:51,843 --> 00:50:53,345
He was married to Lori.
981
00:50:53,386 --> 00:50:55,555
Now, he's married to Pamela.
982
00:50:55,638 --> 00:50:58,141
Lori is married to Buddy.
983
00:50:59,100 --> 00:51:01,019
Buddy:
The question came up,
984
00:51:01,061 --> 00:51:03,021
who should be
with another person?
985
00:51:03,104 --> 00:51:05,857
Who wants to be
with another person?
986
00:51:05,940 --> 00:51:07,567
And it kinda caught on.
987
00:51:09,069 --> 00:51:12,197
I lucked out.
I ended up with Naya.
988
00:51:13,073 --> 00:51:15,742
I chose her. She agreed.
989
00:51:24,209 --> 00:51:25,502
Chuck: People are
looking for a reason.
990
00:51:25,543 --> 00:51:28,838
Well, why should I leave
this person? And that's absurd!
991
00:51:29,547 --> 00:51:33,468
You do it because that's what
we're doing now. You see?
992
00:51:33,551 --> 00:51:37,305
So there just isn't
any reason not to at all!
993
00:51:37,347 --> 00:51:39,391
♪♪
994
00:51:41,226 --> 00:51:43,395
Nobody was ordered to do it,
but it was suggested.
995
00:51:43,478 --> 00:51:44,896
"Hey, why don't you try this?"
You know?
996
00:51:44,979 --> 00:51:47,565
"Try seeing if you can fall
in love with this person."
997
00:51:47,649 --> 00:51:50,777
When I say optional,
there was a lot of pressure.
998
00:51:50,860 --> 00:51:52,904
You know, there could be a lot
of pressure on somebody.
999
00:51:52,946 --> 00:51:56,741
When changing partners came on,
I-I didn't wanna do it.
1000
00:51:57,992 --> 00:52:00,954
I was in love with Teri.
I...
1001
00:52:01,579 --> 00:52:04,749
I thought we had
a great relationship.
1002
00:52:04,833 --> 00:52:07,877
She was the one that said
we need to do this.
1003
00:52:07,919 --> 00:52:10,463
So we did it.
1004
00:52:11,589 --> 00:52:15,719
Miriam Bourdette: Chuck decided
that Phil would be a good person
1005
00:52:15,760 --> 00:52:18,179
for me to get with.
1006
00:52:18,388 --> 00:52:21,433
That was it. We were together.
I mean,
1007
00:52:21,516 --> 00:52:24,519
there were no ifs,
ands, or buts about it.
1008
00:52:25,186 --> 00:52:27,439
Judi Ehrlich:
At changing partners,
1009
00:52:27,522 --> 00:52:29,232
all of the couples
that were married
1010
00:52:29,274 --> 00:52:30,817
had to get divorced.
1011
00:52:30,900 --> 00:52:34,612
I got assigned to, like, learn
how to do divorces. (laughs)
1012
00:52:34,696 --> 00:52:38,783
And, um, I think I must have
done hundreds of them.
1013
00:52:39,034 --> 00:52:41,995
I wound up with a woman
named Stephanie.
1014
00:52:42,078 --> 00:52:44,289
Her name was
Stephanie Andreucci.
1015
00:52:45,540 --> 00:52:46,916
She was a chef.
1016
00:52:46,958 --> 00:52:49,544
(breeze blowing)
1017
00:52:49,627 --> 00:52:52,130
Mike: Stephanie
and I, we were in love.
1018
00:52:52,213 --> 00:52:54,174
There was no question about it.
1019
00:52:54,257 --> 00:52:56,259
We were best friends.
1020
00:52:56,301 --> 00:52:58,720
She was just a really,
a really great girl.
1021
00:52:59,971 --> 00:53:03,224
But they said to
change partners, and...
1022
00:53:03,308 --> 00:53:05,977
We changed partners, you know?
And we did it.
1023
00:53:06,061 --> 00:53:08,396
(indistinct chatter)
1024
00:53:08,480 --> 00:53:11,649
If we were in
a normal state of mind,
1025
00:53:11,691 --> 00:53:15,445
we would sit there,
as the normal people, saying,
1026
00:53:15,487 --> 00:53:18,615
"What are we doing here?
What's this? Crazy?"
1027
00:53:18,656 --> 00:53:22,410
But we didn't have
those conversations.
1028
00:53:22,494 --> 00:53:25,705
And that's how we survived
in Synanon.
1029
00:53:27,082 --> 00:53:29,584
Ron Cook hooked me up
with a woman
1030
00:53:29,668 --> 00:53:32,837
who I thought was beautiful
and great,
1031
00:53:32,921 --> 00:53:35,423
and I just couldn't do it.
1032
00:53:35,507 --> 00:53:36,925
I could not be with her.
1033
00:53:37,509 --> 00:53:40,845
We had a Game.
Ron was there. Chuck was there.
1034
00:53:41,429 --> 00:53:44,516
I said, "I'm gonna try.
I'm gonna try."
1035
00:53:46,893 --> 00:53:50,355
It just went to a point
where I just said...
1036
00:53:51,606 --> 00:53:53,233
"I can't do it."
1037
00:53:53,316 --> 00:53:56,820
And I went to Ron Cook,
and I said,
1038
00:53:56,861 --> 00:54:00,281
"Ron, I can't do this.
I think I have to leave.
1039
00:54:00,365 --> 00:54:03,993
Just, you know,
just let me go." And...
1040
00:54:06,579 --> 00:54:08,998
This is what we do. We live
in an experimental community.
1041
00:54:09,040 --> 00:54:12,585
If you don't like it, go.
And a bunch of people left.
1042
00:54:12,669 --> 00:54:17,090
- (car rumbling)
- (gentle music playing)
1043
00:54:17,173 --> 00:54:19,551
Mike: Middle of the night,
3:00 or 4:00 in the morning,
1044
00:54:19,634 --> 00:54:21,177
they come and they get me,
1045
00:54:21,261 --> 00:54:24,055
and they put me
in the back of a pickup truck.
1046
00:54:24,139 --> 00:54:26,057
They drove me to San Francisco.
1047
00:54:26,099 --> 00:54:28,101
(birds chirping)
1048
00:54:28,184 --> 00:54:31,271
♪♪
1049
00:54:31,354 --> 00:54:35,066
They dumped me out in
the middle of the street
1050
00:54:35,150 --> 00:54:37,235
with just the clothes on my back
1051
00:54:37,277 --> 00:54:39,821
and no money or anything,
1052
00:54:39,904 --> 00:54:43,950
and that was it.
So, I was out of Synanon.
1053
00:54:44,034 --> 00:54:47,078
♪♪
1054
00:54:57,630 --> 00:55:00,675
Phil: After I was
kicked out of Synanon,
1055
00:55:00,759 --> 00:55:03,428
Lynn served me
with divorce papers
1056
00:55:03,803 --> 00:55:07,807
and gave me full-time
custody of our daughter.
1057
00:55:07,891 --> 00:55:09,934
Lynn stayed in Synanon.
1058
00:55:10,477 --> 00:55:12,187
Lynn:
Synanon could exert
1059
00:55:12,270 --> 00:55:16,483
a lot of pressure on people,
and I was beginning to feel it.
1060
00:55:16,566 --> 00:55:19,694
Phil: Lynn was welcome
to take our daughter
1061
00:55:19,778 --> 00:55:22,364
any time she wanted,
and one day,
1062
00:55:22,447 --> 00:55:25,283
she just didn't bring her back.
1063
00:55:25,367 --> 00:55:28,119
Synanon gave Lynn a plane ticket
1064
00:55:28,203 --> 00:55:31,915
and sent the two of them
across state lines illegally.
1065
00:55:31,956 --> 00:55:36,086
They ended up at the Detroit,
Michigan facility.
1066
00:55:36,836 --> 00:55:40,131
I filed a petition to the court
to bring in Chuck
1067
00:55:40,173 --> 00:55:42,384
because Synanon was aiding
1068
00:55:42,467 --> 00:55:44,636
the kidnapping of our daughter.
1069
00:55:44,678 --> 00:55:47,555
You know, I knew that Chuck
and the organization
1070
00:55:47,639 --> 00:55:49,808
were not gonna be thrilled
about the prospect
1071
00:55:49,849 --> 00:55:54,187
of having him on the witness
stand under oath.
1072
00:55:54,270 --> 00:55:56,606
I got a visit from two
1073
00:55:56,648 --> 00:55:59,109
high-ranking people in Synanon.
1074
00:55:59,150 --> 00:56:03,154
They basically said
that if I forced the issue
1075
00:56:03,196 --> 00:56:07,617
with putting Chuck on the stand,
that something bad might happen.
1076
00:56:09,369 --> 00:56:11,329
To be honest with you,
1077
00:56:11,371 --> 00:56:13,623
I really wasn't
worried about it.
1078
00:56:14,749 --> 00:56:17,127
I really didn't believe
in my heart of hearts
1079
00:56:17,168 --> 00:56:19,170
that Synanon would ever hurt me.
1080
00:56:19,212 --> 00:56:22,799
(tense music playing)
1081
00:56:22,841 --> 00:56:25,010
(insects chirping)
1082
00:56:25,093 --> 00:56:27,387
I came home,
1083
00:56:27,470 --> 00:56:30,515
pulled into the driveway,
1084
00:56:30,598 --> 00:56:33,518
and as I was heading
toward the door,
1085
00:56:33,560 --> 00:56:35,186
two guys came up behind me
1086
00:56:35,270 --> 00:56:37,689
with stocking masks on with...
1087
00:56:38,481 --> 00:56:39,899
three-foot-long clubs
1088
00:56:39,983 --> 00:56:42,986
and started beating on me.
(clears throat)
1089
00:56:43,069 --> 00:56:46,531
- (echoing beating)
- (yelling)
1090
00:56:46,614 --> 00:56:50,368
I got knocked down.
I got a broken leg.
1091
00:56:50,452 --> 00:56:52,120
I got a broken arm.
1092
00:56:53,371 --> 00:56:56,166
I got a fractured skull.
1093
00:56:56,207 --> 00:57:00,545
Due to the skull fracture,
I got cerebral meningitis.
1094
00:57:01,338 --> 00:57:04,174
So I was out for 22 days.
1095
00:57:04,215 --> 00:57:06,343
♪♪
1096
00:57:06,384 --> 00:57:08,636
(car revving)
1097
00:57:14,976 --> 00:57:17,228
With us this morning
is Jack Hurst,
1098
00:57:17,312 --> 00:57:19,522
one of the founding
fathers of Synanon.
1099
00:57:19,564 --> 00:57:21,775
He is now formally
out of the organization.
1100
00:57:21,858 --> 00:57:24,069
When I saw my good friend
Phil Ritter
1101
00:57:24,110 --> 00:57:26,780
laying in a hospital bed
with his head caved in,
1102
00:57:26,863 --> 00:57:29,699
it was very obvious to me that
it's time that I spoke out.
1103
00:57:29,741 --> 00:57:33,703
Synanon has, in fact,
turned violent.
1104
00:57:33,745 --> 00:57:35,914
They view it
as their right to, to use
1105
00:57:35,997 --> 00:57:38,667
any means
to bring people into line.
1106
00:57:38,750 --> 00:57:41,086
- (rhythmic footsteps)
- Reporter: Synanon,
1107
00:57:41,169 --> 00:57:44,297
under siege in what it
describes as a "holy war,"
1108
00:57:44,381 --> 00:57:46,383
has taken the offensive.
1109
00:57:46,424 --> 00:57:48,718
♪♪
1110
00:57:48,760 --> 00:57:51,763
Violence became a solution
for Chuck at some point.
1111
00:57:52,722 --> 00:57:56,643
People come on the property,
they beat the hell out of 'em.
1112
00:57:56,726 --> 00:57:59,479
People say bad things
in the media,
1113
00:57:59,562 --> 00:58:01,022
they go chase them
down at their house.
1114
00:58:01,106 --> 00:58:04,359
Synanon members (chant):
Boycott "TIME"! Boycott "TIME"!
1115
00:58:04,442 --> 00:58:05,819
Marshall:
People sue you,
1116
00:58:06,444 --> 00:58:08,113
you beat them
with baseball bats.
1117
00:58:10,240 --> 00:58:13,451
If you have somebody who
goes power unchecked, (laughs)
1118
00:58:13,535 --> 00:58:14,953
then they're gonna do
something sooner or later,
1119
00:58:15,036 --> 00:58:17,288
and it's gonna
spiral outta control.
1120
00:58:17,372 --> 00:58:18,581
(applause, cheering)
1121
00:58:18,623 --> 00:58:20,333
Nobody checked Chuck.
1122
00:58:20,417 --> 00:58:22,377
(motorcycle rumbling)
1123
00:58:22,460 --> 00:58:24,587
Chuck:
We never start anything.
1124
00:58:24,629 --> 00:58:27,215
We never do and never have.
1125
00:58:27,465 --> 00:58:31,177
But, nobody is going
to mess with us.
1126
00:58:31,261 --> 00:58:32,220
Nobody.
1127
00:58:32,303 --> 00:58:33,930
(tense sting)
1128
00:58:34,764 --> 00:58:37,809
♪♪
85747
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