I was saddened upon being informed that the fellow who reportedly hung himself to death on the Freewinds was Jorge Arroyo (ref: Ship of fools post by Mike Rinder). I knew Jorge. I trained and audited on the Freewinds for eighteen months after my blow in November 1993. The general crew were in various forms of mystery about my status as I was on full time sec checking, auditing and training and doing seaman checksheets. Jorge was several years younger than I. He was a tall, thin Mexican fellow with a thick black head of hair and full eye brows. He worked in the engine room.
I couldn’t help but remember Jorge well because he was one of my few real friends during my glorified “rehabilitation project”. I trained in the staff course room. Many staff were afraid to approach me and especially afraid to do meter drills with me. Jorge was different. Even with his broken English he came right up and volunteered to go on the meter with me. He became my most regular emeter drills twin because he had no back off, he had a very high level of ARC generally, and his needle was clean as the driven snow. I knew it was the same guy when the person who reported the suicide said that Jorge became the favorite of every metering student over the next decade because of his beautiful, responsive needle.
Jorge had game. Basketball is my sport and during CSP he and his brother Jesus would come out and play with me and Ludwig Alpers (Port Captain). I know hoops, and Jorge was a real baller.
Jorge liked me not because I was some former hot shot with status. He liked me because he liked people, and while respectful at how conscientious I was about my training, he was at ease and casual and genuinely friendly with me.
He wanted nothing more than to become an auditor. He followed my training. When I started auditing people up the Bridge, he had a gleam in his eye when he asked what was it like actually auditing a pc.
Jorge apparently had a crush on the RTC Rep at the Ship, Lurie Belotti. Please don’t hold that against him, you know how that “opposites attract” sometimes works out. Because of the impossibility of a mere snipe making advances to the lofty RTC, he had to hold it within him. He became distraught. His auditor C/S’d him for a PAB 6 handling. When Belotti found out, she nixed that and pursuant to her trained in DM Reverse Scientology policy, had him sent to Ethics to be handled rough and tough – punishment for what went on his mind.
The EP of RTC’s handling of this gentle soul, was that Jorge took a sheet and hung himself to death at the Freewinds. No more than five people on the Ship know that. They have been briefed that Jorge had a heart attack.
A Coroner’s inquest was called. A woman Steward was briefed to tell the Coroner that Jorge had an obsession with her and that is what lead to his suicide. Belotti’s name and RTC were kept completely out of the record. All documents – and there were plenty – that mentioned the truth of the matter were destroyed at RTC’s direction.
To add injury to death and cover-up, Jorge’s brother, the irrepressible Jesus, was “gotten rid of” to wipe out all memory or possible reminder of Jorge. Jesus was routed out – at RTC’s direction -from the Sea Org.
Jorge, in my view, died of the Sad Effect, as covered by LRH in HCOB 14 March 1963:
“We could call this Tearaculi Apathia Magnus and everyone would be in great awe of it. But I see no reason to follow the Latinated nonsense of yesterday’s failed sciences. Call it something simple and the auditor will feel he can do something about it and even the pc will cheer up a bit. So it’s ‘the sad effect.'”
This is a state of great sadness, apathy, misery and desire for suicide or death.”
Nothing dishonorable about that. The magnitude of the ARC break is commensurate to the original ARC. And Jorge had an abundance of it. Peace to his auditor who C/S’d him to be handled in such wise.
At this moment, I deeply regret never having done anything to help Jorge get onto the TTC. I owe Jorge.
So, Jesus, my brother, reach out; I’m gonna make it up to you. Anything you need, you got. If you are afraid to reach directly then get hold of my man Roberto Sanchez, http://winsmexico.wordpress.com/. He is a real Scientologist. He can be trusted.
Jorge, we’re here for you.
Until then, fly in peace, brother.
ps: Is it coincidence that just before I received this news, I began listening to He Got Game by Chuck D and Stephen Stills (to the tune of Stills’ classic ‘For What It’s Worth’) over and over? It’s an appropriate (lyrics go far beyond the court) send off for you, Jorge, cause you definitely got game:
Moving On Up a Little Higher 