Synanon Visitor Comments

"As a former member of Synanon my experience still haunts me to this day. I witnessed a beating that took place there because a member tried to leave on his motorcycle, which Synanon said was their motorcycle. We were assembled in a hall and as three men held this individual, while two others beat him bloody. It shocked me and scared me so badly. I remember the words they said in that hall, 'If anybody says anything we will find you and we will kill you!' I escaped less that a week later, thanks to some 'growers' who lived not far from the ranch at Point Reyes. Needless to say I kept my mouth shut, until I found a Fresno District Attorney that wanted to listen...By speaking out I stand with hundreds of others who were affected by what started out as a good idea, but became a monster."

"I was in Synanon in 1975-1977. I will tell you, I would never have my worst enemy experience the things I went through. I'm still living with the memories of all the trauma I had to deal with for the year and a half I lived there."

"I was in what Synanon called its 'Punk Squad' back in the 70's and it still makes my skin crawl. Synanon devastated my life and destroyed any faith I had in the human race. I have recovered as much as a person can and lead a productive life today, but it took a lot of years to pull it off. It was pure and simple a nightmare."

"I saw the '96 article on Amity on your Synanon page. I 'cleaned up' at Amity and worked there. I could see the mismanagement he talks about and left. Curiously, his prophecy from '96 about Mullen/Arbiter rebuilding Synanon in California is coming somewhat true. They now have four programs in place in California prisons, and just last week received a $9.7 million Calif. Dept. of Correction grant for a 5-year program in a prison in Blythe. Amity California is now the Amity Foundation...Bette Fleishman has remained with Amity, which is still in Tucson and now has two facilities in New Mexico, one in Espanola (north of Santa Fe) and one at Ft. Stanton, near Ruidoso."

Note: In December of 2005 Bette Fleishman stated, "I left [Amity] over a year ago for a variety of reasons."