Boston

[Commander Birdsong]

It's of interest that I don't know any of those names. Are you aware that the Boston Org was ostensibly "Saint Hill Size" in the mid-70's? Then, there was a collapse (about which I know next to nothing), and most of the senior exec strata either were declared or demoted. I would bet that you'll find more Bostonians here from post 78 than from prior for that reason. The execs have been pretty "stable" (if you can use that word) since then, and most of them are still Scientologists, even if they've gone elsewhere. I arrived on the scene in the late '80s.

alex sibersky was sent to run boston after he had caused a major ARCX in LA with his "pirate course"

i suppose the collapse had to do with him and his exec chums

 

[uniquemand]

That's interesting. I had heard that they had been "squirreling", and that this was why most of the senior exec strata were sacked. If they were "squirreling" using his methods, that would make sense (dedinging?). However, having worked there and lived in Central Files for a while, I remember that MOST of their contacts and completions of academy courses also came from that period, which probably provided the bedrock that the later Church sat on.

 

[Boojuum]

I just tripped over this site, not sure how...anyhow, reading thru the posts and names brought back many memories: I was at the Boston Org when Alex Sibersky/Kerry Gleeson/David Light etal arrived. Memory is hazy but I believe I was there summer 1968 thru 1973? Contemporary with many of the early folks' names I've seen mentioned: Siltons, Garrison, Gambino, Cieslinski, etc.
Anyone remember Roger Gustafson, Dana Hopkins, Holly ?? (long hair, came from Sea Org) Pamela ?? blond hair, ran printing press, Scott Brown, Harriet Kiriajes, Joe Giusti, Michelle ?? long dark hair, ethics officer, I was dissem sec for maybe a year: Amy Lewis.

Back in the Dark Ages! '68 to '73 is a long time. I didn't think the Command Team arrived until at least '72. I got in in '74 at the Kenmore Square site. Wild place back then. Strange when one looks back and notes all the characters involved. Scientology, with properly applied justice, recruiting, and closing tech is a self-destructive organism. I watched it over and over.

1. Shake down everyone who comes in for all their money and time.
2. Convince all staff that they aren't doing nearly enough.
3. Extract more time and more money from anyone who is not actively suing you.
4. Insist that all the problems are on the outside of the COS.
5. Repeat from step one. Over and over.
6. When the org is empty, insist on 2. go to 1. Over and over.

It's only because of mind control tactics that anyone stays!

 

[Commander Birdsong]

That's interesting. I had heard that they had been "squirreling", and that this was why most of the senior exec strata were sacked. If they were "squirreling" using his methods, that would make sense (dedinging?). However, having worked there and lived in Central Files for a while, I remember that MOST of their contacts and completions of academy courses also came from that period, which probably provided the bedrock that the later Church sat on.

you should know by now any official statement by CoS has a 90% chance of being complete or predominantly fabrication

 

[Boojuum]

That's interesting. I had heard that they had been "squirreling", and that this was why most of the senior exec strata were sacked. If they were "squirreling" using his methods, that would make sense (dedinging?). However, having worked there and lived in Central Files for a while, I remember that MOST of their contacts and completions of academy courses also came from that period, which probably provided the bedrock that the later Church sat on.

Squirrelling? Not that I saw. The "dinging" was much later and a West Coast phenomena. The "Command Team" of the early 70's was extremely successful in bringing tons of people into the org and delivering lots of auditing and training. I think LRH was overseeing the group very closely. In addition to Sibersky, Light, and Franks, Jon Eastman was brought in as the tech guy and he was one of the top guys on the planet at the time, perhaps senior to David Mayo. From what I heard, lots of rules were broken in the name of delivering and recruiting. Remember there were no tech dictionaries then, no tech vols, no R&D vols, no cassettes or CD's and wooden meters. It was the high point of Boston. Sort of a wild west. The subsequent downfall had numerous causes. For one thing, it was no longer cool to the weird stuff of the 60's. Key personnel were taken by the SO but the real reason for the decline was the inflow of new folks stopped. Crickets chirped in the public areas no matter what mailings went out, no matter what new programs were implemented.

It was a fad that many of us loved, but much more complex.

 

[HASbeen]

The story I heard was that the "command team" guys got into ethics trouble and were sent to Boston as an amends project. The ethics trouble (once again, hearsay) was the postulate checks scam. Apparently, regges would have the public/mark write out a "postulate check" for the money they planned to give at some future time. There was no actual money backing the checks. I'm sure some ended up getting deposited when they should have and probably income was counted prior to actually being collected.

I came on lines at Boston shortly after they left. Everything I heard about them implied that they were completely unreasonable about demanding production (maybe irrational?). They certainly drove a lot of people into the org and recruited a lot of staff. For the staff it was more of a "group engram", though. I'd say they were all treated as though they were SO and any dynamic other than the 3rd really didn't matter. Course, we know now that pattern of unreasonable demands actually stemmed from the "source".

Whatever was done to boom the place then, though, left with them. Boston was dwindling throughout my stay and that has continued from all I've heard.

Angus

That's interesting. I had heard that they had been "squirreling", and that this was why most of the senior exec strata were sacked. If they were "squirreling" using his methods, that would make sense (dedinging?). However, having worked there and lived in Central Files for a while, I remember that MOST of their contacts and completions of academy courses also came from that period, which probably provided the bedrock that the later Church sat on.

 

[myrklix]

Just curious if anyone has come across information on the closing date at 448 Beacon (the current org).
From the following Sept., 2013, article http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/real_estate/2013/09/church-of-scientology-hq-sold-11M.html,
it looks like they should be out in about 6 months but I'm not even sure if work has begun at the Ideal Derelict Building.

BTW, I happened to drive past the current org yesterday evening and it looked closed and dark. Back in the day I remember Sat. evening was still "on course" time.

A church spokesman said they plan to remain in the building for up to a year while they renovate the former Alexandra Hotel in the South End as their new Boston home.

The church put the 27,765-square-foot property up for sale at $12.5 million in 2010. Later, when offers for the Richardsonian Romanesque-style home fell short of the asking price, church officials lowered the price to $10.5 million.
(...)
But the cost of transforming the 137-year-old landmark property into the church’s office and welcoming center was then estimated at about $17 million, a cost that was out of reach for the nonprofit organization.

“The sale gets us closer to beginning construction at the Hotel Alexandra,” said Kevin Hall, a church spokesman.

Yeah, right. ^^^

 

[freethinker]

I have no information on the current state of the sale but I'm sure it will become a Hill 10 for the org in the near future as they have a tendency to sit on things until someone jabs them in the ass hard.

In answer to your dark Saturday nights. It happened in the second half of the 90's. Prior to that, just like you said, they would run the academy till 10:00PM. We would do "all hands" whatever it might be whether moving the crap from the basement to the fifth floor via human chain or from the fifth to the basement or scrubbing down Div 6 etc. Then , of course, there would be letter quota's to be met and often staff would not leave until midnight or later; Sundays as well.

Then a telex came down that the org schedules were laid out in HCOPL blahdy blah and production should be done according to those hours. that HCOPL said the org closed at 6 PM Saturday and Sunday.

Once that went in there was no going back because nobody wanted to be there after 6 PM and because the execs all blew anywhere from 4 PM to 5:50 PM, there was no one to stop anyone from leaving so it has been that way ever since.

Just curious if anyone has come across information on the closing date at 448 Beacon (the current org).
From the following Sept., 2013, article http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/real_estate/2013/09/church-of-scientology-hq-sold-11M.html,
it looks like they should be out in about 6 months but I'm not even sure if work has begun at the Ideal Derelict Building.

BTW, I happened to drive past the current org yesterday evening and it looked closed and dark. Back in the day I remember Sat. evening was still "on course" time.


Yeah, right. ^^^

 

[Operating Wog]

I have no information on the current state of the sale but I'm sure it will become a Hill 10 for the org in the near future as they have a tendency to sit on things until someone jabs them in the ass hard.

In answer to your dark Saturday nights. It happened in the second half of the 90's. Prior to that, just like you said, they would run the academy till 10:00PM. We would do "all hands" whatever it might be whether moving the crap from the basement to the fifth floor via human chain or from the fifth to the basement or scrubbing down Div 6 etc. Then , of course, there would be letter quota's to be met and often staff would not leave until midnight or later; Sundays as well.

Then a telex came down that the org schedules were laid out in HCOPL blahdy blah and production should be done according to those hours. that HCOPL said the org closed at 6 PM Saturday and Sunday.

Once that went in there was no going back because nobody wanted to be there after 6 PM and because the execs all blew anywhere from 4 PM to 5:50 PM, there was no one to stop anyone from leaving so it has been that way ever since.

Not exactly how I remember it. Yeah, the academy closed at 6:00 on the weekends. But there were still renos, and all hands, and staff tape play and call in / event call in quotas etc. etc. I always counted myself supremely lucky to get out by 8pm. But yeah, it was better than midnight like previously.

 

[Boojuum]

The new org building

I walked past the site of the new org on Mass Ave in the South End. No renovations have begun. Still selling beauty supplies on the 1st floor.

 

[freethinker]

It was probably due to the post you had that pinned you down more than others and yes there were all hands but they were few and far between because you know those execs didn't like to hang around.

There was security as well but if the execs left most regular staff left as well unless they had to send telexes and reports and HAD to stay. I know there were many who came in early the next day to write letters.

It was different after that policy went in.

Not exactly how I remember it. Yeah, the academy closed at 6:00 on the weekends. But there were still renos, and all hands, and staff tape play and call in / event call in quotas etc. etc. I always counted myself supremely lucky to get out by 8pm. But yeah, it was better than midnight like previously.

 

[myrklix]

Do staff still do overnight security? If so, how many each night? And with so few staff (I assume execs are excluded) doesn't each staff member's turn come around fairly often? Is this true in Boston as well as ALL orgs?

 

[freethinker]

On Security...

The last I knew, they still did security where you stay all night and leave in the morning. It is two people.

A Petition was sent up by a staff on Day Org asking that Security be eliminated because not every org did it.

It was flatly denied and fortified that security would continue

When I was first on staff, it was only the men who got security.

Then that changed and women were added..

Execs never did security.

Despite the added women, I still wound up having security quite a bit. In fact, at one time I had it two times a week for a while and 3 times in one week once.

I was very much in disfavor, as I usually was, with the execs and towards the end of my contract got lots of the shit jobs and higher handout and letter quota's.

As much as I pissed the execs off, I rarely wound up in ethics but I was Urgent Directed off post more than once.

Do staff still do overnight security? If so, how many each night? And with so few staff (I assume execs are excluded) doesn't each staff member's turn come around fairly often? Is this true in Boston as well as ALL orgs?

 

[Boojuum]

Back in the late 70's, the security job was considered VERY serious with all those B1 GO folks having their super secret stuff going on at the 4th floor. The GO was very worried about some spy-type infiltrating. I think there were 40 folks in the GO in 1978, some imported from other orgs.

 

[Commander Birdsong]

On Security...

The last I knew, they still did security where you stay all night and leave in the morning. It is two people.

A Petition was sent up by a staff on Day Org asking that Security be eliminated because not every org did it.

It was flatly denied and fortified that security would continue

When I was first on staff, it was only the men who got security.

Then that changed and women were added..

Execs never did security.

Despite the added women, I still wound up having security quite a bit. In fact, at one time I had it two times a week for a while and 3 times in one week once.

I was very much in disfavor, as I usually was, with the execs and towards the end of my contract got lots of the shit jobs and higher handout and letter quota's.

As much as I pissed the execs off, I rarely wound up in ethics but I was Urgent Directed off post more than once.

you and i have played ping-pong a few times FT but i do want you to know i listen to all gripes

and you were in boston?

you a sox fan?

 

[freethinker]

yes I am a Sox fan and the last World Series they won was quite the accomplishment. They went up against unbelievable pitching and almost tied one game by getting a run walked in in a 1-0 game.

I am becoming less and less a fan of Bob Craft though.

you and i have played ping-pong a few times FT but i do want you to know i listen to all gripes

and you were in boston?

you a sox fan?

 

[Commander Birdsong]

yes I am a Sox fan and the last World Series they won was quite the accomplishment. They went up against unbelievable pitching and almost tied one game by getting a run walked in in a 1-0 game.

I am becoming less and less a fan of Bob Craft though.

i'm out in SF

the kraft family does a great job with the pats. what's goin' on?

 

[myrklix]

This is a great topic to take into a new thread in the "Off Topic" category. As a big Boston sports fan myself I'd be glad to join in that discussion. I respectfully ask that this thread stay on the "Org Watch" topic of Boston. Thanks.

i'm out in SF

the kraft family does a great job with the pats. what's goin' on?

 

[Commander Birdsong]

This is a great topic to take into a new thread in the "Off Topic" category. As a big Boston sports fan myself I'd be glad to join in that discussion. I respectfully ask that this thread stay on the "Org Watch" topic of Boston. Thanks.

i'm outa here mr klix

but you ought to check out my writings on this board man...

i've using "OT" (if you will pardon the term) capacities with boston teams for years and i've often essayed various things here and there

we go back with the sox in my family; my grandfather saw babe ruth in redsox flannels at fenway in 1918

 

[AnonyMary]

Back in the late 70's, the security job was considered VERY serious with all those B1 GO folks having their super secret stuff going on at the 4th floor. The GO was very worried about some spy-type infiltrating. I think there were 40 folks in the GO in 1978, some imported from other orgs.

Yes, I imagine it was considered very serious there. I heard about there being a large GO staff there. It was like the EUS version of CA. Often times they would pull GO staff from NY and Phili to come up there for briefings or handlings.

Back in those days, as was the case at orgs in urban settings, only HCO staff members were allowed to guard the front entry and be the eyes and ears of the near empty building all night long. It was more like a babysitting job without a TV. He or she sat and worked from the reception desk. The post title was called Quartermaster. Same as the Sea Org post. Every HCO staff member had to take the full hat course, as if he were the quartermaster of a ship. I remember taking that course and wondering why I had to learn all that crap about ships when all I was going to be doing is manning the reception desk over night because someone had to be there. We all had to take turns at least one night a week.

I gather they still have people posted as the org Quartermaster, or are on HCO all hands with it.