Gold Base (also known as Gold , Golden Era Productions , Int Base , or Int ) is the de facto Secret Church headquarters of Scientology. It is located in 19712 Gilman Springs Rd, San Jacinto in Riverside County, California (though technically it is located within an unrelated county area of ​​Gilman Hot Springs and not within the city limits of San Jacinto) and about 100 miles (160 km) from Los Angeles. The heavily guarded compound consists of about 50 buildings surrounded by high fences with top blades and watches around the clock with patrols, cameras and motion detectors. The property is shared by public roads, which are closely monitored by the Church with cameras recording passing traffic.
The Church of Scientology acquired the property, formerly a resort called Gilman Hot Springs, in 1978. It had previously been a popular Inland Empire vacation and spa spot founded in the 1890s but was bankrupt in the late 1970s because of changes in American holiday habits. Purchased for cash in great secrecy by the Church, using the alias "Scottish Highland Quietude Club," has since been developed and expanded.
The base now houses many Church organizations and subsidiaries, including the media production division within his home, Golden Era Productions, which has its own film studio on the site. Church leaders David Miscavige and other senior church officials live and work at the base. It is also the location of a large $ 10 million mansion built for the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard. Although he had never lived there before his death in 1986, his home and residence was still preserved in anticipation of his predicted reincarnation. A number of leading scientists have studied Scientology in Gold Base, especially Tom Cruise.
Up to 1,000 members of the Sea Org, the "core core" of the Church of Scientology elite, lives and works in the base. According to some former members of the Church, the conditions are difficult, with staff members paying only $ 50 for a week of 100 hours and subject to punishment for failing to meet the work quota. Media reports say that about 100 people a year are trying to escape from the base but most are immediately arrested and returned by "pursuit teams". Despite many former member's persecution accounts, law enforcement investigations and lawsuits against the Church have been thwarted by the First Amendment guarantee on religious freedom and the Church's ability to rely on "ministerial exceptions" in labor law. The Church denies the persecution and calls the basis "the ideal setting for professional and spiritual growth".
Video Gold Base
Description
The Golden Base is located at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains. This base covers an area of ​​520-acre (2.1Ã, km 2 ) in Riverside County, California, outside San Jacinto, and north of Hemet. It is on or near 19625 Gilman Springs Road, Gilman Hot Springs, California, 92583 and is cleaved by public highway, Gilman Springs Road, not far from California State Route 79. It consists of two compounds on both sides of the road with underground pedestrian tunnels connecting them. Both sections of the property are surrounded by a chain fence on top with "Ultra Barrier" nails and razor wire, with motion sensors and lights approximately every 20 feet (6.1 m). There are five guarded gates to the base, three on the south side of Gilman Spring Roads and two to the north.
A spokesperson for Scientology, Catherine Fraser, told the Chronicle Valley newspaper that the spike on the fence was meant to "prevent people and animals from harassing." When asked why half of the spikes were facing inwards towards the inside of the compound (as depicted below), Church spokesman Tommy Davis told KESQ-TV that "that's how they were installed."
There are about 50 buildings on the property, many built in the style of the Scottish Artificial Plateau. Mostly obscured from public view with high fences and high walls, monitored by video cameras. According to the local Riverside Press-Enterprise newspaper, Scientology uniformed employees and guards on motorbikes can be glimpsed by motorists through a metal fence surrounding the complex. Although the road through the center of the complex is public property, the church has installed video cameras and lights adjacent to traffic signs to record traffic in both directions.
South side
The south side of the base was mainly used by Golden Era Productions, the Church of Scientology's film studio. This includes a 74,000 square foot (6,900 m 2 ) studio in the form of a Scottish castle, built in 1997-98 at a cost of $ 10.8 million to serve as a production facility for Church promotion and film training and videos. The building, known as the "Castle of Cine", replaces the previous building known as "The Gym" which is used to house the stage of shooting the Golden Era, makeup, costume, camera, lighting, and set the sound department.
The name is said to be derived from the cover story used by the Church to hide its activities at the base. According to Marc Headley, who worked at the base for 15 years, "the permission to build the studio was applied under the guise of 'Basketball Gym.' Any and all references to the building should be defined as 'Gym'. "The gym is still standing and is now reportedly used as a small studio (additional) and special effects facility.
The short distance to the east, the garage that was once used as a public gas station is now the location of Gold Swimming Pool and serves as a maintenance facility for the entire property. The basic Plantation Division, which is responsible for maintenance and construction works, is located here. The western part of this building was previously used by Set & amp; Golden Era. Props Department before the construction of Cine Castle. In the 2000s, garages were reportedly used for emergency bathing-houses for inmates "The Hole", a punishment facility at the base.
Various buildings are located nearby to be used in connection with the activities of studio administration and production. The Church's "E-meter" was produced at the base in a building known as Building 36, which houses a production facility for HEM (Hubbard E-Meter Manufacturing). It also houses the tape production facilities and the administrative functions of the Golden Era.
A number of blocks of "Berthing Staff" are located a few hundred yards away, accommodating about 1,000 Org members of the Church Sea. In keeping with the basic Scottish theme, each building is named after a different Scottish clan and bears its emblem. The "G Units" - VIP Accommodation - is located at the far eastern end of the base. Tom Cruise is reported to have lived there in the late 1980s and early 1990s when he studied Scientology at the base. The underground tunnel allows staff to cross from the Berthing Staff Building and the Massacre Canyon Inn to the north side of the base without having to get out of the complex.
The rest of the southern part of the complex is a beautiful open area with lakes and sports facilities such as basketball and volleyball courts and baseball diamonds. They were reportedly not used in 2008. The lake was reportedly used for punishment on various occasions in the 2000s. According to author Janet Reitman, Miscavige ordered dozens of senior executives at the base to go out the door in the middle of the night and gather at the lake or outdoor pool at the base. They will then jump or be pushed into the water, often in freezing conditions, while fully dressed and with Miscavige watching. The Church recognizes that this practice occurs but characterizes it as part of the "ecclesiastical justice" system to deal with poor performance.
A "Purification Center" stands near the lake and is used to manage the Scientology Purification Rundown program for staff at the base. Nearby is a now overgrown circular feature previously used for "Running Programs", as if part of Rundown Purification but is reportedly used sometimes as a punishment. Vicki Aznaran, former President of the Center for Religious Technology Church of Scientology, alleged that after he disagreed with plans to restructure the church's finances in 1982, he was ordered to walk around an orange pole every day from 7 am to 9:30 pm. for about 120 days, with 10 minutes break every half hour and 30 minutes for lunch and dinner.
North side
The international management of the Scientific Church is based on the northern side of the base. Hubbard House, "Bonnie View", occupies a prominent place on the plateau with stunning views of the San Jacinto Valley. According to property records, it costs $ 9.4 million and comes with a track and cinema pool. It has been described as "high-end beautiful but not fancy" but Hubbard died long before it was over. According to former members of the Church, it is intended to be used by him when he returns after reincarnation. It is used partly as a museum, accommodating most of Hubbard's items.
The house is still preserved as if Hubbard will show up tomorrow, with a glass of water covered with plastic wrap, a toothbrush placed in Hubbard's large private bathroom and a "identical set of Thom McAn black thongs ready for him to enter after bathing or bathing. "The full-time staff regularly wash Hubbard's clothes and clean up the property. The cars are stored in the garage with a tank full of gas and locks on the ignition, ready for use on the spot. The back of the house combines guest apartments and facilities reportedly been used by Tom Cruise on several of his visits to the base.
Adjacent to Bonnie View is the RTC Building, the headquarters of the Center for Religious Technology led by David Miscavige, the current Church leader. The 45,000-square-foot building (4,200m 2 ), completed in 2004, is said to have cost more than $ 70 million to build. According to Tom de Vocht, who was assigned to finish it after falling behind schedule and far exceeded the budget, it had already been settled double at a cost of over $ 47 million - $ 1,200 per square foot - but on every occasion the whole interior had to be torn as it did not meet with Miscavige's approval.
De Vocht found that the building had been so badly built that it would collapse even when a small earthquake occurred. The walls are not connected to the floor, the building has a slope of 1.25 inches (3.2 cm) and no architectural drawings, just rendering how it should appear. He was ordered to rebuild it, at an additional cost of $ 23 million. Millions of people had to be spent on landscaping after Miscavige decided that the building, located in the middle of the California desert, should have appeared in the woods.
The three remaining villas of the old resort, known as Upper, Lower and Lower Villages, stand under Bonnie View. They have been used as executive apartments by David Miscavige and other senior figures. Along with Villas is Star of California , replica clone vessels are now used as sites for community events. Other buildings located nearby include "Ranchos", a group of buildings used to store compilations, edits, designs and letters, the "Del Sol" building (formerly called Hotel Del Sol) used for staff training and additional facilities for Golden Era Studios.
One of these buildings, known as "Studio One", houses "LRH Studio Music Complex [L. Ron Hubbard]" with state of the art music recording facilities. Headley described it as "a fancy conference and dining facility to visit musicians brought to the Studio for recording." Another studio on the north side, known as "Studio Two", houses an additional audio production facility.
A pair of double trailers adjacent to the highway were installed to place the Church's Central Marketing Unit (CMU) and various Golden Era technical facilities, and later used as Commodore Messenger Org International (CMO Int) and International Strata Eksekutif (Exec Strata) offices. Since then they have been known as "The Hole", where up to 100 senior Scientology executives have been reportedly locked in "degrading conditions" since 2004. A building known as "The Spa", which was once an old spa resort center. which is on the property before the Church of Scientology gets it, now used by the base Qualification Division.
At the extreme west end of the northern part of the base is a compound inside the compound, physically separated from the other by a chain fence. A building called "OGH" (Old Gilman House, named after the family who built the old resort and lived in the house) is located here. It is reportedly used as a detention facility where staff are closely guarded while being "handled" or being prepared for "dismantling" (expulsion). Some are reported to live there permanently, forbidden to leave the base. On the side of the hill above the base is a very heavy disguised sniper shell bunker called the Eagle that overlooks the entire property and the surrounding area. It was reportedly used as a reconnaissance post where security staff with telescopes recorded the number of vehicle plates that were taking too long near the compound.
Golf golf course
Golden Era Golf Course is located east of the main part of the base, south of the highway and beyond the main boundary fence. Built between 1988-91 on the site of the resort's original golf course. It was open to the public between 1991-2007 but is now a private golf course. Although used for charity golf tournaments and other community events, key staff are reportedly not allowed to use it.
Maps Gold Base
History
The land where the base now stands was first developed at the end of the 19th century by the Sidney Branch of Riverside. In 1890, Branch bought a piece of land north of San Jacinto which is a natural hot spring that has been known by local Indians for centuries. He developed it into a resort called Hot Springs Relief before selling it in 1913 to three of Gilman - W. Earl, Grant, and Forest Gilman brothers. The Gilmans bought the property for $ 53,000 ($ 1,231,135 today) and changed its name, first to Gilman Relief Hot Springs and finally to Gilman Hot Springs. It is one of three hot spring resorts near San Jacinto that offers travelers the opportunity to relax, bathe and churn up hot, bubbling hot water from the San Jacinto Fault, an offshoot of the San Andreas Fault.
Gilmans substantially expanded the resort, which they had until 1978. In 1913 they built a bathhouse and added a swimming pool the following year, which was later expanded to the size of the Olympics. A hotel was built to accommodate guests but had to be rebuilt after being burned in 1918. Many visitors came to the resort by train through San Jacinto, where they met with a hotel representative to be transported to Gilman Hot Springs. In the 1940s, the hotel had 200 rooms. The resort also has a post office, a garage, and a service station for the use of its visitors. Many cottages are also built in the resort for visitor use.
There are four major springs found on the property - Black Sulfur, White Sulfur, Soda and Lithia, which are claimed to have health benefits for drinkers. In 1920 the ad for Gilman called it "ALL YEARS RESORT where sick people can be won back to health and where those who are healthy can stay that way." Other visitor activities include strolling within the resort, hiking in the nearby hills, mud baths and dancing on Friday nights in the resort's own dance room, with a pianist, violinist and drummer contributing music.
The resort is home to many popular events such as beauty and golf contests on its own golf course. Built along the San Jacinto River, the course was originally opened with nine holes in 1930 and later expanded to 27 holes. The golf course was then destroyed by a flood.
The Massacre Canyon Inn, named after a nearby beauty spot, opened in 1963 on the southern side of Gilman Springs Road to accommodate dining and dancing. The training camp for boxers was also built at the base of the resort and was used in the late 1960s. Among the boxers who use the facility are Muhammad Ali, Ike Chestnut, Evander Holyfield, Sugar Ray Leonard, Ray Mancini, Armando Muniz, Ruben Navarro, Ken Norton and Jerry Quarry.
Acquisition by Church of Scientology (1978)
Changing holiday habits and decreasing public interest in mineral waters meant that in the late 1970s, resorts were no longer a viable business. After bankruptcy in 1978, the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, approved the purchase of Gilman Hot Springs as headquarters. The Church claims that Hubbard "has a fascination with all things Scottish [and] chose the Gilman Hot Springs property after finding it while looking for a filming location that looked like Scotland."
It was obtained under extraordinary conditions of secrecy. $ 2,700,000 of cash was paid by the new owners, who called themselves "Scottish Highland Quietude Club". A Los Angeles lawyer named Richard Hoag, who acted for the owner, said that the resort had been purchased for a condominium project. The money for the purchase was directed by the "Personal Trust of 1 November 1978", a secret trust which Hoag serves as trustee.
According to a defector, Silvia Garritano, "Hubbard disguises its operation in Gilman Hot Springs as the 'Hoag Scholarship Foundation' The idea is to convince local businessmen that... Hoag owns the place and that he organizes programs designed to help young people trade and skills. "Hubbard's goal is to hide from public-level management of Scientology's management." Hoag himself was unaware of the identity of the buyer and said later: "I think they really do not want people to know because it's controversial."
A church spokesman, Heber Jentzsch, told Riverside Press-Enterprise that he "has no information" about Scientology's involvement with the former resort. Another spokesman for the confidence of buying property claimed that it had been purchased by "wealthy East investors" or wealthy investors from the Palm Springs area. The Riverside County Sheriff's office was interested after a rumor that pornographic films were made there or that organized crime groups had taken over the resort, but the property was soon emptied before an official inquiry could begin.
The signs posted at the entrance to the property do not mention the church. One, established in the fall of 1979, attributed ownership to the "Western Scientific Communications Society of the West" while the other, replacing the first in April 1980, stated: "Canyon Canyon Development Co. - condominiums and homes in the future." A man who calls himself "Dan Pook" meets with local community groups to explain condo projects, told residents in March 1980 that the place will be used for the construction of "condos, mobile homes and single family residence". He was later identified as Ronald Pook, a public relations officer of the Church responsible for spreading the "beach story" (or the closing story) about the Church's plan for the property.
The intense secrecy was due to the acute legal difficulties of the Church of Scientology at the time. The Church is involved in a major scandal that poses a great danger to Hubbard in person. His wife, Mary Sue, and a number of other Scientologists had been captured by the FBI the previous year and were tasked with running a major espionage network, Operation Snow White, against the United States Government. Hubbard itself is referred to as a "unindicated co-conspirator". He hid in a desert farm on La Quinta, codenamed "W" (for "winter headquarters"). Gilman Hot Springs is also codenamed "S", for "summer headquarters".
The La Quinta property was closed in March 1978 and Hubbard moved into an apartment complex in Hemet, codenamed "X". Hubbard's personal staff, known as Messengers Commodore, exchanged pleasantries between "X" and "S" using various reconnaissance methods to get rid of who tracked them: moving between locations, using secret meeting points, conveying information in disguise, using alias, and so on..
No one is allowed to travel directly between the two locations but must travel indirectly up to 120 miles. Hubbard himself was at the center of an elaborate security system with bells and red lights to warn him if strangers appeared. The staff were drilled to deny knowledge about him and maintain a holiday car for Hubbard which is accessible via a garage that opens onto a different street. The existence of Gilman Hot Springs is kept secret even from other Scientologists. Staff members at the base are not allowed to make phone calls or send emails directly. If they get permission to use the phone, they are instructed to say that they are calling from Clearwater, Florida, where Scientology's Flag Land Base is located.
Hubbard did not live in Gilman Hot Springs but ordered that Bonnie View, the Tudor-style house in the resort, should be renovated for its use. He instructed that it should be "dust-free, preserved" and that high walls with "openings for gun cannon" should be built around it. Scientists who have posted to the Rehabilitation Project Forces - a kind of punishment unit - are made to do the work of redecorating the house and ensuring that it is free of dust and odors. The original house was eventually demolished and rebuilt but its construction was not completed until 2000, shortly after Hubbard's death in January 1986.
Site development
In February 1980, Riverside Press-Enterprise reporter Dick Lyneis reached a journalistic coup when he broke the story that L. Ron Hubbard lives in Hemet and works at Gilman Hot Springs. The disclosure caused Hubbard to flee Hemet and sparked panic in the base where the national spokesman of the Church, Robert Vaughn Young, was sent to solve it. He decided to present what Scientology calls "acceptable truth", transforming small films and audio units in the complex into a work facility called Golden Era Studios that can be presented to the press as a "real" function of the base. Conversions happen overnight:
Throughout the night and into the morning, the facility was changed. I have a paper that covers all the captured windows. Everything is cleaned up. Tools and tables are rearranged to hide certain tasks and to create others. Cassettes, films, scripts, and costumes were dragged out and made clear. Many international management staff are sent out of the base to reduce the number of personnel.
The next day, "Scottish Highland Quietude Club" has become the Golden Era Studios. The media tour goes without a hitch. The production-recording area never swings, but I keep people busy making costumes and books or doing artwork. We found an emergency studio that "just happened" to work when the tour came. Asked about "international management," I say yes, they manage the distribution of movies and cassettes, which do go to churches around the world. No one noticed me dodging questions and turned my attention to film and record production.
The evening news was perfect. The Riverside Press-Enterprise story has been countered. Gilman is no longer considered the headquarters of Scientology. It's just a busy movie and recording facility provided by the Church of Scientology.
After the "flap" subsided, the international management staff moved back to the base and remained there ever since. Strict security remains; Boston Globe notes that "curious visitors, who are suddenly quickly surrounded by guards, are photographed, asked for identification, then urged to leave.Before they do so, the license plate number in their car is recorded forever.. "
The imposition of Mary Sue Hubbard on conspiracy charges in 1981 sparked a power struggle within the Church of Scientology won by the Commodore's Messenger Organization, a group of young, mostly young scientists - many of them teenagers, some as young as ten years old - who took over international Church management at the end of 1981. In 1981 a body called the All Clear Unit was founded in Gilman Hot Springs under the management of David Miscavige who was then 21 years old. The goal is to make it "All Clear" to Hubbard to get out of hiding. They were pretty sure of its success, in 1982, a mock ship called Star of California was built in Gilman Hot Springs as a gift for open-minded Hubbard. This is a full-size replica of the deck and interior of a 13th-century shearsen scissors ship, with reported costs of $ 500,000. The Church is able to reduce costs by using its own staff as labor, paying them for less than $ 20 for a week of 100 hours.
In February 1988, the Church won permission from the Riverside County Planning Commission to rebuild the golf course at Gilman Hot Springs. The Church's appeal is opposed by many inhabitants, who are concerned about the disruption that development will bring. The commission's public meetings are packed with nearly 200 people, most scientists using collar buttons that support the expansion and renovation program of the Church. The church also revealed plans to build additional studios, offices, storage buildings, housing and recreational facilities, as well as renovate 35 existing buildings to bring them to the required standards. The church was given one year to complete the golf course, but it was reopened in 1991.
Since 1998, the Church has spent at least $ 45 million to expand the base and acquire dozens of nearby homes and vacant lots. According to the April 2011 map published by Riverside Press-Enterprise, the Church now owns almost all the land on either side of Gilman Springs Road from the intersection with Sanderson Avenue to the street terminal on State Street. , a total distance of 2.32 miles (3.73 km). The Church says that they intend to expand the golf course but have not yet developed a specific plan.
The Church of Scientology has also undertaken a large number of community outreach to improve its relationship with its neighbors. The base has hosted Chamber of Commerce events and has enabled local high school bands to use their recording studios. Fishing tournaments for children have been held on the lake and politicians and public officials have been invited to connect with base staff.
Part of Gilman Springs Road that divides the two basic sections has undergone major changes on the orders of the Church of Scientology. Until the early 1990s, the two parts of the base were accessed through gates on both sides of the highway. This is the safety and security issue presented; moving hundreds of people across the street at mealtimes poses a danger to traffic. These problems are dealt with by building pedestrian tunnels under way for basic staff to use and rebuild road configurations to narrow down and slow down traffic. However, a number of accidents later occurred on the road. In 2001, a 16-year-old girl was beheaded by a tractor operated by a Golden Era contractor who operated her without a valid driver license. In 2011 a man died in a collision outside the complex.
Demonstrations and controversies
The Anti-Scientology demonstrators began sorting out bases in 1997, prompting litigation from the Scientology Church against a protester, Keith Henson. A Church attempt to enforce a temporary restraining order on Henson was canceled in February 1998 when Judge Stephen D. Cunnison of the Riverside Superior Court ruled that Henson legally exercised his right to free speech. He told Church attorney Kendrick Moxon: "You do not have a situation here where the defendant stopped people.This is not the situation of the abortion clinic." Moxon complains that a one-man demonstration of Henson threatens the safety of motorists along state highways and employees of the Golden Era. Henson was later convicted of alleged violations of law arising from demonstrations at the base and sentenced to 180 days in prison.
Members of the hacked Anonymous Gold Base hacktivist group in November 2008. Demonstrations were held outside the property but sparked clashes between Scientology guards and protesters recorded on video. As the giant loudspeakers at the Scientology complex broadcast a voice to drown the demonstrators, the guards handle a demonstrator to the ground and deflect another by sweeping their legs. They told the Riverside County Sheriff's deputies that the first demonstrators had bitten one of them and that he was guilty of entering without permission on private land.
The Church of Scientology then lobbied local governments to ban demonstrations. At a public hearing in December 2008, Riverside District Superintendent Jeff Stone accused the protesters of "oppressing Jews, Christians and blacks and encouraging youths to commit suicide and terrorism." The regional superintendent approved the proposal, which was quickly tracked by Stone, to impose restrictions on picketers restrictions from approaching within 300 feet (91 m) of the targeted dwellings.
Stone did not reveal at the time that his political fund had received a $ 5,400 contribution from a law firm representing the Church of Scientology at trial, and another $ 600 from the head of the public relations department at Gold Base. After the donation was disclosed, he was fined $ 16,000 by the California Fair Political Practices Commission for failing to properly report the $ 84,052 contribution. The measure, known as Ordinance 884, was adopted in March 2009 but drew the controversy because what critics say is an unconstitutional restriction on free speech. The distance was eventually reduced to 30 feet (9.1 m) and then to just 3 meters (9.8 feet) after the Riverside County watchdog found that they had effectively banned their own practice of protesting against sex offenders living in the area.
In 2009, Church officials began lobbying to seal Gilman Springs Road, which is used by about 17,000 cars a day. The request was opposed "under any circumstances" by the San Jacinto City Council. The Church then endorsed a proposal to realign roads to headquarters, but the decision was deferred indefinitely by the Riverside County Supervisory Board after a discussion in January 2011.
Life at the Golden Base
At the bottom
The Church of Scientology maintains strict criteria for those who live and work in Gold Base. Many of them are the children of top-class Scientologists, including some of Hubbard's own children and grandchildren. According to author Janet Reitman, those who wish to be assigned to the Golden Base should be members of the Sea Org. They are required to undergo an IQ test and pass a leadership, personality and safety test. Members with family connections to government or media, or with friends or family who have left Scientology in bad condition, are not allowed to work there. They are also not allowed to disclose the location of the headquarters or to discuss their work or activities at headquarters with anyone outside the base, even fellow Org Sea members. They are prohibited from taking the form of public transport or taxis and otherwise have to travel by special Scientology bus or in private vehicles driven by approved staff members.
According to Marc and Claire Headley, two Scientologists who left the Church in 2005, residents at the base were not allowed to leave unauthorized from the supervisor and had to work at least 16 hours a day, from 8 am to midnight, with shorter hours on Sunday and a little time to socialize. Communications with the outside world are effectively cut off; mobile phones and Internet access are generally prohibited, letters are censored and can only be sent through the internal mail system. The passport is stored in a locked file cabinet.
Although the system was reported to have declined around 2000, workers are still subject to the regime of privilege and punishment. Weekly payments are said to be only about $ 50, given cash on Friday. This amount is only nominal, however, because fines for infringement are common; according to Lawrence Wright, the actual paid amount is often only $ 13 or $ 14 per week.
Claire Headley explains how staff live in constant paranoia because they are asked to submit "knowledge reports" to each other if they hear critical statements or casual statements. Being the subject of the report means that the defendant was interrogated and made to recognize or publicly acknowledge their "crimes" against Scientology. Janet Reitman commented that "everyone in Int Base lives in the fear of others and what they may say, or report, about each other."
The basic food, consisting of meat, potatoes, and salad for those who are not punished, or rice and beans for those who are. The average cost per meal, according to Marc Headley (who was involved with financial planning), was only 75 cents per head in 2005 - far less than that spent on California prison inmates. Unmarried staff live in dormitories, while married couples share a two-bedroom apartment with two other couples, meaning that one couple will spend each night sleeping on the couch. Many of them at the base reportedly left no property for more than a decade.
The Church of Scientology describes the conditions at the base as "as would be found in a monastery or seminary, though much more comfortable."
In the mid-1980s, women with children under the age of six were banned from joining the Sea Org, as the Church no longer wanted to provide childcare for the very young. The new policy was formally enacted in 1996 that prohibited members of Org Sea have children altogether, as they were considered to "interfere with the productivity" of the staff. Former Church members have said that they are pressured to end their pregnancies to comply with the policy. According to Claire Headley, somewhere between 60 and 80 percent of women in the base had at least one abortion, with some claiming inability to get the area to pay for the procedure. Janet Reitman commented: "If a pregnant woman refuses, she will be separated from her husband, using harsh work, and vigorously 'interrogated'.If she still refuses to have an abortion, she will be sent from a disgrace, alone. "The Church has denied having pressured someone to have an abortion and said that it does not consider pregnant women as" degraded creatures. "
The Tampa Bay Times reported that dozens of workers tried to escape from the base - some of them repeatedly - but were captured and returned by Sea Org "team pursuers". The opportunity was piled up against the fugitives, because the complex was in the desert, there was only one road in both directions and the surrounding area was mountainous and barren with many shrubs and rattlesnakes to block cross-country movements. Lawrence Wright explains how a successful runaway, Guy White, got away from the base in October 1988:
Every night, he strolled along the fence line, a little farther each time, carrying a snack for the dog of a German shepherd dog. One night, he jumped the fence, but the dogs betrayed him and started barking. He had to jump off the road when he saw the lights of the punch team coming after him. For hours, he staggered through his brush, bleeding, his clothes torn, until he managed to reach Hemet, where he hit the bowling door. In broken Spanish, he tells the person who is peering that he has been in a car accident.
According to Janet Reitman, every time someone escapes or "blows", a special "drill punch" is launched to restore the escape. Individual files are combed to find out where they are heading, like friends or family outside. "Punch team" stalked buses and train stations, airports and hotels in the vicinity to intercept the escape. Another method is to call hotels, motels and airlines under the guise of a sick relative to find out whether the escape is booked for flight or stay. Although such information should be kept confidential, the company's privacy rules are avoided by increasing calls to an increased seniority level until answers have been obtained. On an occasion reported by Wright, the vice president of an airline was persuaded to release an escape.
Some escapes are tracked through their personal interests. Gary Morehead, who worked as a security chief at the base in the 1990s, cites the example of a senior executive who fled in 1992. The executive is known as a baseball fan. A week later, Morehead caught him in the parking lot of the San Francisco Giants stadium. If all else fails, according to Morehead, the homes of blamed members and family members are being scouted by Scientologists using scanners for listening on cordless phones and cell phones, and tracking vehicle license plates that appear.
The captured fugitives are said to have experienced isolation, interrogation and punishment after being taken back to the compound. According to Wright, they often did not even argue when they were caught, knowing that they had to spend months or even years to be punished while working back to a good position.
For its part, the Church says that the compound is "an ideal setting for professional and spiritual growth," in which members can focus on further Scientology goals while avoiding the disruption of urban life. It denies that blow training exists.
At the top
Compared to the conditions in which regular staff members work, life at Gold Base is reportedly more convenient for leader David Miscavige and celebrity Scientologists. Most staff are not allowed to own vehicles but Miscavige is reported to have a customized Yamaha motorcycle that he drives around the base as well as various other vehicles, including the Mazda Miata roadster, the Range Rover luxury SUV, and the performance of BMW M6 as well as custom-made armored GMC van which is equipped as a mobile office. According to Claire Headley, who manages Miscavige's finances from 2000 to 2004, her food costs are between $ 3,000 to $ 20,000 per week, with meals flown in from the East Coast or Canada. The villa is said to have a $ 150,000 sound system and personal screening space.
According to Wright, Miscavige is also a dog lover and has kept up to five dogs at the base. They wear their own Sea Org uniform and hold the rank of Captain. Staff were asked to salute the dog as they passed. On April 30 of each year, staff are encouraged to donate their money back to buy a birthday present for Miscavige. One year he was given a motorcycle for $ 70,000; in other years, he received diving equipment, high-end cameras, and Italian shoes. Church spokesman Tommy Davis said that "from the [staff] perspective, it is the least they can do to express their affection."
One of the most famous VIP visitors in Gold Base is the Scientology actor Tom Cruise, who first visited in August 1989 for lunch with Miscavige on the Star of California ship. Miscavige persuaded Cruise to do all of his Scientology training at the base and after that Cruise began to travel between Gold and Los Angeles by helicopter every weekend. The actor was given his own VIP condo in a remote area in the southern part of the base and was assigned his own valet and private chef, Sinar Parman, who previously was chef L. Ron Hubbard. The condo was renovated in 1990 when Cruise was wooing Nicole Kidman; on one occasion, Sea Org members were assigned to fill the venue with balloons as a surprise for Kidman. A tennis court was built nearby at a cost of $ 200,000 when the couple wanted to take tennis.
Wright reports that when Miscavige heard that Cruise had a fantasy running with Kidman through a meadow filled with wildflowers he ordered Org Sea members to plant a desert area. Failed to meet expectations, so it was plowed and laid with grass instead. However, heavy rain triggered a landslide that swept through the "meadow". Miscavige is said to have held the entire base responsible for ruining romantic romance and ordering everyone to work sixteen hours a day to restore it to its original state. The Church's main spokesman, Mike Rinder, denied the story to the Los Angeles Times, saying that "the planting of wildflowers never occurred and may be a confusing version of the improvements made after the 1990 mudslide." Rinder himself escaped 18 months later.
According to Jeff Hawkins, former director of Church marketing, elaborate steps were taken to ensure that Cruise did not see what was happening elsewhere on the base. He told KESQ-TV: "The staff is not allowed to talk to him He has been given a tour and I've been on the other end of them and they are very organized." They use walkie-talkies and they leave, "He enters this building, he "They have a certain staff set up and trained in those rooms to give him a written lecture."
Litigation
Attempts by law enforcement to investigate conditions at the Golden Base have been blocked by legal difficulties and the reluctance of people at the base to talk to the police. According to Lawrence Wright, who wrote about the base in his 2013 book Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and Confidence Prison, the County County Sheriff's office never received a complaint from someone on the base about their treatment there, persecution. Wright attributes this to the fear that many scientists have embarrassed Scientology and are forced to break ties with their friends and family members within the Church.
Some people have brought a complaint in court. In 2009, Marc and Claire Headley sued the Church under the 2000 Federal Trade Violations and Violations Act for their care at the Golden Base ( Headley v. Church of Scientology International). The Church acknowledges that the rules in which the heads of households live include the prohibition of having children, censored letters, monitored phone calls, requiring permission to have Internet access and be disciplined through manual labor. The US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals noted in a ruling given in July 2012 that Marc Headley had been made to clean human waste by hand from an aeration pool in a complex without protective equipment, while Claire Headley was banned from the dining room up to eight months in 2002. He lost  £ 30 (14 kg) as a result of living on protein bars and water. In addition, he made two abortions to comply with the Sea Org no-child policy. The Headleys also suffered physical violence from Scientology executives and saw others treated harshly.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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