Part 77: The Squirrel Squad Closes Down A Scientologist Bar – Activism Versus Corruption

Published February 11, 2024

Photo of members of the Squirrel Squad outside La Poubelle Bistro & Bar in Hollywood California with LAPD officers by author (GoPro Hero 11 Black).

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By Zachary Ellison, Independent Journalist

The week since the assault on Confident Chris in the onslaught of the atmospheric river storm had swirled with rumor. Was it Fair Game? After the storm lifted following 36 plus hours of nearly continuous rainfall on the Los Angeles Basin and the sun came out again, I went first to see the widely publicized graffiti on the vacant, partially finished Oceanwide Plaza towers in Downtown Los Angeles. Rick Caruso, billionaire former mayoral candidate turned Democrat, had attacked Los Angeles Times journalist Gustavo Arellano on X, formerly known as Twitter, for having had the audacity to appreciate the artwork.

“We need to quit becoming a place where criminals flourish and return to being a city where honest and law-abiding citizens do,” Rick Caruso had declared in the conclusion of his missive. Perhaps this is something that newly announced interim chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, Dominic Choi can help with in the scandal plagued department, as the final days of Chief Michel Moore countdown. The LAPD Media Relations Team had ghosted me when I asked about his affiliation with the controversial Church of Scientology. I watched the press conference on the phone of an anti-Scientology protester on the street next to its complex in Hollywood known as the “Blue Building.”

Choi seemed nice, albeit a resident of Orange County. The first Asian-American to hold such a position, the protestors who for months now have embattled the secretive organization couldn’t what for something to change. After having been the target of swatting using both LAPD and Fire Department Resources, I could only hope my outreach to the Office of Mayor Karen Bass had worked. Along with the streets, the constant diversion of important public safety resources in never stopping Hollywood seemed, well “an irresponsible debate.” Did Scientology have such a hold over the City that they could truly get away with abusing public resources in such a way with no repercussion?

The group has made no secret of its ire towards the activist group known as the “Squirrel Squad” organically composed of individuals including both former members and eager youth with cellphones streaming constantly to audiences eager to follow the effort. Social media influencer Jessica Palmadessa had posted yet another apparent leaked email from publicly identifiable local Scientologist leader Betsy Davis on X, “Well, the harassment from the TikTokers has been very bad,” it began, before describing how they had “put up curtains” and used the back entrance to their “Testing Center” on Hollywood Boulevard and Ivar Street.

Davis continues, “by blocking all view to the inside, we prevented the TikTokers from having any content at all, and their ratings started plummeting,” she wrote before declaring with finality: “No more money for them!” I can say with confidence this Saturday night that this is absolutely not the case, even as the “Testing Center” street entrances remains closed along with a nearby “Info Center” along the Boulevard. So on Friday night I was the first to arrive to join Palmadessa and well-known activist William Gude, previously known by his handle FilmThePoliceLA along with a now extremely popular account entitled “Scientology Audit (Streets LA).”

They were attempting to get a permit to host a counter-event to Scientology’s on their dedicated, albeit still public street, L. Ron Hubbard Way named after the organizations founder next to the Blue Building running from Sunset Boulevard to Fountain Avenue. “If we get any more Squirrels we have new tools in place to quickly take care of the problem,” Davis had written before again describing all motive for the protestors, in reference to a passage by its founder. Palmadessa and Gude had no luck getting a permit at the Hollywood Police Station after getting the run around between City Hall and the Office of Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez.

So after more activists arrived, we left the police station entrance to the unhoused woman who had been sleeping there and had been displaced by the sudden rush of activity of mostly young-people with smart phones, gimbles to hold them and power cords dangling to battery packs. The much debated question among the many thousands watching on social media of whether the issues of corruption in the Department extend more broadly than just a few isolated actors lingering in the cold February night air. So we set off for the Blue Building, but nothing was happening there, so the Squirrels decided to pick a new target again en masse.

Turning to the intersection of Franklin Ave and Bronson Avenue adjacent to the towering hotel-like complex that is Scientology’s Celebrity Center, across the street sat La Poubelle Bristo & Bar, the site of at least one drugging committed by now incarcerated actor Danny Masterson for the purpose of sexual assault. The Church had fought to protect Masterson harassing at least three women who reported his transgression relentlessly despite betrayal by law enforcement including the LAPD. The restaurant is owned by Françoise Koster, who had written a letter to the judge in Masterson’s case describing how “despite his severe allergies to animals, Danny has gone above and beyond, ensuring that my canine companions are always included.”

She neglected to mention that the Church is accused of killing at least two dogs on behalf of Masterson, and that of Mars Volta rock singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala infamously as well. The restaurant name in French means “trash can” and so it was the Squirrel Squad set upon it Friday night with eagerness to protest the joint, which featured a larger blue canopy. “Danny Masterson is a rapist” they chanted as Gude yelled inside to warn women of spiked drinks. A man passing by on a bike mistook the chant as being directed at him stopping to assault one protestor before being knocked the ground and chased off after being informed of his presumption. Palmadessa poked her hand with cellphone at the crack in the blue curtain.

The LAPD had arrived and completely ignored the altercation outside which had just occurred in order to speak with Koster for nearly an hour. She spotted me watching her speak with the police and frowned at me before attempting to move out of view. Two members of the Squirrel Squad then quickly discovered that while demonstrating their cars parked behind the establishment had been keyed all around the exterior auto paint. Some ascribe their motivation to clickbait, but too many they are heroes for rattling the Scientology establishment with a system that requires you to pay in order to advance through its materials, “pray-to-play” as I’ve taken to call it. One masked former member protesting had informed me he’d given the “cult” $100,000 dollars.

Palmadessa would soon be punched in the chest on camera by La Poubelle manager Francois Gras, a cousin of Koster, and as Palmadessa attempted to show LAPD officers the video, they simply appeared to dismiss the matter as activism gone awry before leaving in their cruisers. Gude yelled at one and entered the street blocking the car, before I called to him to get out of the street and he cast me a large smile from ear-to-ear and shook his head in delight. “Will” “Will” I had shouted to the towering resident of Hollywood, who had lost a son to gun violence before taking up his current, sometimes controversial role essentially “birddogging” the police as local leftist activists had popularized in confronting political figures.

He stepped back onto the sidewalk. As the clock ticked down towards closing time at 2:00 am and the activists continued to yell, patrons began to spill out of the bar in drunken stupors. A rather comical looking group, and some quite obviously well-intoxicated. One woman stopped to tell them that they had picked a “weird hobby” before attempting to normalize sexual violence to which one activist shouted back “shame” at her to contempt. A larger burly man with a faux-hawk attempted to question me, backing off after I informed him I was a journalist and had good reasons to be there in solidarity even if I wasn’t. He later decided to bother the LAPD instead and activists as well before eventually leaving.

The Fire Department came for one point, reportedly for an overdose inside the blue-curtained and signed restaurant. Their electric fire engine making no typical engine noise for a vehicle of such large size. A puzzled and frustrated employee had worked the crowd, obviously concerned for his paycheck, questioning me and suggesting that the group should target “big pharma” instead. Eventually no one else came out of the bar, and so it was that tonight at least, February 10, the restaurant did not open again. “There go the aristocrats,” one activist had said with glee as they had begun exiting. The large blue tent coming down as well in a sign of capitulation?

Rick Caruso had attacked Karen Bass over once having given a speech in 2010 to the Church of Scientology, which is known to cultivate close relationships with law enforcement where it has facilities. Going so far as having had former Hollywood Division commander Cory Palka even place a vending machine for the group inside the police station. After running negative adds against Bass over the matter in the race to become Mayor, Caruso had taken the stage at the KNX News Debate on October 6, 2022 and after defending his decision to not release his promised investigation report into former USC gynecologist George Tyndall, he defended his assault on Bass: “It’s about credibility. It’s about character. It’s about judgment.”

Since the much debated and as of yet unfollowed-up upon December 19, 2023 article in the Los Angeles Times by journalists Libor Jany and Richard Winton, the question of just what has happened in Los Angeles has lingered. Ever since the destabilizing so-called “October Surprise” leak known as the LA Fed Tapes, widely known for their racism alone instead of political corruption, the question of an LAPD-USC connection, much less an LAPD-Church of Scientology connection has lingered. If the Times fails to defend their reporting alleging that Chief Moore ordered an investigation into Palka and USC stopped by Internal Affairs, and instead Mayor Karen Bass investigated inanely over her scholarship from the institution, it will only raise more red flags.

Is there a syndicate at work in Los Angeles? And just how far reaching does it go. For his part, Chief Moore has denied the allegation of political corruption on behalf of Rick Caruso, and seemingly in favor of Palka, believed to be a fellow Scientologist like Moore. The question will remain, has Los Angeles really just fallen for the bait like an unsuspecting dog eating poisoned red meat? Embattled Councilmember Kevin de León who is seeking re-election might as well be dead meat to many, with forgiveness from the African-American community definitely not coming anytime soon. Perhaps even more than Moore over police shootings, KDL’s racist comments on the LA Fed Tapes have drawn scorn.

Black Lives Matter – Los Angeles, affiliated with the Grassroots movement of the organization seeking reform, set out last Sunday to door-knock his neighborhood in Eagle Rock. Activist Albert Jaragua Corado, a Latino who lost his sister in an LAPD shooting at a Trader Joe’s in Echo Park spots KDL trying to leave in a white SUV, “where are you going Kevin? Where are you going buddy?” he shouts, “talk to us man, talk to us.” Then KDL rolls down his window, “I’m going to Boyle Heights, right now,” he says attempting to drive away, “yeah to be racist, to sell people out again, or what” Corado shouts at him.” KDL responds: “it’s a false narrative,” and an incredulous Corado replies “false narrative” before cursing him out.

Activism isn’t knew in Los Angeles, but will it be that even as crowds of hundreds if not thousands went to LA City Hall over the race-baiting LA Fed Tapes, up in Hollywood, only a handful of determined activists have managed to put an even more secretive organization on notice. Scientology can’t operate its street recruiting centers, and now one of its favorite hangouts just might be shuttered as well. The complexities of Los Angeles boiled down into one micro-conflict being watched by unknown hundreds, thousands even millions following this social media story that to date has drawn media attention from only Rolling Stone. You can’t blame the Los Angeles Times with all the job losses.

More questionable though is its coverage, for which it won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Coverage, and so I watched as the lone journalist on scene as William Gude cursed out a white LAPD officer for refusing to take a battery report from Jessica Palmadessa, and he went to the station with her again the next day. Can it be in a city in which the highest leaders get caught on tape being racist as happened to Nury Martinez, Kevin de León, Gil Cedillo and there former President of the AFL-CIO’s branch in Los Angeles, Ron Herrera that the truly most shocking things go unheard and unpublished? The allegations made about interference at the Times, even manipulation seem even more real than ever, and for every time Nury Martinez said with scorn “Blacks” you have to wonder, who was really listening?

Spend enough time around the police, and you’ll get a sense for the game. Much like the social media influencers they’re policing on the streets of Hollywood, so much of what happens behind the supposed “Thin Blue Line” remains secret. Whether the Powers That Be in the City care enough to stop the swatting in Hollywood, or to ever reveal where exactly the LA Fed Tapes came from, much less what went down in LAPD Internal Affairs before Christmas remains officially a public mystery, even if you don't believe the whistleblower, and Lord help me, but never Xenu, the questions remain. My TikTok live feed turning incessantly from Scientology to MAGA to the cops and back again to the youngsters of the Squirrel Squad on rebound, looking for new Scientology locations to target.  

Link: Rick Caruso on Gustavo Arellano

Link: Leaked Scientology Email from Jessica Palmadessa

Link: More letters — from Ethan Suplee and others — on behalf of Danny Masterson to Judge Olmedo

Link: Bass, Caruso spar over USC, Scientology, policing and housing in L.A. mayoral debate

Link: Kevin de León and Albert Corado

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Zachary Ellison is an Independent Journalist and Whistleblower in the Los Angeles area. Zach was most recently employed by the University of Southern California, Office of the Provost from October 2015 to August 2022 as an Executive Secretary and Administrative Assistant supporting the Vice Provost for Academic Operations and the Vice Provost and Senior Advisor to the Provost among others. Zach holds a Master’s in Public Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Policy and Planning from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. While a student at USC, he worked for the USC Good Neighbors Campaign including on their newsletter distributed university-wide. Zach completed his B.A. in History at Reed College, in Portland, Oregon and was a writer, editor, and photographer for the Pasadena High School Chronicle. He was Barack Obama’s one-millionth online campaign contributor in 2008. Zach is a former AmeriCorps intern for Hawaii State Parks and worked for the City of Manhattan Beach Parks and Recreation. He is a trained civil process server, and enjoys weekends in the great outdoors.