4. Restriction Of Meeting Size: In order to avoid overly large meetings, the San Diego group was divided into 24 sister groups (each approx. 60 members) that met on alternating days at alternating sites. Some groups met on Mondays and Thursdays, others on Tuesdays and Fridays, and yet others on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Usually two groups (occasionally three) would meet together at one site. Only at major annual meetings would large numbers congregate. As mentioned above, meeting times were coordinated by telephone trees.
5. Clandestine Times: Meetings were held between 12:30am and 2:00am and on occasion were extended to 4:00am. Traffic would be light. Members often lived in communities where everyone was a member of the group (oh yes, there are 'cult communities' because like attracts like, and often whole neighborhoods are comprised exclusively of cult members). People would leave quietly in the night, with car lights off until they were out on the street. The adult non-driver would be the 'watcher', checking that they were not being followed.
Each family had a cover story to be used in the event of an outsider catching them leaving. Typically the story would involve an urgently hospitalized relative, which would satisfactorily explain the lateness of the hour and the presence of small children . Normal clothes were worn enroute to the meeting and people would change once on-site. In my family we would sometimes go to sleep in our clothes, which saved time when we got up in the middle of the night. I never considered it unusual to go to bed in my clothing two or three nights a week.
6. On-site Security: The group had several security perimeters around meetings. The first checkpoint (outermost perimeter) was at the five mile mark. There were always at least two roads leading into the meeting site and both would be manned by members possessing a list of approved license plate numbers. All vehicles (incoming and outgoing) were checked. Vehicle flow was minimized as families often car pooled. In the event of an unauthorized vehicle breaching the perimeter, a hidden security person (they would stand behind a tree, watching) would radio ahead and the meeting was immediately packed-up and the people quickly dispersed. Meanwhile, the incoming vehicle would be delayed by the non-hidden security who would pretend to be stranded and in need of assistance. They were taught how to engage the outsider for several crucial minutes. If that ploy failed then they would alert the next perimeter where logs would then be positioned to block the roadway. Of the three-man security team, one would be responsible for alerting members while the other two executed delaying tactics if required.
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Svali 's Ritual Abuse topic, please visit the Discussions page.