Dearest Ronnie of Benchmark:

[Che Gookin]

Hi Ronnie!

I still have that pop up book waiting for you. I just know you'll be happy with the pictures of dragons, fairies, and magical little forest elves. Now Ronnie you've been a bad little boy haven't you? Santa is going to put a lump of coal in your stocking after he reads your court documents. Ronnie it still isn't to late to be honest about what really happened. I'll show you below what you need to clear up:

(for reference see: this..)

1) On line 12-15 on page 2 you claimed to see Mike in his car and that you left him alone. What you should really say is you got out your own video camera and started filming Psy and I as we were filming you. Further, you forgot to mention how you tried to get that one gang banger pissed off at Psy.

Ronnie.. Let's get this cleared up.. I want you to have a nice christmas.

2) On lines 23 to 27 you mention how Mike's actions proved disruptive to the program and how that he didn't have permission to film staff or students. Ronnie.. let's be honest.. I'm pretty sure you remember the night the cops told you it was ok for Mike to film them when we tried to help Marco get his passport back. Also be honest.. you failed to include how you absolutely did not see Mike break any laws. I'm also certain you know that Mike is allowed to film anything he wants as long as he can see it from a public area. Meaning as long as he is standing on the sidewalk he doesn't need your permission to film anything he wants.

Let's clear this up as well for Santa shall we?

3) On the top of page 3 you'll notice you claim numerous students began to approach Mike and you "encouraged" them to stay away from him. Ronnie.. be honest.. though neither Mike or I never actually saw this I'm certain this "encouragement" involved something along the lines of a crappy hotel room and 3 filling ramen noodle buckets a day. You also include on the top of page 3 that after the students went away you heard Mike continuing to shout obscenities. Ronnie.. that is just not true.

Santa is getting pissed big boy.. get it fixed. And besides.. You might want to remember that either Mike and I had a camera rolling all the time. Tsk.. can you say the same?

no.

4) on page 3 lines 7 through 12 you indicate that Mike was accosting students and coming onto Benchmark's property. Ronnie.. you know as well as I do that Mike never once stepped foot on the private property around the apartments. Don't be a liar dude.. It isn't cool and you are making Santa's Elves want to cry. Not sure what the hell gave you the idea we were handing out fliers either. Neither of us even tried to hand out any flier the entire 8 days we were there. The only thing Mike tried to give anyone was a headache and that Margaret Thaler Singer book on cults

5) on page 3 again lines 14 thru 20 you claim Mike became aggressive to the students when he was demanding to speak to staff. Not true Ronnie.. Mike asked nicely. I was there dude. It was you who became aggressive with us when you and that one bloated whale came out and you started giving us the hard ass treatment. Remember that moment when you were trying to allude to the fact that both Mike and I were gonna be in deep poop and how you and Mike got into an argument about it? That aggression was all instigated by you cupcake.

Again I'm pretty sure mike has it on video. If not he ought have gotten it as it is perfect material for my highlights video for Santa's Top 10 most busted list.

6) Bottom of page 3 and top of page 4 you indicated that police told us to leave. This was after you and Sheri told us that Marco's docs were in the ed center and that you two couldn't get them for Marco. Oh Ronnie.. the po po never told us to leave and also Mike never offered any student 100 dollars to leave the program. I was the one who told Mike I'd pay for a bus ticket to anywhere for any student and toss in some food money.

7) on lines 9 thru 14 you indicated you asked the police if it was ok for Mike to be disruptive. The police said as long as he didn't come onto Benchmark property they couldn't do anything. You whined that you didn't do anything more at that time.

RONNIE! Be honest.. YOU couldn't do anything more at that time.  Mike wasn't breaking any laws in the first place.

Santa is very mad Ronnie..

Ronnie ALL OF PAGE 5 made Santa weep.

1) The night you and Mike went at each other hammer and tongs in front of the hotel was the night you approached Mike. You drove up to the Hotel because you had to check on the student you had stashed in the hotel who was enjoying his Thanksgiving meal of a can of beans and snack pack pudding or whatever it was yall fed him. You came up to Mike with the student.. Why? Because Mike and I looked for that student and couldn't find him earlier. Apparently Mike went to the wrong room looking for him. So obviously your comment that Mike offered him a plane ticket is a hot glass of stinking piss.

Further, Mike and Marco were standing in front of our hotel room smoking a cigarette when you weaseled your way over to give Mike and Marco another dose of the hard ass. Which you failed at horridly as I had to come out and split you both up after you both woke me up.

But what really happened Ronnie...

You came over with the student.. Who mike had absolutely no contact
You had the student say that he didn't want to be bothered by mike..
Mike repeated my offer of a bus ticket and food money..
the student groaned and asked to be moved from the hotel to resist the temptation.
From what I understand you then tried to get us booted out of the hotel..
That didn't work..
It was a bit after that I came out and told you I'd make sure Marco called his parents to shut you all up.

Ronnie.. you've been a very bad boy...

Santa is going to boot your ass into the Sea of Cortes all the way from Redlands.

[Anonymous]

Who the fuck is Ronnie? How much longer do we have to wait for the benchmark documentary to come out so we can have some idea wtf che is talking about here?

*bangs fork and knife on table* I'm HUNGRY.

[Anonymous]

Ronnie is a Benchmark employee who harassed Psy and Che while down in redlands.  During the suit by Benchmark againt Psy, Ronnie (as well as a number of other Benchmark employees) submitted declarations giving their version of events during the protest.  Since Che was the only one there besides Psy, it's really something only he can address.  The Benchmark documentary, from what Psy indicated earlier, will probably be out in the spring.  Given the significance of the lawsuit to the events, I can only imagine Psy will include something about these declarations along with detailed refutations.

[Anonymous]

What ronnie says on page 4 (Paragraph 17) of his declarations seems to be contradicted by the video footage here.  It seems Marcos was right there in the video more or less next to Psy.  I find it highly unlikely that Ronnie did not know who Psy was referring to, especially after Marcos' name was used (watch the video and see for yourself).

Paragraph 19 is also misleading.  As I understand it based on reading the YLF thread, it was Psy who called the cops that time, not Benchmark.  Is this correct, Che?

Did Psy really scream profanities at Sheri?  I find all this very hard to believe since it was the obvious goal of Psy and yourself not to push kids away.  It seems like he is being railroaded in the public sphere now that Benchmark has lost their case.

[Che Gookin]

Yeah.. Psy did call the cops.

And to the best of my memory Mike was not screaming obscenities at Sheri. It isn't like Mike wasn't swearing, but he wasn't cursing and carrying on at Sheri. Hard to remember as Ronnie was busy trying to bust my balls at the time and I was busy trying not to break his face.

[Anonymous]

H=

Yeah.. Psy did call the cops.

And to the best of my memory Mike was not screaming obscenities at Sheri. It isn't like Mike wasn't swearing, but he wasn't cursing and carrying on at Sheri. Hard to remember as Ronnie was busy trying to bust my balls at the time and I was busy trying not to break his face.

I just want to say that this doesn't make any sense to people who are not directly involved so you might want to clarify things. Also, and i'm not saying this as critisizcm but  advice, "sarcasm" can be hard to understand & can be offensive. You might want to be more straight-foward and earnest of tone especially because you seem to be trying to present your side  publically.  

Also, what happened to Marco? Where is he now?

[Anonymous]

H=

Yeah.. Psy did call the cops.

And to the best of my memory Mike was not screaming obscenities at Sheri. It isn't like Mike wasn't swearing, but he wasn't cursing and carrying on at Sheri. Hard to remember as Ronnie was busy trying to bust my balls at the time and I was busy trying not to break his face.

I just want to say that this doesn't make any sense to people who are not directly involved so you might want to clarify things. Also, and i'm not saying this as critisizcm but  advice, "sarcasm" can be hard to understand & can be offensive. You might want to be more straight-foward and earnest of tone especially because you seem to be trying to present your side  publically.  

Also, what happened to Marco? Where is he now?

just want to say i tried to quote che's o.p. not his follow up!

[Che Gookin]

I can't clarify it anymore than that as I wasn't paying direct attention to Psy. I already said I was looking at Ronnie at the time. I do not remember him screaming obscenities and carrying on and on with the f-bombs and so on.. that much I do know.

[Anonymous]

I can't clarify it anymore than that as I wasn't paying direct attention to Psy. I already said I was looking at Ronnie at the time. I do not remember him screaming obscenities and carrying on and on with the f-bombs and so on.. that much I do know.

So what happened to Marcos?

And can somebody tell me the meaning of Chirstimas?

[Anonymous]

We met with his counselor, Ed Pinedo, who, according to Macros, told him that he was going to give him his passport (only form of identification) back.  We left Marcos with Ed Pinedo.  Apparantly, Ed never planned on giving the passport back (read his declaration).  In retrospect, we should have stayed with him until Marcos got what he wanted back (it was Marcos who wanted his passport and property back and it was Marcos who ultimately suggested we call the cops when they refused.  See the video the guest linked to above which proves that).  Benchmark's declarations make it seem almost as if we kidnapped him, which is absolutely absurd.  Marcos never expressed any discomfort at all around us.  He even states in the video above that he was "never better".  I suspect, following our departure, Benchmark either explicitly threatened Marcos or otherwise scared him into compliance.  He had little education or knowledge of the law, was already intimidated by Benchmark, the parents were fully on board with the program, and as such, it would have been very easy to do.  It's also an important note that Marcos himself submitted no declaration, nor did any other current students.  All the declarations were from either current staff, current parents, or educational consultants.

[Anonymous]

We met with his counselor, Ed Pinedo, who, according to Macros, told him that he was going to give him his passport (only form of identification) back.  We left Marcos with Ed Pinedo.  Apparantly, Ed never planned on giving the passport back (read his declaration).  In retrospect, we should have stayed with him until Marcos got what he wanted back (it was Marcos who wanted his passport and property back and it was Marcos who ultimately suggested we call the cops when they refused.  See the video the guest linked to above which proves that).  Benchmark's declarations make it seem almost as if we kidnapped him, which is absolutely absurd.  Marcos never expressed any discomfort at all around us.  He even states in the video above that he was "never better".  I suspect, following our departure, Benchmark either explicitly threatened Marcos or otherwise scared him into compliance.  He had little education or knowledge of the law, was already intimidated by Benchmark, the parents were fully on board with the program, and as such, it would have been very easy to do.  It's also an important note that Marcos himself submitted no declaration, nor did any other current students.  All the declarations were from either current staff, current parents, or educational consultants.

But how is this young man now? Is he still locked up in a cult? Is he living with his psycho, abusive Mom? Did he commit suicide? Where is he today?


Thanks, J.C.

[Anonymous]

No clue whatsoever to any of that.

[Che Gookin]

Well his probation is something like a year or three. He probably is sitting in the same hotel room he was in before wishing he had gotten his passport.

[Anonymous]

Well his probation is something like a year or three. He probably is sitting in the same hotel room he was in before wishing he had gotten his passport.

What was his probation for?

[Che Gookin]

The probation he got after Benchmark turned over a confession they had Marco write up to the police?

Yes.. that'd be the probation he got for stealing a staffer's car and hauling ass home to Mexico where his parents promptly had him shipped back.