Part 87: Protesting the Church of Scientology in Hollywood – 911 Controversies and More Street Violence

Published March 11, 2024. Updated March 12, 2024.

Photo of the names written in chalk of the protestors of La Poubelle Bistro & Bar created by Jessica Palmadessa by author (GoPro Hero 11 Back).

Please support my work with your subscription or for direct aid use Venmo

By Zachary Ellison, Independent Journalist

Ask anyone what the biggest story in social media might be right now, and it’s the protests against the Church of Scientology. Overshadowing even the U.S. President Election perhaps that represents the ongoing dramaturgy of an ersatz battle between Joe Biden and Donald Trump that most of America perhaps would take a skip on, no the protests have energy. People are invested in a way that the Boomer generation could perhaps never replicate in a way at a MAGA rally. Don’t talk about politics, says my commenter: let’s keep it focused on the Church! No as they say, es una secta, it’s a cult, and the protests that began as a quasi-social media fad meets uprising of ex-Scientologists streamed nightly with a regular threat of violence.

To be honest, I’m bored with the elections already, scary as they might be, it’s just more of the same old. The idea though of taking on what might be the most secretive organization in America seemed compelling, even more than Caruso Affiliated properties and Geoff Palmer’s Italianate developments, the Church of Scientology’s set of buildings in Hollywood and beyond in Southern California represent something so secretively special, that well it would give anyone the creepy, crawlies. Maybe it’s just the uniforms? The Church now contends that the protests amount to a hate crime, that would never be tolerated against any other religion, not the least Scientology with its e-meters, personality tests, and auditing sessions designed to get you to hand over money to the idea in return for self-glorification.

So long as you don’t talk about, and definitely not negatively, because then the Church of Scientology will get you, goes the common wisdom. The extent to which the “swatting” as it’s known represents the direct retribution of the organization, with frequent calls for Los Angeles Police and Fire Department services allegedly by its members versus viewers remains in debate. A recent California Public Records Act for Fire response yielded records only documenting 17 calls for service to locations associated with the protests and the Church in the last few months, along with 3 recordings made of 911 calls that are impossible to correlate with the provided records. All 3 tapes are the same caller, and sections are redacted, the man complains: “There’s a fire in the basement of the building…Yup…Nope…Not yet no…” the man goes telling how “a couple boxes and junk down there are no fire.”

The dispatcher asks if everyone is out of the building. The man says he’s just “kind of cleaning up” before the dispatcher asks if it’s a “six story building” – in another the man explains: “we have a fire in the heating system in our basement” calmly explaining “there’s also the natural gas system lines where the fire is” he says with emphasis! “We don’t really have access to turn the natural gas lines off,” the tape breaks again so you can’t tell who’s calling of course, and the man explains more rapidly: “it’s like where we have the electrical panels, the natural gas line, along with our heating system” explaining “looking through the window into the basement because I’m in the back, the alleyway right now, and it does look like it’s spreading rapidly toward where the natural gas lines are.” The man confirms no one is in there, and then as the dispatcher tells him the response is on the way, he goes “I’m not done talking.”

There was no fire behind these 911 calls, nor has any investigation been announced. This mattered little to Jessica Palmadessa, the social media influencer who has led the protests and become a main target of the swatting along with other activists. Video from social media shows Palmadessa being swatted in the Hollywood Hills, “Bro, why is there a helicopter?” before cutting to a dispatcher, “She’s a female white blonde…it’s going to be the individual that’s inside our station all the time” before switching to another: “partygoer at the location is now waving a handgun, shooting at the backyard wall” and another goes “suspect inside a dark colored Mini-Cooper at the end of the cul-de-sac” before being called out by officers along with a passenger. “We get swatted on like a daily basis now,” says Palmadessa in the Instagram Reel.

Critics contend that Palmadessa and the others, known as “Squirrels” in the Church of Scientology’s lingo for subverting its power, that are engaged in the protests simply for clickbait, with William Gude, better known by his handles “Scientology Audit (Streets LA)” and previously for “FilmThePoliceLA” are simply engaged in clickbait. The practice of drawing in viewers with edgy content. LAPD released the following statement about the incident:

“On 03/04/2024, around 2:07 a.m., Officers from Hollywood division responded to a radio call of a possible shooting in the 1800 block of Rising Glen Rd. Officers detained multiple partygoers at the location. The investigation revealed the call was a "swatting" incident and there was no evidence of a shooting. Officers completed a report and the partygoers were released.”

Asked for comment about a separate earlier incident that day again involving the YouTuber known as Defender of Ants and an alleged possession of hand grenades, LAPD Media Relations did not respond to a request for comment. Video posted on social media shows the man who was recently arrested and jailed for five nights after an altercation at the La Poubelle Bistro & Bar shows him being called out of his painted “Scientology is a cult” van near the organization’s Blue Building complex at Fountain Ave and L. Ron Hubbard Way in Hollywood at gunpoint.

The following night I went out to ask Palmadessa about the incident live on TikTok with her inside the now famously recognizable Black Mini-Cooper next to the towering part of the Blue Building Complex next to the towering Horseshoe. After making sure she was okay, and as I was joking a bit about the swatting incident, I received two calls and then a text: “No more Jessica talk pls.” It was spooky, and in a scary place, and so as I checked my peripherals, there was no one in sight.” Palmadessa left after assuring me there was nothing inside the car and she wasn’t about to lead the authorities on a highly memorable pursuit live-streamed to a social media audience nationwide, indeed worldwide. The Squirrel Squad as it’s known has so effectively mocked the Church of Scientology, that it’s had to halt its street recruiting operation for months.   

There were no grenades to be found in the Defender of Ants van, perhaps now the second most recognizable vehicle in Hollywood after the Mini-Cooper, and so the week went on with both Jessica Palmadessa and the Defender of Ants doing chalk art as protest including listing the names of protestors along with other slogans on the sidewalk in front of the La Poubelle Bistro & Bar without much further swatting or incident. The owner of the establishment, Françoise Koster hasn’t been seen in weeks at the location, even as she appeared at every court date for convicted rapist actor Danny Masterson, who is now serving a 30-year prison sentence. Koster also harassed the victims of Masterson, at least one of whom was drugged inside her decades old establishment before being sexually assaulted at his home up Bronson at the base of Hollyridge Drive. Koster had gone as far as intimidating victims in the court house, but had her protestors gone too extreme? Talk of restraining orders swirled, as the Squirrels gathered again, Friday night was unusually quiet, the calm before the storm.

It didn’t wait long, on Saturday afternoon one Squirrel was arrested at the Blue Building, after a brief encounter with a member of the Church on the sidewalk with an electric scooter brushed into him to a quick pushback before being arrested by LAPD for robbery and a hate crime charge reportedly. Saturday night went just about as expected at La Poubelle, and I wasn’t there for a change. After a long night of protesting, William Gude and Squirrels stood in front of the La Poubelle Bistro & Bar and things began to unravel. After a verbal exchange between Gude and a man later identified as Dillon Leigh exiting the establishment, a musician known by his handle Lil27MadeIt on YouTube, along with an unknown friend, repeatedly the friend a “junkie” and suggested that he “supported rape” before the friend blew cigarette smoke in Gude’s face. Gude then yells at Leigh, look at “Harry Potter guy” before Leigh slaps the phone out of his hand to the ground where the friend then kicks it away.

Gude follows the pair along with other Squirrels with the La Poubelle bouncer momentarily intervening, and Leigh swings at Gude with a punch. Eventually the pair leave with an unknown woman. William Gude further pursues yelling “look at the junkie walking away” and the two face off before the pair retreats and an object is thrown at Gude and the others by the retreating by Leigh around the corner of Bronson and Franklin along the side of the Gelson’s Market. A verbal conflict ensues before Leigh strikes Gude again before fleeing until Gude catches up to the unknown accomplice and tackles him to the ground, receiving a broken, bloody nose from his swinging elbow on the ground.

Eventually the man gives in, and despite multiple calls the LAPD doesn’t arrive at the location where they had just been earlier for another alleged assault on one of the protestors. In a statement posted on Instagram, Leigh says that “Instead of protestors giving knowledge about the situation that happened to people who might not even know, they are instantly harassing anyone in the building.” He continues: “No one wants to be harassed and falsely accused of supporting things like this [Danny Masterson] or being called a ton of names because of their appearance.”

Leigh then says that “If people would show the full livestream, you would clearly hear and see the harassment from the get-go and this was a total matter of self-defense.” For her part, Jessica Palmadessa stood back from the struggle trying to call 911 to no effect, being put “on hold” before saying “Oh my God!” Watching as it escalated as another caller finally gets through to report the feud. “Will’s knocking him out, Will’s knocking him out,” she says, telling the police “you need to come there’s a huge fight right here, we just explained all this” and the dispatcher can be heard over the YouTube livestream. Retreating, she works through the shifting location, confirming that someone is injured, “their whole face is bleeding.” Gude allegedly quotes the unknown man, “the cops are on their side, they’re not going to do anything.” Leigh his friend saying that he has a gun as this is happening. Palmadessa watches as another man gives his bag away and moves to kick the legs of the struggling man on the ground.

“Don’t do that” says Palmadessa, and pretty soon the LAPD are there. “Will is covered in blood” she says, “Damn he’s covered in blood,” she says more plaintively. They walk back toward the front of the bar, and soon the other companion is back into the restaurant. “You alright” asks Palmadessa before saying to Gude, “I told them, I literally said guy has a gun it’s an emergency, they asked me 5,000 questions. The other man who accompanied Leigh can be seen poking his head through the curtain. Eventually, both reportedly left in an Uber rideshare. Gude would later go to the emergency room to get his broken nose treated. He would later write on X, formerly known as Twitter,  after LAPD refused to make any arrests: “As you can see the LAPD is openly corrupt with their misapplication of the law.” In the hospital, he would say that he was glad that he had not punched Leigh back during the street fighting with confidence.

It's hard to say if this will be the end of a protest that has seen both worldwide social media following, but it wasn’t a high moment, not at all. From the prior arrests made by LAPD, only one protestor from the so-called Squirrels is still facing charges, the YouTuber known as “Jasiahthegod333” for felony criminal threat and misdemeanor battery. His arrest on the night of February 16 stemmed from an altercation that occurred on January 21 involving Patrick Perry, a man believed to be a member of the Church of Scientology,” and well-known YouTuber Aaron Smith-Levin. On March 5, both appeared in court, Perry to press the charges, winning a temporary restraining order even as a judge questioned the filing at hand. The accused YouTuber was represented by a public attorney, it’s unclear who is counseling Perry, or what if any evidence exists that would sustain convictions against Jasiah; both parties are African-American males, with the age of the accused being unknown.

Without doubt, the violence over the weekend, even as it attracted viewership, harmed the credibility of the protest. Many fans were quick to judge that William Gude whom has contrasted Jessica Palmadessa as the faces of the protest, like an odd couple, had acted correctly while Dillon Leigh had snapped. “I don’t have hate in my heart and I worked so hard to fix my mental health,” wrote Leigh after writing that “Everything should’ve been avoided completely last night.” I’m not sure I could have stopped it; but watching it unfold on YouTube in real time, I was disappointed, not so much at the fact that violence had become a predictable conclusion, no longer just an imaginary threat, but the stuff of highlight clips.

The legitimate protest against the Church of Scientology has been inspiring, but watching anyone fight in the streets of Hollywood should be a non-starter. I had seen Gude shout just a few nights before, “Don’t’ follow them” about a group of patrons. If the LA-famous activist had reached a new high in kicking of a “movement” against the Church of Scientology for defending his slain son from insult, the still shot of him with blood on his face on top of some punk was disappointing, and certainly no cause for celebration. Many have predicted that this would end just like the case against street vendor activist Edin Alex Enamorado, and if the similarly charismatic Gude had beaten the wrap sheet on Enamorado until now, we can only hope he realizes the mistake. Gude has called for the backlash against Leigh to stop, writing on X: “Regardless, I don’t want him hurting himself. So let’s not bully him. I don’t want that on my conscience.” Perhaps the question better spent asking, is what’s on Scientology’s conscience?

That’s what I want to know! If the clicks are fighting alone, and not exposing the Church of Scientology as the predatory, corrupted and terribly abusive organization that so many believe it to be, then what was the point? Saving Sebastian sounded great, but ending a religion if it can be ended sounded even more enticing. I’ll hope that the sincere, legitimate protests against the organization don’t stop with this moment, and that as La Poubelle prepares to re-open again in the streets of Hollywood that there is peaceful protest, and a boycott, but no more bloodshed. LAPD has indicated that they have responsive public records that would document Chief Michel Moore’s communications regarding the controversial Church, and that after “standard multi-layered review process” that they “will provide you [me] with an update by April 5, 2024 and I can’t wait. If there’s one thing journalists love more than a good story, it’s the tender of public record as proof of the exchange.

Update: LAPD released the following statement - On 3/9/24, at 11:38 p.m., officers responded to a call for service in the 5900 block of Franklin Avenue. Male victim was physically assaulted by unknown person. Person reporting declined ambulance.

Link: California Public Records Act Request w/911 Audio

Link: Scientology 911 Calls and Logs

Link: Jessica Palmadessa Instagram Post

Link: Dillon Leigh Instagram Post

Link: Scientology Audit (Streets LA) YouTube

Link: Jessica Palmadessa YouTube

Link: Film The Police LA Twitter

Please support my work with your subscription or for direct aid use Venmo

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.