Part 94: Undercover Journalism in Hollywood – Live Streaming with the Squirrel Squad

Published April 21, 2024

Photo of activist Scottie Hochstetter “Defender of Ants” shown with setup in front of La Poubelle Bistro & Bar in Hollywood during protest against the restaurant associated with the Church of Scientology by author (GoPro Hero 11 Black).

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By Zachary Ellison, Independent Journalist

The world of Los Angeles can never quite be fully captured even by the widest of camera lenses. For every second of footage that you see through your chosen device, the reality of the world around you goes unseen, the peripheral, the smells and the sounds of a city on the edge of reality. The more I’ve become immersed in the streaming world the more I understand that it can be in fact a dangerous technology, fueling behaviors that one might otherwise never engage in simply for the thrill of the camera. The so-called Squirrel Squad that has orchestrated months of protests against the Church of Scientology in Hollywood and beyond is highly controversial, almost fully live streamed by activists, I recently found myself finally on the radar of the powerful Church. It was bound to happen after so much time in the mean streets.

At the Church’s North Hollywood location a call came through for a cab that matched my description. Days before social media influencer Jessica Palmadessa had been assaulted after asking a man outside the location to help her put up an anti-Scientology banner. Soon I would appear in a belated clip from the Easter Day protest at the organization's Blue Building Complex filming protestors, and an anonymous poster viewing my photography from my event would remind me of it. Truly, if people read publications like they watch clickbait, this country would be in a better place, but if it’s clickbait they want, well I’m determined to give it to them in the interest of better understanding the media dynamics that have fueled the protests to great attention.

Live streaming is almost the antithesis of the idea of undercover journalism. The Global Investigative Journalism Network’s “Guide to Undercover Reporting” says that “the risks related to undercover reporting are significant and can run the gamut from flawed reporting and debilitating lawsuits to a broader erosion of the public’s trust in the press.” At the same time, so often it’s the only way to come up with the real story, hidden from the public, albeit sometimes openly without even so much as speculation about its real meaning. Whether done in the interest of consumers, protecting civil rights at a protest or exposing wrongdoing by organized crime, the world of the unidentified, of eavesdropping, even outright deception is marked by risk and danger, both to those being covered and the person doing the undercover investigation.

The Church of Scientology is undoubtedly an extremely powerful and secretive group, feared for their retaliatory tactics, often done allegedly through proxy actors. Someone is “Sus” as the protestors say, short of for suspicious, and so often in relation to these protests that’s meant questions about the people encountered on the street, believed to be paid to engage in assaults perhaps through the Church’s reputed alliance with the Nation of Islam as well as outreach to the skateboarding community. I’ll be the first to admit, I’m no expert in Scientology, and not everything I’ve observed fits neatly into these boxes, at least on the evidence available, so for now I’ve reached no conclusion about whether the assaults are orchestrated or happenstance.

In a world where almost everything is captured on camera. The ubiquitous “stick” – a gimbal device or a handheld tripod plus a battery pack and a cellphone is all you need to begin practicing your own form of undercover journalism holding people accountable as activist William Gude, better known by his handles FilmThePoliceLA  and Scientology Audit (Streets LA) is a nominal leader for the group. Crossing from the world of LA into an ex-Scientologist community hungry for accountability, but also still wary of outsiders infiltrating its movement that are believed to be “plants.” The credibility barrier for any movement, difficult for the uninitiated to cross, is the first litmus test to check if you can hang, much less interact with a group successfully to get the story.

The dangers for a journalist embedded with a group that records everything is that at some point, you’ll say or do something wrong, breaking the hard-earned trust of the sources. The line can be very fine, and of course journalists aren’t supposed to engage in any illegal behaviors in covering the story, but they’re also supposed to protect the sources. Peter Murimi, Kenyan director and producer at BBC Africa Eye, says that, “If you cannot do it and [keep] everybody safe — that’s something to block the process,” he explains. “You have to make sure once you’re done that your whistleblowers are safe and your contributors are safe.” Is that even possible though in a highly energetic, and disorganized street protest against an organization like Scientology?

Vice News recently published a story entitled: “How I Escaped the Church of Scientology.” The unbylined story details how one member of the Church eventually decided to leave its Clearwater, Florida center, saying that, “I realised [sic] they weren’t helping anybody, they were just making money. I didn’t think it was right.” Scientology may be a cult and a scam according to its critics, but aren’t these protests just the same? That’s what Scientology says with an increasing number of posts being made on X, formerly known as Twitter, attacking the protests in an attempt to de-legitimize them attacking both the activists and the Los Angeles Times for having covered them in a single story by journalist Noah Goldberg from last February. “An anti-Scientology co-conspirator revels in the clickbait opportunity of another swatting call outside a Church of Scientology, while his fellow harassers berate and threaten the police for doing their job,” says the April 16 post.

About editors Hector Becerra and BJ Terhune, the Church says that it’s promoting “dangerous harassment” and that they “clearly need a conscience transplant.” Did I need such an operation too? I was starting to wonder, would simply covering this story amongst the activists turn me into one too, and even as I’ve sometimes engaged in shouting, I’ve tried to avoid doing anything directly confrontational with Church members or patrons at La Poubelle. The line got crossed though one night at the La Poubelle Bistro & Bar, targeted for its association with convicted former Scientologist rapist actor Danny Masterson. One night a bartender for the establishment, returning to its blue tented entrance stopped to say his piece, after questioning the protester known as the “Defender of Ants” about the temporary restraining order against him, he went after me: “How’s the journalism going, you’re still on Substack?” flashing me a thumbs up before asking if I believed that he was drugging drinks inside the establishment like Masterson.

DOA who occupies an aged Chevy Astro van emblazoned with “Scientology Is A Cult” spray painted across its colorful scheme complete with stickers came to me defense before I asked the bartender whether he intended to comply with AB 1013 which “requires establishments with a Type 48 license from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to have signage displayed in a prominent and conspicuous location, letting patrons know that drug testing kits are available to test for common date-rape drugs, often referred to as ‘roofies.’” Additionally, the mandated text will read, “Don’t get roofied! Drink spiking drug test kits available here. Ask a staff member for details.” The bartender seemed surprised when I told them I would still be there in July when the law goes into effect.

“I’m a paid protestor,” said Scottie Hochstetter, the DOA, with enthusiasm to his YouTube chat. A member of the People’s Convoy in 2022 inspired by the January 6, 2021 insurrection pushed by former President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol, Hochstetter is a controversial figure because of his presence and tactics which include yelling “Don’t go in there, it’s a rape shop.” I’m not sure if drinks are still being drugged at La Poubelle, even as patrons exhibit the tell-tale signs of drug use on occasion in addition to the typical alcohol and still illegal consumption of marijuana both inside the tent and on the sidewalk. One night he wore a red friars costume as he raced up and down the sidewalk on Franklin Ave from one encounter to the next like something out of a Monty Python sketch. The subject of six swatting episodes, he’s perhaps the protests' most controversial figure.

Backed in part by an unknown donor, who goes by the handle “86 GOP” distributing “Super Chats” through YouTube in addition to direct payments via Venmo, it’s unknown how much money has been funneled to the group by this mysterious individual. I’ve begun receiving such payments myself, blurring the line between journalism and paid protesting, a controversial practice for sure, usually, and falsely associated with billionaire George Soros. Even as I’m grateful for any signs of support for my journalism, I know that when money is on the table, people do things differently. Would I simply take the money and not ask any questions? In my perilous state as a whistleblower, largely ignored by the journalism world despite the gravity of coverage around the George Tyndall sexual abuse scandal, or much less the LA Fed Tapes audio leak October Surprise, it’s hard to say no to the almighty dollar. After all, people delight in shaming me so often for even claiming to be an independent journalist.

Still, I’m not sure what’s going on, and even as I’ve resolved to investigate the source of these funds not to undermine the idea of the protest, but rather to protect its integrity, red flags have been raised elsewhere with movements and associated entities. Supposedly, “86 GOP” ran into some trouble with YouTube that now seems to be resolved, having declared that he was firing his management team, the money is still flowing. Now undoubtedly, money is also flowing into La Poubelle where months of protests have surely harmed owner Francoise Koster’s business. How much? No one knows, but in this battle of the beasts, an informal alliance of social media influencers versus one of the most scarily powerful religious organizations on Earth you’ve got to wonder. Visible in the chats, every follower knows “86 GOP” but who is the mystery player?

Surely, it’s not the Church of Scientology which remains deeply frustrated with the agitation. Does all it take to get anyone to do just about anything no matter the risk is a bankroll of money? Likely, this individual has funneled tens of thousands of dollars into the Hollywood part of the protest, which has reached nationwide. If content was king, and Hochstetter was its master, would all it take for success in Hollywood is a willingness to receive a black eye as recently happened to DOA? Undoubtedly, the subject of the protest, sexual assault, and the reasons behind it, much less what to do after a cover-up has occurred is inflammatory, but what isn’t in the era of Trumpism with its rallies and street violence? So often people have said that fascism is ruling supreme, and as the fashionable, dare I say occasionally aristocratic clientele of La Poubelle pass, I’ve wondered, if all it takes to pull-in viewership worldwide is a cult and a protest what’s stopping the rest of us? Just get out there with your stick and start creating outlandish content!

In live streaming, the main driving factor is undoubtedly personality, perhaps even more than good looks. Personality drives content because it’s the foundation of interaction, which breeds engagement more than any single entertainer can do, and so it’s the case that artificial content, created with deception or falsity, draws the greatest following. It keeps you on the edge of your screen, glued to the screen late into the night. The longer you live stream, especially with the nightly Squirrel Squad protest at La Poubelle going on Tuesday through Saturday the more nocturnal you become. The slow crawl of night, LAPD cruisers, airships overhead, the tents and taco stands dotting the sidewalk the more it just starts to look the same, which is why streaming even more so than produced television can be different, because it happens in real time, it’s uncontrolled unless prior discussion has occurred. Doing so can be incriminating, even conspiratorial in dimension if detected.

The ability to conceal or delete is less than you’d think in this environment, where everything is presumed to be screen captured somewhere, such that salacious material cannot be easily, assuredly hidden once broadcast even if set to “Private” much less “Unlisted” mode. The choice to engage or not speak with the “Chat” ever present such that not-speaking is almost assumed to be a tell of further consideration, of not fully revealing thoughts and feelings to the group, almost an indicator of suppression. Losing control on camera is both forsaken and welcome, with pranks being ever welcome as well as banter and exchanges of humor and lightheartedness. Bonding when broadcast becomes a powerful salient, drawing people into the story, and making the content seem less contrived. Is the protest legitimate goes the debate on the sub-Reddit? Who can say when the apparent start itself, a bitter exchange between Gude and a Scientology security guard was compounded into a “Save Sebastian” the Scientology street-recruiter in narrative.

The world of live streaming, much less doing undercover journalism with livestreaming seems more promising than even surreptitious filming like you would see on traditional television. Being overexposed is certainly a problem, but it can also be elevating, with broadcasting more of participants' personal lives in addition to group concerted action feeding into the phone action. Without smartphones none of this would be possible, much less the network of cell towers that provide service being essential for its conduct. For example, live streaming in an underground parking garage or a wilderness area would be impossible. “Don’t become part of the content,” the Defender of Ants bellowed at one restaurant patron at the neighboring Birds on Franklin after another encounter with two older pro-Scientology women and the establishments bouncer before inquiring about each patrons food selections. Whether Hochstetter and the others are paid protesters, or simply content creators, much less journalists is certainly a worthy matter of public debate, and even as the story draws you-in, remaining separated somehow is no mere necessity.

Escape from reality, through into a digital future remains unseen, and even as virtual reality holds new bounds, one thing I can tell you is that it is quite dizzying, just as the hours fade away into streaming. Like pouring rain or wild rides into the night, the future of the protest remains uncertain, even as rumors speculate that it will soon reach its end. What happens in Las Vegas might stay in Vegas, but nothing really stays in Hollywood all that long anymore, with the slow decline of traditional media powerhouses marked by labor union struggles and audience apathy. The potential to combine undercover journalism with this technology represents both a future and fear for journalism, the pointed camera at the face, triggering an angry response, unclear in motivation and apologetic at the same time, well sometimes, like a punch thrown in anger on a sidewalk outside of a bar followed by a tackle. Be careful what you wish for, it’s an addiction, to both want to stream time away endlessly just as it’s to look for information, more of the tale. 

So I’ll keep powering up and going out there into the streets, looking for the seedy side of LA Noire turned into a livestream, a mix of police cruisers and fire trucks set forth by perhaps the world’s most capricious religious organization, attackers at random, and as critics have noted provoked confrontation. The sometimes seeming silliness of the protest marked by its seeming oddities, masked individuals, pseudonyms, and never-ending drama. What happened now viewers of the Squirrel Squad would ask, the former word being issued by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard to describe those who undermine its teachings, the important caveat being you have to pay for those as well. So whether you’re paying for protestors or Scientology, I can only hope that someone, somewhere will want to pay for journalism to cover it, and at length. The one-offs having fallen short at this stage, and who said none of this shouldn’t be any fun, but you have to wonder, in a world of charlatans, just how far would you go to publish the truth.

Link: GIJN’s Guide to Undercover Reporting

Link: How I Escaped the Church of Scientology

Link: STAND Hate Monitor X Post

Link: La Poubelle Bartender Hates On My Substack

Link: ‘There’s a war going on’: L.A. anti-Scientology protests bring arrests, attack allegations

Link: New Law Requiring Bars Serving Spirits to Offer Drug Testing Devices to Take Effect July 1

Link: D.O.A. YouTube

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.