In the last few days you might have seen a photograph of Joy Villa, purportedly at a Scientology table in Brighton, England. We were curious about it ourselves, and so we asked around and found the person who had snapped the image.
We have to admit that we were pretty taken aback when we saw the shot, which had been posted at Facebook. What was Princess Joy Villa — the Scientology celebrity thrust into prominence with her Trump Grammys dress in 2017, who then became so popular with the MAGA crowd she had made it to the White House and, for a short time, considered running for Congress — doing in a place like seaside Brighton, and working a lowly Scientology Stress Test table?
First, we wanted to learn the circumstances of the shot to make sure we understood where and when it was taken. The person who had posted it to Facebook put us in touch with the actual photographer, who sent over other shots he took that day, and told us about the situation.
“She was canvassing for Dianetics in Churchill Square in Brighton, which is like the main shopping center. Dianetics has had a Brighton headquarters for many years. They have property there, a place on a top floor, kind of a flat. But they seem to come and go. They go through periods of being more visible and then they kind of disappear,” the photographer, Fuchsia Days, told us.
The Brighton rock musician explained why he had such a reaction to seeing a Scientology table set up at the square: He has some history with the group.
Fuchsia Days has played in local music festivals for years, and in 2007 he and his brother were part of a band called Breaks. “We were playing the End of the Road Festival, and we’d sort of heard that the festival had been started or supported by Scientology money,” he says. “We were headlining one of the stages, playing for three or four thousand people.” A man named Derek came up to them afterward and suggested they might work together.
Derek said he wanted Fuchsia Days and his brother to produce his songs. “One day he just sort of nonchalantly put down a leaflet. ‘This is a kind of uncool thing I do, but you might be interested,’ he said. It was a Dianetics flier. My dad screwed it up and threw it into the bin. ‘Don’t you dare bring that into my house,’ he said.”
Fuchsia Days laughs, remembering his father chasing off Derek. “My dad ran a school for foreigners, and he would have to intercept fliers mailed to the students, 16 year olds, that were sent by Scientologists.”
But Derek wasn’t done. Fuchsia Days says the Scientologist musician then tried to come between him and his brother, telling them lies about each other in order to get them to turn on each other.
“That’s why I really fucking hate them. I’ve had a personal experience. It’s very scary. Manipulative and weird. Derek had all these classic cars. He would rock up in a perfect 1940s car. You want to go for a ride? Almost like a guy with sweets. Creepy.”
With that encounter still fresh in his mind, Fuchsia Days says, he was especially wary of Scientologists.
“So that’s why I am particularly sensitive to them, because my dad didn’t stand for cults. He said, ‘If I lost you to a cult I would feel I completely failed as a parent.’ So that’s why I have a zero tolerance for that. It’s a vast pyramid scheme based on fear and power.”
When Fuchsia Days saw that a table had been set up in Churchill Square on the last weekend in May, and that some young people were getting introduced to the E-meter, he was incensed.
“I didn’t know who Joy is. I just saw this table with the stuff laid out. They have the machines. They’re doing their stuff again. And I won’t have it. They’re allowed to sit there and potentially dare people into this pyramid scheme,” he says. “And the girls being interviewed at the table were teenage girls. They probably thought, ah, it’s a cool religion thing. They didn’t realize how psychologically dangerous it was.”
He moved over to the table and interrupted what was going on.
“I spoke to them all. I spoke to the two girls being interviewed. ‘Go look this up, check Google. Read about it before you hand over any money.’ The girls were kind of horrified.”
And then, he says, Joy Villa spoke.
“Joy said, ‘Go and have another toke. Go have another beer.’ It was sort of bizarre. She was giving this attitude that anyone who opposes Scientology is just a halfwit clogging up society.”
Joy Villa, shattering suppression!
Suddenly, Fuchsia Days says, several Scientologists that seemed to come out of nowhere arrived to push him away. But by then, he had taken several photos of Joy and the table.
Fuchsia Days says he has no idea why Joy Villa was in such an out of the way place. “Brighton is a smallish seaside town 50 miles south of London. It’s not like a hugely remarkable place. There’s nothing really to draw her here.”
He didn’t even realize who he’d photographed until a friend saw the shots and told them who it was.
We asked Mike Rinder, what is Joy Villa doing in a place like Brighton, working a Stress Test table? Is this some kind of “amends” project?
“It’s likely an amends project or an ‘eligibility’ requirement to be able to route onto OT levels. She looks really happy about it!” he said.
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“One day this part of the reactive mind which has been trying to keep a doll surviving on the Galaxy Gee Whizzes, from being destroyed by gorillas, gets a whiff of a fur coat and goes into total action. Takes over, right as out of that moment. You’ve got an emergency situation, instantly. You’ve got gorillas in the vicinity and it’s better not to inspect, even. People who turn around and really inspect things are very often amongst the wounded and dead. So what are you going to do? It means, that when you speed up things in the universe to too great a degree, on the false basis that you are ‘prone to non survival,’ but in the interest of keeping something surviving, you are then going to run into this timeless reactivity of action without inspection. Infinite dedications to the survival of forms and patterns.” — L. Ron Hubbard, June 9, 1961
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“QUESTION: When are you going to dig this ship out of N/E? It will take a lot of action, not desk time. She is unbilled, undrilled and accepts rumours of my orders that aren’t true and rejects direct orders that are.” — The Commodore, June 9, 1970
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“If Andy Nolch had been handled with ethics since the beginning, he would not be in jail now for drug possession, and would not be smearing the reputation of the independent field. The wog justice system handled him only after he had perpetrated crimes. Scientology ethics should have be applied to him.”
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1997: Germany this week announced it would begin monitoring Scientology nation-wide, under laws designed to control terrorist and extremist groups. From Reuters: “The federal Interior Ministry and Germany’s 16 regional states said a working group on the matter had recommended that sufficient suspicion existed of anti-democratic intent for them to legally place Scientology under surveillance. Interior Minister Manfred Kanther said Germany would do all in its power during a year-long observation to assess whether the group, which Germany does not recognise as a religion, could be classified as anti-constitutional. About 20 Scientologists protested outside Chancellor Helmut Kohl’s chancellery, where Kohl was meeting British Prime Minister Tony Blair, with placards reading: ‘Mr. Kohl. Stop the hate and violence against Scientology.’ ‘We wanted to send a message to Blair to ensure that he protects religious freedom in Europe,’ the spokeswoman said. Kanther denied that surveillance, already being carried out in the two large southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg, represented persecution of the group. ‘In Germany, there need be no fear of a witchhunt involving state bodies,’ he said. Even if the surveillance did unearth evidence against the group, Germany could not ban it outright, he added. Women and Family Affairs Minister Claudia Nolte backed the scrutiny, saying in a statement that ‘our citizens must be protected against the unscrupulous profiteering of Scientology.’ The main opposition Social Democrats (SPD) also welcomed the decision as long overdue but the smaller Green Party criticised it, calling the planned watch authoritarian. ‘Using such heavy artillery risks producing martyrs and…making the organisation more radical,’ they added.”
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“You need to word clear ‘whole track’ as well as ‘mass hysteria hypnotized role-playing pseudo-religious delusional Stockholm syndrome suffering suckers’.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Next pretrial conference June 30. Trial scheduled for October 11.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff’s sentencing to be scheduled.
— Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Pretrial conference June 9 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for June 2.
— Joseph ‘Ben’ Barton, Medicare fraud: Pleaded guilty, awaiting sentencing.
— Yanti Mike Greene, Scientology private eye accused of contempt of court: Found guilty of criminal and civil contempt.
Civil litigation:
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Complaint filed April 28 in Tampa federal court.
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Eleventh Circuit affirmed ruling granting Scientology’s motion for arbitration. Garcias considering next move.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Valerie’s motion for reconsideration denied on March 15.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Appellate court removes requirement of arbitration on January 19, case remanded back to Superior Court. Next hearing scheduled for June 29.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Third amended complaint filed, trial set for December 6.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: New trial ordered after appeals court overturned prior ruling.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Lawsuit filed by the FTC and state of Georgia in August, now in discovery phase.
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THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON
We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links, including our four days in Los Angeles covering the preliminary hearing and its ruling, which has Danny facing trial and the potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison.
After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.
SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z
Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Other links: SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] The Scientology celebrity blues: ‘Oh, Danny boy, the banks, the banks are calling…’
[TWO years ago] Scientology ‘Sunday service’ has always been a lazy PR ploy, and now it’s on full display
[THREE years ago] Scientology in Sweden: A telling snapshot of a failed Ideal Org under pressure
[FOUR years ago] DENIED: Los Angeles judge rejects Scientology’s latest delay tactic in forced-abortion case
[FIVE years ago] Thanks for the slick videos, Marty Rathbun. Here’s a not very slick one for you.
[SIX years ago] There’s nothing quite like when Scientology cancels your superhuman powers with a ‘declare’
[SEVEN years ago] When the FDA interviewed L. Ron Hubbard’s first family about Scientology
[EIGHT years ago] Casey Kasem’s sordid family drama: Is Kerri’s involvement in Scientology relevant?
[NINE years ago] Scientology Sunday Funnies, Revolt in the Stars Edition!
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientologist Giovanni Ribisi to Play David Koresh: Why There’s a Precedent for a Scientology-Branch Davidian Connection
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 2,690 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,195 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,745 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,735 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,626 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,932 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,801 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,575 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,906 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,379 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,695 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,261 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,180 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,348 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,928 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,190 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,226 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,941 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,466 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 821 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,996 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,547 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,696 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,016 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,871 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,990 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,346 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,649 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,755 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,153 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,029 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,612 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,107 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,361 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,470 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on June 9, 2022 at 07:00
E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.
Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2021 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2021), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, 15 years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…
Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.
Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
