Why we should care about Jared Gustafson
The Childless, Youth-Obsessed "pastor" who works at Loma Linda Children's Hospital
Introduction
Southern California resident Jared Gustafson has led a group of anti-maskers known as the Inland Empire Liberty Coalition to protest at Redlands Unified School District board meetings for the past two years. Jared and his group have harassed and terrorized the public using racial slurs, threats, intimidation, and bringing weapons to meetings, culminating in September 14th’s school board meeting where Jared publicly disclosed a school board member’s home address with the ominous promise to “make this personal.” We believe the facts demonstrate that Jared is a dangerous man.
What follows is a timeline explaining who Jared is and why we should care.
Timeline
Early 2000’s
Jared, with his older brother Seth, begins "touring" churches from their home in the San Bernardino Mountain town of Crestline. The Gustafson brothers attend church services in Lake Arrowhead, Redlands, Highland, Yucaipa, and Calimesa and ingratiate themselves to area pastors.
Jared founds a house church after splitting from Trinity Church’s college-age group, Praxis, which begins at the gazebo of Sylvan Park in Redlands in June 2009.
2011-2013
Redlands native, Ryan Ashton, begins attending Monday Nights. He grows concerned over abuse, coercive influence, and manipulation by Jared and Seth, which began when Seth encouraged young men to get naked with each other to experience “intimacy” and other seriously toxic elements in Jared’s church.
The Gustafsons subjected Ryan to a church “trial” where church members gaslighted and intimidated him into signing a “contract” to halt all disagreeable communication about the church practices and Jared and Seth’s behavior.
2013-2014
The Gustafsons instructed church members and their families to shun Ryan, threatening more shunnings if anyone ever communicated with him. Jared and Seth tracked Ryan’s movements and pleas for help whenever Ryan asked area pastors or friends for relief. The Gustafsons’ rapport with Southern California pastors left Ryan completely isolated.
Ryan ended up leaving California entirely due to Jared and Seth’s abuse, having lost his hometown of Redlands.
July 2021
Until 2021, Jared has remained relatively apolitical. But the COVID-19 pandemic and a cohort of anti-maskers presented Jared with an opportunity.
Jared founded the Inland Empire Liberty Coalition (IELC) and they soon began disrupting school board meetings throughout the Inland Empire.
The July meeting is delayed for two hours due to IELC members shouting and banging on walls. Police were already present in anticipation of a clash.
August 2021
Safe Redlands Schools is formed in the wake of Jared Gustafson’s disruptions against COVID protections and public health measures.
In August, the new presence of a metal detector reveals that Jared had brought a large knife onto the high school campus. This meeting also has members of the anti-mask group Let Them Breathe in attendance, in addition to Inland Empire Liberty Coalition. A man in the crowd shouts “Heil Hitler!”, and a woman likens masks to the “yellow stars” of the Holocaust era.
September 2021
Redlands school board member Alex Vara is targeted by Jared Gustafson.
A large poster board with Mr. Vara’s face is brought to the meeting. Jared uses his public participation time to doxx Mr. Vara—the act of publicly revealing private identifying personal information about an individual, typically with malicious intent. Jared and his group threaten to visit the board members at their homes if they do not comply with their demands and promise to make the issue “personal.”
September 2021
CONTINUED
Upon doxxing a school board member, Jared and his followers then turn their attention to a Safe Redlands School organizer—surrounding her, shouting insults, and recording her. The threatening behavior continued in the parking lot where the group recorded themselves calling out identifying information such as her license plate number and home address. Jared and his followers attempt to follow her home.
Ryan Ashton publishes “Unmasking Jared Gustafson” on Medium, a statement in support of Safe Redlands Schools, detailing Jared’s abuse.
September 2021
CONTINUED
Soon after, organizers of Safe Redlands Schools are made aware that Seth Gustafson held a position with Youth Hope, a local Redlands-based nonprofit that serves runaway and unhoused youth (ages 14-24) in the Inland Empire.
With public pressure and facts of Seth’s exhibitionism and abuse, Seth was successfully removed from a role that gave him access to vulnerable youth.
February 2022
From October 2021 to February 2022, school board meetings are held via Zoom; Jared and a few followers attend, but there is no opportunity for the theatrics of in-person meetings.
During Black History Month, Jared reposts a social media invitation from the Redlands High School Black Student Union (BSU), placing “White” over “Black,” claiming that services and communities that cater to Black people are inherently racist.
February 2022
CONTINUED
Due to the lack of warning from the Redlands School District, Jared was invited to RHS to speak with the students of the Black Student Union, presumably in an attempt at community outreach on the part of BSU leadership. He filmed himself sharing his thoughts about racism and posted it on Instagram.
When local parents, advocates, and Safe Redlands Schools organizers learn of this, they reminded the school board of the Gustafsons’ disturbing behavior, most notably their preoccupation with the youth of our community.
March 2022
Safe Redlands Schools has been contacted by employees of Loma Linda Children’s Hospital who anonymously shared their concerns and discomfort with Jared as a colleague. Jared currently works as a social worker for Loma Linda Children’s Hospital in the Pediatric Emergency Department.
Prior to this role, Jared worked at Loma Linda per diem as an ER tech—while there, he would regularly ask physicians leading hypothetical questions to get what he wanted to hear to then use as talking points for his anti-mask arguments.
Jared Gustafson routinely grooms and seeks to recruit other employees under the guise of his supposed heroism.
At the beginning of 2022, the Pediatric Emergency Department hired him as their department social worker straight out of school with no experience and no internship hours. The staff’s reaction to this new position was described as “livid.”
We were also informed that the department administration knows all about Jared—his abuses, terroristic threats, and disruptions to the community. They continue to protect him despite protests from physicians who know his victims personally.
Staff shared that Jared uses most of his time talking with staff and patients about his misguided ideas and is otherwise reluctant to perform all of the other tasks required of his position, up to and including protecting children.
March 2022
CONTINUED
Another survivor of Jared Gustafson’s abuse comes forward and shared their experience on Medium.
Lo Whipple describes what it was like dating Jared. Coercive control—gaslighting, intimidation, and manipulation are common tools that Jared’s victims indicate he uses.
“I am angry and disappointed and sad for the types of pain and harm he has inflicted and continues to inflict.”
—Lo Whipple
What can you do?
Have you been abused by Jared?
—
Contact us!
You can remain anonymous.
—
Sharing your story helps establish a pattern so that we can better advocate for other vulnerable people.
You are not alone.