The Scientology Money Project

Debunking Another Scientology Lie: Scientology Did Not Stand Beside the Black Community During the 1992 Los Angeles Uprising

1992: A group of largely White Scientologists form a human chain around the HGB Building. Located on the corner of Hollywood Blvd and Ivar, the HGB is the HQ of Scientology’s notorious Office of Special Affairs. David Miscavige also has an office there. The HGB had to be protected at all costs.

The contretemps over the letters purportedly written by Dr. Cecil Murray in defense of Scientology rages unchecked. Dr. Murray and USC insist he did not write the letters. The Church of Scientology insists he did. We call upon USC to open a full and complete investigation into the matter as its credibility and that of Dr. Murray are at stake.

The Murray affair is forcing a critical reexamination of Scientology’s claimed relationship with the Black Community. Scientology critic Mick Roberts today debunked a claim made by Scientology. This claim is made in one of the alleged Murray letters and states that the Church of Scientology stood beside the Black Community “through some very dark times”:

This quote refers to Scientology claim to have supported the Black Community during and after the Los Angeles Uprising of 1992. However, what actually happened is quite different. As Roberts noted, all Scientologists actually did during the Uprising was to form a human chain around the Scientology HGB Building in Hollywood in order to keep it safe from demonstrators and property damage.

Located on the corner of Hollywood Blvd and Ivar, the HGB is the HQ of Scientology’s notorious Office of Special Affairs. David Miscavige also has an office there. The HGB had to be protected at all costs. Scientologists did not stand with the Black Community. Rather, White Scientologists merely, and only, acted to protect Scientology’s real estate from damage. That’s it. Scientologists boarded up the windows of the HGB, surrounded it, and protected their own building:

Scientologists protected their own real estate.

As Roberts astutely noted, the Church of Scientology later spun its completely self-serving actions into a tale of valor:

In making this bogus claim that Scientologists kept property destruction from spreading, the Church of Scientology disingenuously ignores the massive LAPD presence. Additionally, then California Governor Pete Wilson ordered the deployment of 10,000 California National Guard troops. These heavily armed soldiers patrolled 24/7 in armored personnel carriers and Humvee’s. Scientology did not stop anything.

California National Guard troops during the 1992 Uprising.
Los Angeles Times photo by Ted Soqui

In this same vein of taking credit where no credit is due, the Church of Scientology ridiculously claimed that its Way to Happiness booklet reduced crime in Colombia by 50%. This too ignores the bravery of the Colombian military and police forces in their brutal and bloody war with FARC guerrillas and narco-traffickers.

It remains to be seen what steps USC will initiate in the Murray affair. For now, however, part of Scientology’s historical revisionism has been debunked.

In terms of Scientology, what actually happened following the 1992 Los Angeles Uprising is that Scientologists Fred Shaw and Alfreddie Johnson opened the World Literacy Crusade in Compton.

Ultimately, the World Literacy Crusade in Compton was disbanded in 2015 in the wake of an alleged $3 million Medi-Cal fraud scheme which resulted in the arrests of two high school principals, a high school football coach, WLC Executive Director Hanan Islam, several of her adult children, and a WLC employee named George Newby. This alleged fraud was conducted by American Health and Education Clinics (AHEC) a World Literacy Crusade sister organization. The same people were running both groups.

Felony charges are pending against Hanan Islam and her adult children. All parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Preliminary criminal trial is slated for April 10, 2019 at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Downtown Los Angeles. Reference LA Criminal Court Case BA435374.

2 replies »

  1. I remember clearly how Scn acted during the riots. The locked arms around the buildings in Hollywood which was not a big riot area. Don’t think they were terribly heroic.

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