Cuban Government Places Disgraced Past Grand Master Back In Charge. . . Again

by Christopher Hodapp

(For MUCH more background on this continuing story, see Cuban Freemasons Oust Grand Master in Called Session on May 29th.)

The government of Cuba has forced the Grand Lodge of Cuba to violate its own internal rules in order to re-install their former Grand Master, Mario Alberto Urquía Carreño (photo above). He had been forced to resign a year ago, put back into the job by order of the government's Ministry of Justice, and was removed yet again as the head of the order by the members off Grand Lodge in May, but the government has taken the unprecedented step of interfering with the fraternity yet again, putting their handpicked administrator back in the Grand East. 

Carreño was accused last year of embezzling almost US$19,000 from the Grand Lodge, and stealing another US$20,000 in cash from an office safe. When he resigned, he named his own successor, Mayker Filema Duarte, who was seen by the rank and file Cuban Masons as just another government informer. Duarte was supposed to hold elections on May 25th, but canceled their grand session, suspended elections until further notice, and locked the brethren out of their downtown Havana headquarters.

In protest, 120 Cuban Masons held an impromptu Grand Lodge session on the sidewalk outside, ousting Duarte and naming the then-current Deputy Grand Master Juan Alberto Kessel Linares as the new sitting Grand Master until a called meeting for general elections can be held in September. 

The massive Grand Lodge of Cuba building in Havana is a
prominent city landmark (although it's filled with government
offices that far outnumber Masonic lodge rooms and offices).

Now the government's Ministry of Justice has stepped in once more and demanded Mario Alberto Urquía Carreño be put back in as Grand Master again.

From the English language Cuba Headlines website on June 18th:

The Cuban government's reinstatement of Mario Alberto Urquía Carreño as Grand Master of the Supreme Council and the Grand Lodge has ignited a wave of discontent among Cuban Freemasons. Urquía Carreño was reinstated by the Ministry of Justice's Directorate of Associations (MINJUS), bypassing the majority's decision to reject him following accusations of embezzling $19,000 from his office earlier this year and other actions deemed "high treason" by the Masonic community.

"The Freemasons do not accept Urquía; many lodges will decide not to recognize him and will notify the MINJUS Register of Associations," a Masonic source who wished to remain anonymous told the independent outlet Cubanet. The same source added that there is "a lot of confusion but unanimous feeling of rejection."

The Freemasons appear determined to step down from their positions if the Grand Master does not resign. Others plan to gather in large numbers at the Grand Lodge building to protest and demand Urquía's removal, according to Cubanet.

One such individual is Master Karel Miralles Sánchez, who staged a sit-in at the Grand Lodge of Cuba as a form of protest, asking for Urquía to submit a formal signed resignation. "I am not calling for anything or anyone; I am driven by a personal situation, exercising my right to protest, one of the first rights conferred upon me when I joined this august institution," he stated in a video.

Another source interviewed by Cubanet argued that "if the majority of Freemasons decide we do not want him, he should step down. If MINJUS thinks this is not the correct way to expel him, we will repeat the process immediately." They added that "an overwhelming majority does not wish for him to continue leading our fraternity, as he is materially and morally responsible for the loss of funds donated to aid brethren in distress. Nothing imposed works in a democratic system like ours."

Echoing this sentiment, another Freemason accused the State Security of being behind the situation, suggesting that "they are playing with fire. This might be the push we Freemasons need to finally take the lead in the changes Cuba requires."

Several employees of the Grand Lodge of Cuba have resigned in protest, according to Cubanet. In March, Urquía Carreño was expelled from the semiannual session of the High Chamber.

 

That the Cubans' Marxist dictatorship even permits Freemasonry to openly operate, hold its own elections, and function as a charitable fraternal organization is remarkable among Communist regimes throughout the world. Such governments overwhelmingly distrust Freemasonry because of its reputation for secrecy. After all, you can't prevent an uprising by the Bougies and the Proles if they're going to be members of secret societies, exchanging secret handshakes, baking up black market meat loaf dinners, and telling private dictator jokes in lodge.

"Knock knock!" 

"Who's there?" 

"WE ASK THE QUESTIONS!"

So how did Cuban Freemasons avoid the firing squads under Castro and his successors? The story goes that Marxist revolutionary Fidel Castro and his brother Raoul were hidden and given aid and support by Freemasons during their revolution in 1959 against the Batista government. When Castro seized power, he praised the Masons and gave them the rare consent to keep their lodges and organization intact. 

It's hard to say where all this is headed, but it's been more than half a century since a grateful Fidel Castro clutched the Cuban Freemasons to his heaving bosom and gave them his blessing. The island's present regime may not be so loving anymore.

Belgian TikToker Found Guilty of Inciting Attack on Masonic Hall

by Christopher Hodapp

A 23-year-old Belgian woman has been convicted for harassment, defamation and making threats against a Brussels Masonic Lodge after publishing an anti-Masonic TikTok video. According to an account in the Brussels Times, her video received 86,000 views and generated 3,462 interactions. After her post on January 24th, the windows were broken and four people broke into the Masonic hall. The allegation was that her video incited them to vandalize the building.

The unnamed woman, who posts under the screen name of 'Supergirl', circulated a video showing the Masonic hall of the Loge des Amis Philanthropes (Philanthropic Friends Lodge) in Brussels, alleging the Masons inside are the members of the Illuminati and were engaged in Satanic rituals. 

The historic temple building on Rue de Purcil is the location of the Belgium Museum of Freemasonry.

The criminal court found her guilty of threats, harassment, and defamation, and was sentenced to a probation. She is required by the court to take a guided tour of the temple to learn about Freemasonry, get a job, and to stop sharing any content on social media that could be considered a criminal offense. 

Failure to comply could land Supergirl in the slammer for four months.

Paris Trial Begins For 8 Accused of Plotting Masonic Lodge Attack

by Christopher Hodapp

A trial opened this week in France against 8 defendants accused of a neo-Nazi terrorist plot to attack a Masonic lodge back in 2020-21.

Translated from the French website Notretemps.com:

The trial of eight people, suspected of a violent action project against a Masonic lodge between 2020 and 2021 and some of whom were linked to the conspiracy theorist Rémy Daillet, opened on Tuesday before the Paris Criminal Court.

Seven men and one woman, aged 28 to 69, are on trial for terrorist criminal association. One of them is in the United States, and is represented by his lawyer and will therefore not appear in court.

All appear free.

They are suspected of having wanted to commit a violent action against a Masonic lodge. While investigators have updated virtual discussions, meetings, or weapons searches as part of what has been called the "Alsace project", no specific scenario has been established.

The investigations began in February 2021, around the neo-Nazi group Honneur and Nation, whose members were linked to Rémy Daillet, a conspiracy figure, a one-time expatriate in Malaysia.

At the end of the investigation, the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office put him ouey had planned a t of the question, considering that his "role" in this project seemed "indirect and residual". On the other hand, he is indicted in two other parts of this file still under investigation, that of the "Azur project", presented as a project to "overthrow the government" in the fall of 2020...

First to be questioned, Sébastien Dudognon, former head of the National Youth Front in Corrèze who had founded the Revolutionary Nationalist Division (DNR), a neo-Nazi group that then gave way to the Honor and Nation group.

Details of the alleged plot are not revealed in the article, but a story on the Marianne website from 2021 concerning the arrest of co-defendant Thibaut Rufra revealed that the lodge was located in the town of Moselle, and they had planned an attack on France's health minister, as well (this was during the Covid year). 

According to a source close to the investigation, quoted by Agence France Presse back in 2021, they also cited other non-specific targets such as vaccination centers, high-profile celebrities, and journalists. Several in the group were allegedly attempting to manufacture explosives for their planned attacks. The arrests occurred before any of the attacks could be carried out.

Janesville, Wisconsin Masonic Center Damaged by Multiple Gunshots

Photo: Janesville News Report

by Christopher Hodapp

Shots were fired at the Masonic Center in Janesville, Wisconsin at about 2:30 AM on the morning of Sunday August 25th. Bullets were found by police after they struck multiple windows. No injuries were reported, and no suspects have been named at this time.

Photo: WKOW-TV 27

According to the Channel 3000 website:

On Aug. 25, at 2:47 a.m., the JPD said officers were dispatched to the intersection of East Milwaukee St. and North Sumac Drive after receiving a shots fired complaint. The person who reported the complaint heard multiple sets of rounds being fired approximately 15 minutes before calling dispatch.

The JPD said officers found bullet holes in multiple windows at the Masonic Center. Bullets were also recovered that struck the Masonic Temple. No one was injured, and no arrests have been made at this time.

The JPD said the reporting person saw someone near the intersection of Sumac and Milwaukee described as a male, unknown race, approximately 6 feet tall, with a thin build. The subject was wearing a dark long-sleeved top and dark-colored pants.

This investigation is ongoing. If anyone has information on this incident, they are encouraged to call the Janesville Police Department at (608)755-3100, the Rock County Communications Center at (608)757-2244, Crime Stoppers at (608)756-3636, or submit a tip on their smartphone using the P3 app. Callers can remain anonymous.

The Janesville Masonic Center on Milwaukee Street was opened in 1966 and is home to Janesville-Western Star Lodge No. 55, three York Rite bodies, Eastern Star Chapter 69, and Job's Daughters Bethel 21. It is also shared with a local American Legion Post. From the looks of their Facebook page, the Center is extremely active.

Two Masonic Halls Destroyed in Rioting on Pacific Island of New Caledonia

by Christopher Hodapp

As reported on June 2nd on the Hiram.be website, two Masonic temples in the Ducos peninsula area of the Pacific island French territory of New Caledonia were destroyed by fire earlier this week. There has been widespread rioting going on across New Caledonia in recent weeks, especially in and around the capitol city of Noumea. It's difficult to ascertain if these two Masonic halls were the target of a specifically anti-Masonic arsonist, because there have been so many other fires set recently on shops, homes, factories, hospitals and churches around the region. 

At least 6 people have died in the riots since mid-May, and the sight of roadblocks and burning cars have been reported in the press. 

New Caledonia is a French-run island that sits about 700 miles east of Australia, and lodges of the three largest French grand lodges are at work there: Grand Orient de France (GOdF), Grand Loge de France (GLdF), and the more widely recognized Grande Loge Nationale Française (GLNF). 

The local mayor described Noumea as a "city under seige." More than 3,000 foreign tourists have been trapped there for weeks, and the airport has been closed. Between 600 and 1,000 French gendarmes were sent to New Caledonia last month to attempt to stop the ongoing violence.

NOTE: I'm uncertain which Masonic halls were actually destroyed. Area Masons, or French-speaking brethren — please help me fill in the details I don't have.

According to a letter posted by the Grand Orient's Grand Master Guillaume Trichard, (if I'm translating this right), there are 8 GOdF Masonic lodges at work in New Caledonia. His letter says the two destroyed halls are the Eugène Porcheron Masonic Temple and the Jean Unger Masonic Temple. 

Regardless of which lodges and under whose jurisdiction they fall, the damage to the two Masonic halls is shown on the clocherobecourt.com website HERE. One temple's burned out main lodge room can be seen in the photo at the top of this post.

The other destroyed Masonic hall's gutted lodge room in the photo below:

No word yet about potential suspects.

During World War II, New Caledonia's Ducos peninsula was home to an important allied naval base at the port near the capital city of Noumea. All of the island's inhabitants hold French citizenship. While there have been several attempts to split from France in recent decades, at least three independence resolutions have failed by slim majorities. The current clashes are between pro-France and pro-Independence supporters.

(All photos from https://www-clocherobecourt.com)

UPDATE: Accused Shooter of Texas Mason Deemed Competent For Trial

Photo: KRGV-TV5

by Christopher Hodapp

(NOTE: This story has been updated.)

A quick update on the trial of 36-year-old Julio Diaz of Alamo, Texas, the accused murderer of Past Master Robert Wise outside of a Masonic lodge in McAllen, Texas in July 2023. (McAllen is a small town right on the Mexican border in the southernmost tip of Texas, just west of South Padre Island.) 

Last November, Diaz' attorney Lennard Whittaker Molina asked the judge for a psychological investigator, saying more time was needed to go through his client's medical records because he wasn't sure if Diaz was mentally competent. According to KRGV-TV5, the attorney claimed his client had an untreated cyst in his brain, discovered in medical documents obtained from Mexico. The judge subsequently appointed a neurologist to evaluate Diaz, and those experts found he is capable of going to trial, according to a court filing that was signed on Friday, May 3. At a hearing next week, it is expected that a trial date will now be named.

As reported here last July, WB Robert was leaving McAllen Lodge 1110 following their officers' installation when he was confronted in the lodge parking lot and shot. Security video showed a man resembling Diaz pull into the parking lot in a Chevy SUV, approach Wise, and open fire. Holding the gun in one hand and a phone in the other, Diaz recorded the incident and posted it on his social media account.

Upon hearing the shots outside, members came running out of the hall and spotted Diaz leaving the scene.  Police were immediately called, and Robert was found in the parking lot next to his truck, with multiple gunshots wounds. He was rushed to a local hospital where he later died.

WB Wise is survived by his wife, five children, and eleven grandchildren. 

According to one source who spoke with me after his arrest last summer, Diaz told investigators that he believed Masons are "devil worshiping Illuminatists." A Facebook commenter said Diaz had previously posted anti-Masonic comments on social media, claiming the lodge "had put a curse on him."

Brother Robert Wise, 55, killed last July following officer's installation

(Photos: McAllen Lodge 1110 Facebook page)

The lodge was previously vandalized in March of 2022, when an unknown person tagged the location with graffiti reading, “Sorcery against the Holy spirit and the human race must all be stoned to death.” It's not known if Diaz was responsible for that incident, but he also faces a separate arson charge from an incident in September 2022, when he had attempted to set the McAllen Masonic hall on fire. Surveillance footage recorded him at that time breaking in by smashing the glass front door, pouring gasoline on the floor, and lighting a piece of cardboard on fire. Diaz admitted setting that fire to investigators after his arrest in connection with Wise’s death. Investigators obtained and examined Diaz’s camera and found evidence that also linked him to a February 2023 fire at Llano Grande Masonic Lodge, located about 20 miles west of McAllen in Weslaco, Texas.

It bears repeating that all Masons need to be extremely cautious regarding security in and around our buildings. That means monitored surveillance cameras located at all entrances and in the parking lot, locked outer doors during events, and vigilant Tylers who remain outside of the lodge room for the whole duration of the meeting.

Online anti-Masonic conspiracism and open hostility has grown at an alarming rate ever since COVID summer, but police departments and individual officers can't be automatically expected to realize that anti-Masonic hatred is a very real syndrome lurking out in the general population. Law enforcement officials need to be informed by us whenever there are any threats or acts of vandalism and violence directed at Masons. Even cases of minor property damage to our buildings like anti-Masonic or gang-related graffiti should be reported to police, if only to build up a database of these kinds of incidents and identify repeat attackers. 

In another sad development, Brother Wise's family filed a lawsuit against McAllen Lodge last November, alleging negligence in the case. The lawsuit alleges that the local lodge should have known ahead of time about growing anti-Masonic sentiment across the country. . .  and done something else to prevent the attack.

Man Accused of Vandalising and Setting Fire To Chattanooga Masonic Hall Considers Plea Deal

Kadum Harwood's mugshot from Hamilton County (TN) Sheriff's Dept.

by Christopher Hodapp

Kadum Harwood (age 29) was arrested last September in connection with vandalism and an arson attack on a Masonic Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Harwood has been federally charged with arson, traveling in interstate commerce to carry on arson, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, the indictment shows. 

According to a story in Wednesday's Chattanooga Times Free Press, Federal prosecutors have apparently offered a plea deal to Harwood. Details haven't been disclosed as yet, but his public defender, J. Damon Burk, filed an unopposed motion Tuesday to continue the case shortly before the federal courts closed. 

In an earlier hearing, he pleaded 'not guilty' to all counts.

Harwood's trial was scheduled to begin May 7th at the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and Courthouse, but Burk has requested the judge grant a 30-day extension so he and his client can more fully study the details.

The affidavit filed at the time of Harwood's arrest provides a few more details in the case (from the WZTV website on September 5th):

The affidavit says the Chattanooga Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at the Chattanooga Masonic Center around 2 a.m. on September 4th.

When crews arrived, the affidavit says they noticed forced entry at the front door as well as 2 separate fires on the property.

The affidavit says one fire was in the shrubs to the left of the front door and the other was in the cafeteria where a podium was set ablaze.

This was all caught on surveillance video, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit says the surveillance footage also shows Harwood using a sledge hammer to vandalize several sections on the Masonic Center.

Harwood 'recklessly' discharged a large caliber firearm into the air before leaving, the affidavit says.

The footage shows a blue Toyota SUV at the center, which the affidavit says was know [sic] by police to be driven by Kadum Harwood based on his social media posts.

The affidavit says officers also found social media posts from Harwood of him threatening to "burn the Free Masons building downtown."

For several months before, he had written Facebook posts threatening to burn down local businesses, a fire station, and a Masonic hall. The night of the attack, when police and firefighters arrived at the scene to respond to an alarm, several walls, windows and interior decorations and furnishings had been smashed with a sledgehammer. There were two small fires smouldering, one inside and the other outside. 

Harwood fled the scene and crossed the border into Georgia to evade police. Local police there located him in a hotel near the border, and arrested him.

The Masonic Center is shared by Temple Lodge 430, Chattanooga Lodge 199, John Bailey Nicklin Chapter RAM 49, and Lookout Commandery 14.

Previous related stories

September 4, 2023: Tennessee: Another Masonic Hall Vandalized

September 5, 2023: Suspect in Chattanooga Masonic Center Attack Arrested in Georgia

September 26, 2023: UPDATE: Suspect Bound For Trial in Chattanooga Masonic Center Fire

November 3, 2023: Accused Chattanooga Masonic Hall Attacker Faces Federal Charges

Grand Lodge of Cuba Votes To Expel Sitting Grand Master Mario Carreño

by Christopher Hodapp

On Sunday, the assembled brethren of the Gran Logio de Cuba de AL&AM (Grand Lodge of Cuba) voted to expel their sitting Grand Master, Mario Alberto Urquía Carreño. From the HavanaLive website translated from 14YMedio.com on March 24th:

(Havana) The Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Cuba, Mario Alberto Urquía Carreño, has been expelled by the representatives of more than 300 lodges on the Island, shouting “Out with a thief, usurper, scoundrel, traitor.” The events occurred on Sunday, when Urquía, who continued to hold office after the controversial theft of $19,000 from his office, was preparing to preside over the semi-annual session of the Masonic Upper House.

The information, reported by CubaNet, was confirmed to 14ymedio this Monday by Ángel Santiesteban, a 33rd degree Mason – the highest step in the order’s hierarchy – and an independent journalist, who could not attend the event but knows the facts.

In his opinion, whoever succeeds the Grand Master – predictably the Deputy Grand Master, Gerardo Cepero Díaz, critical of Urquía – will stop the interference of State Security in the lodge, something that leaves room for optimism.

The Freemasons considered that Urquía was illegally carrying out the position, since on January 25th he was expelled by the Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree for the Republic of Cuba for his alleged “betrayal.”

A witness to what happened this Sunday told CubaNet that the Grand Master refused to leave the room, but he had to do so due to the almost unanimous demand of the representatives of the lodges.

“There was a lot of indignation accumulated over the actions of the Grand Master. “He came out saying that he would call the Registry of Associations (of the Ministry of Justice) to complain, but they have no authority here,” he said.

“That had never happened in Cuban Freemasonry,” he added, “not the painful aftermath of the robbery, nor the blatant interference of State Security, nor the expulsion of an acting Grand Master. “Today is the day of shame, the day in which Cuban Freemasons demonstrate our autonomy and integrity.”

The Grand Lodge had expelled Urquía for his “punishable and intentional” conduct, despite the fact that his responsibility in the theft of the money – which belonged to the Llansó National Masonic Asylum, in the Havana municipality of Arroyo Naranjo – is still being investigated. 

The Supreme Council then considered that his “entrenchment” was, in addition, leaving as a consequence a “major Masonic schism in the national territory.”

Urquía continued to cling to the position, despite the rejection of a large majority of Freemasons, some of whom had asked the United States to eventually deny him possible entry into the country for “being an active collaborator of the intelligence agencies of the regime of Cuba”.

This was stated by a Freemason residing in Colombia, Pompilio Portuondo, on his Facebook account, where he added the names of some alleged “collaborators.”

“Gradually we will continue to bring to light more names of people who are collaborating with Mario Alberto Urquia and all the HH (brothers) who in one way or another have hidden, supported, or support Mr. Mario Alberto Urquia Carreño in the next session of the Masonic Upper Chamber of the Grand Lodge on Sunday, March 24.

We will expose it to the knowledge of the entire international community and especially in the United States so that they are denied entry as agents of the regime,” he said.

According to CubaNet, once Urquía’s departure was achieved, and under the transitional presidency of the former Grand Master, Ernesto Zamora, all the Decrees that Urquía had formed after January 25 to date were challenged, “including those in which he sent to the Court to those who had confronted him.”

It remains to be known what will happen to José Ramón Viñas Alonso, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of the 33rd degree, who was expelled from Freemasonry for seven years by a ruling by the Supreme Court of Masonic Justice of Cuba on Thursday, February 22.

His “punishment” was interpreted by many as revenge by Urquía Carreño against Viñas, for having reported the theft of the $19,000 in dispute.

Intruder Fatally Shot After Breaking Into a St. Louis Masonic Hall

by Christopher Hodapp

An intruder was shot and killed in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday morning after breaking into a St. Louis-area Masonic lodge building. Police pronounced the suspect dead at the scene. The lodge's resident called police as soon as the suspect was shot, and is cooperating with investigators. 

As of Friday evening, the dead man, believed to be in his mid-40s, still has not been publicly identified. 

According to local NBC affiliate KSDK-5, the suspect broke into the hall of Tuscan Lodge No. 360  at 5015 Westminster Place – in the city's Central West End – shortly before 4 a.m., setting off the building's alarm system. The lodge is unusual in that it has a private apartment inside on the third floor, originally built for the hall's caretaker. Awakened by the alarm, the apartment's resident armed himself and began conducting a search of the building. He confronted the intruder on the second floor and subsequently shot him.

According to the news account, the apartment's resident is a Mason and a member of the lodge. Police are not releasing his name publicly, and for a very good reason. Over the last two years, Masonic halls all over the world have seen increases in break-ins, vandalism, robberies, arson fires and other attacks, and anti-Masonic zealots have attacked individual brethren in increasing numbers. A Texas Mason was shot and killed last year by an anti-Mason who posted a video of himself shooting the Brother in the lodge parking lot. So, it's not a bit surprising that the lodge's resident would arm himself before searching the building.

According to its website, about 160 Masons belong to Tuscan Lodge. Past members include four Missouri governors, two St. Louis mayors, and three U.S. senators. Former President Harry S. Truman was a frequent visitor.

The Homicide Division of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police are conducting the ongoing investigation. Police Sergeant Charles Wall was quoted in the press as saying, "No matter what the facts in this investigation will be presented to the Circuit Attorney, whether or not they ultimately decide to issue any charges, that's in their purview." The Channel 5 news report interviewed a local law professor on camera, talking about Missouri's "Castle Doctrine" laws:

"The Castle Doctrine protects homeowners from intruders if someone breaks into (their) home and (they) have a reasonable fear that (they) are going to get hurt, (they) can use lethal force. Whether the burglar is armed or not it doesn't matter. If someone's in (their) house and it's dark, (they) are going to be scared."

He said Missouri has one of the most expansive Castle Doctrines in the country.

"In some states, you have to have a fear of being seriously injured or killed -- not in Missouri -- just fear of any injury and that seems to be the case here," Walker said. 

Police have not said whether the burglar was armed or not. But any time a person shoots and kills an intruder inside their home, there's always a chance that an overzealous prosecutor will attempt to turn the victim of the break-in into the bad guy for defending his 'castle' and his own life. 

Consequently, ALL Freemasons are strongly discouraged by the Grand Master of Missouri from discussing or commenting about the case on social media. The Brother in question doesn't need a bunch of keyboard warriors mouthing off about the incident online while police are still investigating. 

However, anyone with real firsthand information about the case is urged to call the Homicide Division directly at 314-444-5371. Anyone with a tip who wants to remain anonymous and is interested in a reward can contact CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477).

(UPDATE 2/24/2024: Police have subsequently identified the deceased intruder as Geanard Howard, 48, of St. Louis. See HERE. Photo from his Facebook page.)

Family Of Murdered Texas Mason Suing Lodge For Negligence

Brother Robert Wise, 55, was killed in July after officer's installation

(Photos: McAllen Lodge 1110 Facebook page)

by Christopher Hodapp

The family of a Texas Mason who was murdered outside of a Masonic hall following an officers' installation ceremony has just filed a civil lawsuit against McAllen Lodge 1110 alleging negligence.

Brother Robert Wise was shot and killed in the lodge parking lot the evening of July 10, 2023, allegedly by an anti-Mason named Julio Diaz, who actually shot a video of the murder as it happened and posted it to his social media page.

A story on the MyRGV.com website reads, in part:

The surviving family members of a McAllen Masonic Lodge member’s summer murder filed a lawsuit saying the organization should have known about what they say is growing anti-Masonic resentment across the country.

And Robert Wise’s wife and children said they should have known about 35-year-old Alamo resident Julio Diaz, who is accused of fatally shooting Wise, 55, and posting a video of the murder to social media.

His surviving family members filed a lawsuit against McAllen Masonic Lodge No. 1110 on Nov. 27, alleging their negligence killed Wise because they ignored what they call a national trend of vandalism and threats against Masons, and because they did not install a light and security camera system purchased in 2022 until after Wise’s murder.

They also allege that the organization failed to warn its members about Diaz, who was known to the organization, because Diaz allegedly committed an act of arson at a Weslaco Masonic Lodge, which the McAllen members frequented, according to the petition.

McAllen Masonic Lodge No. 1100 is located at 118 N. 11 Street.

Wise walked out of that building on July 10 after being a member for more than two years and after a ceremony where he was named a “Junior Deacon.”

Police allege that’s when Diaz fatally shot him.

[snip]

Following Wise’s murder, on July 28 at the McAllen Lodge, McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez met with members and “stated the obvious.”

“At night, when one enters or exits the McAllen Lodge, the parking lot and surrounding area and the front of the building had no lighting. It was pitch black,” the petition stated. “The premises was unlit, unfenced, and completely unprotected from any trespasser at the time of Wise’s murder.

“The McAllen Lodge knew how vulnerable it and its members were, but did nothing.”

But even before this meeting, the petition says a popular blogger who writes about Masonic news, had been reporting that ever since the COVID lockdowns that “there has been an alarming increase throughout the U.S. and Canada in incidents of vandalism and arson against Masonic halls by admitted paranoid anti-Masonic extremists and conspiracists.”

(NOTE: I believe this is in reference to stories appearing on this website, which in no way could have predicted – or prevented – what happened. - CLH)

Then, on Dec. 6, 2021, the McAllen Lodge was vandalized and the location “became emblematic of the national trend on a local level.”

“Aware of the national trend and seeing it play out in their front yard, leaders of the McAllen Lodge pushed for the purchase of the light and camera system after this incident,” the petition stated. “Despite the full knowledge of the national and local trend of violence toward Masons, it took another act of vandalism in December of 2021 at the McAllen Lodge to prompt the purchase of a light and camera system.”

That happened sometime in 2022 when the McAllen Lodge purchased a light and camera system for about $2,000, according to the lawsuit.

“However, the light and camera system was not installed until months AFTER the murder of Robert Wise. In the wake of this security failure the criminal activity targeting the McAllen Lodge continued,” the lawsuit stated.

(NOTE: I have no way of knowing the veracity of these claims, but early reports immediately following the murder stated there was surveillance footage of the lodge's parking lot that provided details to law enforcement. The petition goes on to make the bizarre claim that the lodge wasted money on an entertainment event that would have been far more responsibly spent on security systems, as though lights and cameras could have in any way dissuaded the murderer from his premeditated action. - CLH)

On March 30, 2022, someone vandalized the location with graffiti that read “Sorcery against the Holy spirit and the human race must all be stoned to death.”

After that happened, the person who was the third in command sent text messages to the top two people in charge and the petition said nothing was done.

“Five months later, on September 15, 2022, the criminal struck again. The McAllen Lodge was vandalized, the front glass door smashed and fuel thrown into the building to start a fire,” the lawsuit stated.

After this incident, the petition said a high-ranking member on a state level sent out a message warning people to be vigilant and to secure the lodge building.

“Both the McAllen Lodge and the Grand Lodge had actual knowledge of the national trend and the specific threats to the McAllen Lodge,” the lawsuit stated. “What happened to Robert Wise was completely foreseeable and yet no action was taken.”

(NOTE: For decades, Masonic lodges have often received non-specific, threatening messages, accusing Masons of heresy, secret plotting, devil worship, mind control, and a raft of economic, political and religious conspiracies. Allegations like these date back as far as the early 1700s, and several states have reported numerous instances of finding anonymous warning letters plastered to lodge doors or stuck in mailboxes. It's infinitesimally rare for any actual harm or damage to come from these kinds of threats, but it's still unnerving to find them. Police won't act until an actual crime is committed, and judges often don't like sentencing obviously nutty people to jail time over their beliefs in conspiracies or overzealous religious beliefs. So what exactly is a lodge supposed to do when faced with these kinds of messages? – CLH)

The petition then cites two more arson attacks on Mason buildings on a national level and then another arson attack at the Llano Grande Masonic Lodge on Feb. 21 in Weslaco.

 

Julio Diaz remains held in the Hidalgo County

Adult Detention Center on an indictment charging 

him with murder and arson. He has a $1 million 

bond on the murder charge and a $5,000 bond

on the arson charge.

 

“This act should have prompted action. Julio Diaz, the alleged murderer of Robert Wise, videoed the Weslaco Lodge fire and uploaded it to his Instagram page,” the petition stated. “Now violence had a name and a face and it lived right next door. The McAllen Lodge routinely met at the Weslaco Lodge and Diaz knew it." 

 

[snip]

On Aug. 7, Masonic leadership finally ordered the McAllen Lodge closed permanently.

“Too little … too late. Robert Wise was dead,” the lawsuit stated.

Read more at the myRGV.com website HERE.

Reviewing this long, sad story tonight, my heart ached once again for Brother Wise's grieving family. Understand that I am in no way making light of his family's grief and loss. But there's no way the lodge should be blamed for his murder. The arson fires, graffiti, online threats and other hate-filled actions of anti-Masons around the world that have been spotlighted by this blog are infuriating to all of us. But when you consider the tens of thousands of local Masonic halls around the globe that have NOT been attacked in any way, trying to predict and prevent every four-alarm lunatic's deranged attacks ahead of time isn't possible, or even feasible. All the lights and cameras in the world wouldn't have prevented this horrible act of hatred and extreme religious zealotry.

Moreover, suing the lodge won't bring Brother Wise back to life, nor will it do anything to prevent future anti-Masonic attacks on other Masons.

So why the lawsuit? 

Many decades ago, my brother and I were ardent teenaged railfans, and we would travel far and wide to photograph and make audio recordings of trains. One particular trip, I had a new Super8 film camera with an especially wide-angle lens I wasn't quite used to yet. As a train came blasting out of a tunnel in rural Tennessee, I was crouched low on the ground capturing an incredibly dramatic angle of the action, while peering only through my viewfinder. My brother Mike suddenly realized with horror that I was mere inches from having my head ripped off by the locomotive's low-riding front step. He leapt over to me, reached down, grabbed me by the scruff of the neck, and hurled me out of its path at the very last second.

As we both lay on the ground gasping for breath, I wondered aloud if some slick lawyer might have talked our parents into suing the railroad, had I been decapitated by one of their trains, even if we were trespassing and I had clearly been a completely irresponsible moron. 

"No," Mike said, rolling it over in his mind. "This railroad is declaring bankruptcy. You never sue anyone poor."

"Who would they sue then," I asked.

"Why, Eastman Kodak, of course," he replied. "Kodak manufactured the film that went into your camera, and you wouldn't have even been here if it weren't for that damned film. Definitely Kodak."

Anti-Masonic Vandalism: Freemasons' Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland Damaged

by Christopher Hodapp

Historic Freemasons Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland was damaged last Tuesday when one or more unknown vandals smashed a window and damaged the building's exterior.

From a story in the Belfast Telegraph by Niamh Campbell:

It was reported that a window above a door at the property in Arthur Square was smashed sometime between 8.45pm on Monday evening and 11am on Tuesday morning.

A male was observed acting suspiciously in the area at around 10pm on Monday evening, and officers say they “would be keen to speak with him”.

The PSNI said he was dressed in a black hoody with the hood up, an orange top hanging below the hoody, grey bottoms, and that he was carrying a black bag.

The Masonic hall, adjacent to Victoria Square shopping centre, is home to dozens of Freemason Belfast lodges.

Posting on the Irish Masonic Network’s social media page, a member shared images of the vandalised building and stated: “With great sadness I have to report a sustained attack on Freemasons Hall Arthur Square.

After the Vatican issued a new statement in November reaffirming the Roman Catholic Church's rules forbidding their congregants from becoming Freemasons, there has been a major uptick in offensive online anti-Masonic commentary. There has already been a steady increase in reports of attacks on Masonic halls throughout the world in 2023 in the form of anti-Masonic graffiti, break-ins, arson fires, and other forms of deliberate damage. 

Belfast Freemasons Hall after its 2007 renovations

The Belfast Freemasons Hall was originally opened in 1870, and underwent a complete refurbishment in 2007. It is home to numerous Masonic lodges, appendant bodies, and the Donegal Masonic Club.

According to the Hall's website, the renowned Belfast artist John Luke was commissioned in  spring 1955 to execute a mural depicting “Solomon Building the Temple” in The Provincial Masonic Hall Rosemary Street. Measuring 31feet long and 7feet high, it was completed November 1956, and the artist was paid £375. In 2000 the mural was appraised at £3 million.

Police are continuing to investigate the case.

Attorney for Accused Murderer of Texas Mason May Claim Client's "Mental Incompetence"

by Christopher Hodapp

The suspect arrested in the murder of a Freemason outside of the Masonic Hall in McAllen, Texas last July attended a hearing Monday in which his defense attorney asked the trial  judge for more time to research his client's mental competency. 

Julio Diaz, 35, of Alamo, Texas is accused of shooting Brother Robert Wise, 55, on July 10th as he was leaving McAllen Lodge 1110's officer installation ceremony. Security video showed a man resembling Diaz pull into the parking lot in a Chevy SUV, approach Wise, and open fire. Holding the gun in one hand and a phone in the other, Diaz recorded the incident and posted it on his social media account.

Upon hearing the shots outside, members came running out of the hall and spotted Diaz leaving the scene.  Police were immediately called, and Robert was found  in the parking lot next to his truck, with multiple gunshots to his face. He was rushed to a local hospital where he later died.

Photo: KRGV-TV5

A friend of Diaz reported him to police after the video had been posted online, and Diaz admitted to him online he had shot Wise.

In court today, Diaz' attorney Lennard Whittaker Molina asked the judge for an investigator, saying more time was needed to go through his client's medical records because he isn't sure if Diaz is competent for trial. From the KRGV-TV5 website:

The defense said Diaz has been diagnosed with Schizophrenia, and he had other diagnoses from Mexico. The judge asked if there were any documents stating that Diaz was mentally incompetent, and the defense said not yet. The defense and prosecution are both working to get Diaz psychologically evaluated before the trial starts.

Diaz' murder trial is now scheduled to begin January 22nd.

Photo: McAllen Lodge 1110 Facebook page

Brother Robert Wise left behind his wife, five children, and eleven grandchildren, along with brothers, sisters, numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

Diaz also faces a separate arson charge from an earlier incident when he had previously tried to set the McAllen lodge hall on fire back in September 2022. According to the filing in that case:

Diaz threw a brick through the doors of the Masonic Lodge in September 2022, poured gasoline on the floor and lit a piece of cardboard on fire. 

The complaint states a nearby surveillance camera recorded the incident.
Diaz admitted to his role in that fire after McAllen police arrested him in connection with Wise’s death. 

Authorities obtained Diaz’s camera and found evidence that [also] linked him to a February 2023 fire at the Masonic Lodge in Weslaco, the complaint stated.

When he was arrested and questioned back in July, sources familiar with the investigation said that Diaz believed Masons are "devil worshiping Illuminatists." A Facebook commenter said Diaz had previously posted anti-Masonic comments on social media, claiming the lodge "had put a curse on him."