2min chapter

Behind the Bastards cover image

Part Two: Synanon: The Drug Rehab Program That Built Its Own Army

Behind the Bastards

CHAPTER

Synon and Chuck Dederick - The Cold Bot

In the 1960s, Chuck Dederick began to exhibit weirder and weirder behavior. He issued a policy of containment, which ordered that his members ought to separate themselves from the world outside of the cult. This of course cut them off from their families and friends, but also from hobbies or jobs that were not directly related to synon on. The state of California even gifted the cult an entire building in San Francisco. It's hard to say how many people are in this cult; probably somewhere around two to three thousand full time members.

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