'Speed running' trend spreads despite Scientology and social media sites trying to stop it - BERITAJA

The Scientology “speed running” trend isn’t slowing down.

Since the first incidents successful Los Angeles successful precocious March, ample groups of group — immoderate successful costumes — person tried to title done buildings belonging to the religion successful New York, San Diego, San Francisco and countries extracurricular the U.S., moreover arsenic Scientology’s lawyers, rule enforcement agencies and societal media platforms person sought to halt the viral movement.

At slightest 1 personification received a ineligible threat from the church, alleging an online situation prompted a chaotic incident successful L.A., according to a ineligible archive reviewed by The Times and confirmed arsenic authentic by a Scientology spokesperson.

Other online contented creators connected TikTok and Instagram opportunity they’ve had their accounts suspended aliases threatened pinch subject for posting videos about the religion and the velocity runs.

The inclination started pinch groups of teens signaling themselves sprinting done properties belonging to the Church of Scientology on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In each video, runners dart about religion unit and title up staircases, seeing really acold they could get earlier personification asks them to time off aliases threatens to telephone the police.

“Speed running” is simply a video crippled word referring to players who effort to complete games arsenic quickly arsenic possible, scurrying about hazards and taking shortcuts to skip done levels. A velocity runner who said to The Times past period said the events are part-prank, part-protest against an statement that has been accused successful lawsuits of activity abuse, violating kid labour laws and forcing members to get abortions. The religion disputes those allegations and has denied immoderate wrongdoing.

A Church of Scientology of Los Angeles building astatine 6331 Hollywood Blvd.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

The largest “speed running” incident successful Los Angeles happened connected April 25, erstwhile a crowd led by a man dressed up arsenic Jesus Christ pulled unfastened the doors of the church’s Hollywood Guaranty Building and rushed inside. The building is location to an grounds about the life of the church’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard, and is besides the listed mailing reside for Scientology’s nationalist relations department.

Footage shows runners successful masks and costumes dashing done the building, tussling pinch black-shirted information guards and appearing to sound astatine slightest 1 personification over.

The religion has branded the incidents “hate crimes” and Scientology spokesperson David Bloomberg said astatine slightest 1 personnel suffered injuries that required aesculapian attraction successful Los Angeles connected April 25. The Los Angeles Police Department’s Major Crimes Division, which investigates dislike crimes and attacks connected houses of worship, is reviewing the incident, according to a section spokesperson.

No arrests person been made, according to the spokesman, who said location person been 5 documented trespassing incidents astatine Scientology properties successful Hollywood this year. Only 2 appeared to beryllium portion of the velocity moving trend, authorities said.

While the incidents person slowed successful Los Angeles — successful portion because the religion has removed the handles to outer doors astatine 3 of its Hollywood properties — “speed runs” person begun taking spot successful different cities and counties.

The different incidents person resulted successful astatine slightest 3 arrests and 2 insignificant injuries to Scientology members, authorities said.

San Francisco constabulary said they responded to 2 abstracted attempts to break successful to aliases vandalize a Scientology spot adjacent the city’s Chinatown vicinity successful caller weeks. Two teens were arrested, though it’s unclear if charges were filed. San Diego Police besides documented an incident of “vandalism and trespassing” astatine the church’s downtown spot connected May 2.

On May 3, a crowd of about 300 people, described by constabulary arsenic “mostly youth,” attempted to participate a Church of Scientology building successful downtown Vancouver. Some group tried to footwear successful a gross and threw items astatine police, but nary 1 was injured, section authorities said. One teen was arrested.

A akin incident occurred the aforesaid time successful New York City. Police told NBC that “a group of unidentified individuals forcibly entered” the church’s Midtown Manhattan building about 4 p.m. connected May 3 and caused spot damage. One man suffered a insignificant injury, constabulary told the tv station. No arrests were made.

A video posted to TikTok also purported to show an attempted velocity tally astatine the L. Ron Hubbard Academy of Personal Independence successful Edinburgh, Scotland, past weekend. Police location did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Bloomberg, the Scientology spokesman, declined to remark connected circumstantial incidents extracurricular of Los Angeles.

The religion and immoderate societal media companies person attempted to incorporate the dispersed of velocity moving contented online.

On April 26, a lawyer representing the religion sent a missive to the laminitis of the app Dare Market, accusing the institution of “inciting” a Hollywood velocity tally the time earlier. Dare Market laminitis Isla Rose-Perfito shared a transcript of the missive successful a post connected X this week.

The Dare Market app allows group to situation 1 different to complete dares for prizes aliases money, but discourages users from breaking immoderate laws, Rose-Perfito said. On April 24 — the time earlier the ample Hollywood “speed run” led by the man dressed arsenic Jesus — Dare Market posted a “Scientology velocity run” situation pinch a $1,000 prize.

“Longest clip moving wrong earlier getting kicked retired wins. You request to many times opportunity ‘Dare Market made maine do it’ while moving wrong the center,” the since-deleted station read.

Someone could beryllium heard saying that nonstop building soon aft the man dressed arsenic Jesus pulled unfastened the beforehand doorway of the Scientology building successful Hollywood connected April 25, according to video of the incident.

“Dare Market whitethorn beryllium held liable for superior injuries aliases decease resulting from the ‘Scientology challenge,’” publication the missive from lawyer Rebecca Nell Kaufman. Kaufman wrote that the situation incited “hateful, offensive, and vulnerable acts.”

Kaufman besides claimed that velocity runners hurled group epithets, including the N-word, astatine a Black information defender connected April 25. An LAPD spokesperson could not corroborate if that allegation had been reported to police.

“Church unit person already been battered and assaulted arsenic a consequence of your business,” Kaufman wrote. “It is only a matter of clip earlier personification is earnestly injured aliases killed.”

Kaufman — who antecedently threatened The Times pinch litigation aft a newsman sent questions to Scientology officials arsenic part of a 2024 article — did not respond to a petition for comment.

In an interview, Rose-Perfito, 29, based on that the velocity moving inclination predated the situation station and rejected the ineligible threat from Scientology.

“We’re not telling group to break successful astatine each ... connected their website, they opportunity they invited group pinch unfastened doors,” she said.

Rose-Perfito alleged that Scientology officials many times called her mother successful the mediate of the nighttime aft the April 25 velocity run. In videos she posted to X and TikTok, Rose-Perfito plays a voicemail from a female identifying herself arsenic Bari Berger. According to a religion website, Berger is the erstwhile head of STAND, which is Scientology’s antidiscrimination wing. She now useful successful the church’s nationalist affairs department, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Bloomberg said calls were placed soon aft the April 25 incident “seeking interaction pinch individuals associated pinch Dare Market and its CEO concerning matters arising straight from those events.”

Other contented creators said their Scientology-related contented has drawn other scrutiny arsenic the velocity moving inclination spreads. Derrek Miranda, the man down the Whitewallstuntz societal media accounts that gained fame successful the past twelvemonth documenting Los Angeles’ underbelly, said his Instagram relationship was deactivated aft posting a video of the April 25 velocity run. A Meta spokeswoman did not respond to a petition for comment.

Some TikTok users person besides reported that posts they made related to either Scientology “speed running” aliases the religion itself person been flagged aliases removed successful caller weeks.

A TikTok spokesperson said the app’s “Community Guidelines explicitly prohibit the promotion of convulsive aliases criminal behavior, and we’re removing this contented from our platform.”

Times unit writer Christopher Buchanan contributed to this report.