I'm thrilled to bring you the story of 162 Woodruff Avenue. For therein lies a secretive clan of communal livers whose devout trust in leader Stewart Traill knows no bounds. For some time, we'd noticed that the residents seemed "out of place" in an already wildly diverse Caledonia. There was never any hanging out in front of 162. People came and went quickly and quietly, rarely making eye contact; many were Caucasian, but without the telltale marks of the Gentrifier. Sometimes they'd carry what looked like artist portfolio thingies, making one think it was some kinda artists cooperative. Then, most befuddling of all, were the frequent appearances of an Olde Good Things truck. That last clue was the one that sent the Q into a days long investigation into the practices of the residents of 162.
Basically...it's the home of a cult. If I were to be more forgiving, I suppose, I could call it a communal house of worship or some such. 162 is owned by the Church of Bible Understanding, and if you click that link you'll get one of hundreds of references to the group's nefarious nature. I particularly like that list, because it puts COBU on a par with stuff like Scientology, the Moonies, Heaven's Gate and the Manson "Family" (who still has followers by the way). If you're curious as a cat about cults like I am, then you won't want to miss this; a autobio-blog telling the life of one COBU-ist who got out. COBU CULT. He goes into great detail about his life in a brainwashy state, and he's actually a pretty good writer, so it ain't dull.
Here's the basics of Mr. Traill and his COBU: atheist vacuum salesman gets "saved" in the 1960s; starts something called The Forever Family (seems like it was pretty easy to start a cult back then); attracts converts easily, grows his base; figures you need income to be a good cult, so he requires followers to work and tithe basically everything; keeps things cheap by making everyone live communally in low-rent urban buildings in NYC, Philly, Jersey, Scranton; gets into some trouble and changes name to COBU; starts a carpet cleaning business to make better money (lampooned in a Seinfeld episode), getting devotees to provide basically slave labor; divorces his first wife and marries a his young secretary, pissing people off but not enough to be a total cult-killer; embraces his yen for flying by buying some airplanes; runs afoul of the law by taking in and converting orphans; concocts some krazy kolor-koded way to interpret the bible; and in the end, actually has to hang around with the looney tunes he gets to follow him. Can't imagine that's worth the payday, but I guess it's a living.
And during their heyday, COBU bought an apartment house on Woodruff Avenue in Brooklyn. One can only imagine what goes on day after night. Or maybe things have toned down a great deal since the cult's heyday of 3,000 or so followers. Their numbers seem to be down to the high double digits to low 100s.j
In a breathtaking move of business savvy, the group opened super high-end junk store Olde Good Things after plying the trade haphazardly for years. (I think there should be an "e" on the end of Good as well, by the way). The business perfectly timed the country's newfound love of good old things from good old houses, and they now have nationwide sales in the many millions. Not bad for a bunch of ex-hippies. They also started a mission thing in Haiti, which some call a return to their predatory days of youth conversion.
And those "portfolios?" Apparently, COBUs go out in the world and do what are called "art shows." Using large placards, they're able to visually represent the 20-some tenets of their color-coded take on the New Testament. I've only read it described, never actually seen an "art show," though that must be the connection.
I'm telling you. Woodruff got some serious funk in its socks.
22 comments:
Fascinating! I've seen the Olde Good Things trucks going by here too and wondered who was getting their house fixed up all fancy with architectural salvage. Now there's another answer. So hmm, this means they don't pay property taxes on that property as they are a "church", nor do they pay taxes on Olde Good Things income either, right? If that's true that's lame because they're NOT cheap; they're very profit-driven. It's not like they're the Salvation Army selling used items at cheap prices to low income people.
I used to patronize Old Good Things when they had a shop on Atlantic Avenue, but stopped when I learned that they were part of a cult. Now I just walk past their booth at the Brooklyn Flea.
"...but stopped when I learned that they were part of a cult."
Insert any religion, nationality or race into that statement and it sounds pretty horrible.
I was raised in one of the above named cults (not COBU). I'll tell you this much we did not kill ourselves or kill others. Grouping them together is a bit unfair.
Great post Q! I am bummed that I also will not use Olde Good Things now either. they just opened an awesome shop by my work on Union Square, but as anon said here, they ain't cheap. And while they may not be "kill[ing] others" I do struggling with the predatory and repressive regime that it instituted in the name of god. So. Back to Build it Green in Brooklyn for salvaged goods for me, as far as I know, they are run for purposes no more nefarious than making the benjamins.
Anon. 11:55,
IMO there's nothing "horrible" about not supporting an organization who's goals you disagree with.
How are these people worse than many other so-called religions in this country, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, and yes, even the LDS, all of which preach/require tithing, proselytizing, shunning of members who've slipped, and withdrawal from much of the rest of modern society? Many of these are considered sects and are even illegal, as is Scientology, in other countries. Not to mention Amish/Mennonites, Hassidim, and the myriad of storefront churches around us, many of which have practices/beliefs that are far more bizarre than the sects mentioned here. Even "mainstream" religions are pretty scary sometimes. Where does religious education end and brainwashing begin?
"Woodruff got some serious funk in its socks"
I could not agree more!
And thanks for the post as that truck was a mistery to me!
Please do not miss the live gospel (?) music service (with a funky bass touch!) at 8:15 a.m. on Sundays at the church on Woodruff between East 21 and Ocean Ave.
The same church also "hosts" a band playing its rock/funk music, usually on Thursdays nights, good stuff!
"How are these people worse than many other so-called religions"
No difference to me; just different varieties of superstitious nonsense, as far as I'm concerned. YRMV :-)
Check out the Scranton Times (Sunday Edition)three part article on the Forever Family/Church of Bible Understanding by Chris Kelly on 2/9/03. Cults are very different than a mainstream religion. Like democracy is different than fascism. Their goal is to make the follower dependent on the leader, a leader who has no accountability and total authority. A leader that wants you to go to Heaven or Valhala, or the next level of enlightenment (or whatever the con is selling as what you need) The follower eventually will do whatever the leader says to achieve that goal that they are convinced solves everything. They start with condemning everyone, including family, husbands children and of course ex-members etc, who aren't a part of the group and in good standing. Once the cult has silenced any opposition,everything else is psychological warfare to achieve mental slavery. Don't buy their stuff, less than 10% of the profit really goes to help kids in Haiti and yes the whole thing is is tax exempt. When you see them, ask them how their blood relatives are...or if they were ever allowed to marry with Stewart Trail's blessing? Of course the unqualified Trail lives in Florida, in a mansion, with several younger women of the group.
Hello all, I totally agree with this description of COBU because I too dwelt among them for ten years! I left before the Old Good Things came about but I certainly had my fill of cleaner carpets! It is all true, all true.....and I could share volumes of unbelievable tales! Yes, I escaped from The Forever Family and found God on the other side!
Doona Cavnar-Goding
COBU Is a dangerous cult, listed as such in the top ten in this country, theres only about 30-40 still in,Traill is & has been a sexual predator for many years. I survived 6 yrs of the cobu in the early-mid 70s, & am now living a healthy christian life. I would not spend a nickel at Old Worthless Expensive rip off Trashy things.....
I am also a survivor of COBU. It's not a religion that you would be persecuting. The beliefs aren't, or weren't different from a lot of churches. It's a mind-control organization. Don't give them any money.
Cobu's tax info was available for free through Guidestar.com. several years ago. Trail's Park Avenue tax attorney's listed 70 or so 'indigent members of the church' claiming the church was supporting them. In reality, everyone but Trail works 14 to 16 hour days, and signs over their entire pay check (if they even get one)to the church. They exist on an allowance, cheap food, squalid living conditions and medicaid. Some who left found no Social Security had ever been paid during their years in the group. Many have reported health problems perhaps linked to toxic chemicals dumped illegally into the sewers, with no protective gear decades ago. No way to prove Trail's culpability on this or on the fact that he let others take the fall for the beating of his own son although he ordered it, as he controls every act even when he is not there to oversee the implementation. The only motivation in a cult is pleasing the leader. He (and only he) knows the 'secret'. Members are convinced they must know what the leader knows or they are doomed. If a member proves to be worthy enough (aye, there's the rub) the leader might tell that member the tiniest piece.
This was a very good article about COBU. As one who used to live at 162 Woodruff for quite some time, I can vouch for the facts contained in this article. Great blog too. I like reading about what's happening in the old neighborhood.
I am a former COBU member who lived at 162 Woodruff for 6 years. While I was there we went for weeks without heat or hot water in the dead of winter because although the group had lots of money they didn't want to spend it on the heater. On my one year's income tax I reported approx. $97 for my annual housing costs. That may explain why there was no heat and hot water and why we had 11 women in one apartment with 4 bedrooms and 1 bathroom... Try getting ready for work in those conditions.
We were also expected to sit in the basement for hours lecturing one another about how evil we were amidst tons of junk that was donated from unassuming individuals who thought they were donating to Haiti. Most of the goods ended up being sold at flea markets and the money dumped in the general fund. COBU is hell on earth, literally. I thank God I am out!
Pretty good article explains well the goings on in a light hearted way that the average joe can get a grip on, I did my 15 years in the group, with a few years at 162 probably 5 years, if you got into the details of the mind control, tactics, kicking people out on the streets because they couldn't find a job. Or how the antique business was started by stealing stuff from another site of someone who used to be part of the group, Or as in my case I was brought to face the wrath of the body accused of having lost $15,000of a bank deposit after everyone handed in their paychecks when it was never lost and I was never told it wasn't lost, etc, It would boggle the mind but perhaps only to wake others up to the very way I see that the same stuff is used on us every day by the media, our own govt. , corporations, etc. In COBU it is a heavy cocentration with only 100 or so people, But out here in the real world it is spread out over millions, and just as it is easier to steer a small rowboat or sail boat. Steering Aircraft Carriers or icebergs, takes a long time but with drastic effects.
Great post. Those who ask "How is COBU different than any organized religion?" Need to do a little bit of research. As the sibling of a long-ago former member, I can tell you that the 70s were a strange time and having a family member in this cult was heart-wrenching for my parents and caused great strain on our family. It destroys lives and not just for its members. For us, everything worked out ok in the end. My sibling had years of issues to work out. I feel bad for the handful of people who are still in the cult. They are like prisoners who can't live "on the outside" and they are constantly made to feel inferior to a man who has made a fortune on them. A literal fortune. I'm sure many want to leave, but fear that they do not have the life skills to make it. Others still believe the hog wash.
I was born and raised in COBU. I had some good times usually paid for later by the mothers. As they would get scrutinized and belittled for trying to give their children some form of "normalcy". I must also say that the bad times, they were bad... it was a place where you weren't allowed to make a mistake or its bad news bears. I grew up with some great people and met some even more interesting ones living on Woodruff Ave. I can recall at 15 or 16; I had to live in the Red Hook warehouse while the police had 162 Woodruff Ave on lock down for 3 months or so... When it comes to stories. I have more than I care to remember.
JB
JB, can you tell us some of those stories here?
and why is no one chasing these f*ckers out of new york ? really we need to reclaim our land and our property from these freaks and send these manipulative money hungry religious freaks back to where they came from. as a native new yorker, allowing a cult to monopolize good land is terrible, stealing our products and reselling our own pieces back to us is the byproduct of a master thief. stewart trail must have had a terrible mother/father or both . didnt your mother teach you that stealing is wrong and using and abusing people is a crime ? wake up world "olde good things is not good at all"
As yet another ex-member, I can can tell COBU has been a NY presence since the 1970's .... this is why Seinfield could do a show about them in the 90's. The idea that they are "foreign" to New York is only slightly less off the mark than believing that they are "like any religion". I would boycott them the same way you might boycott slave labor. But don't hate on the poor drones.
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