30 YEARS Of INFAMY!

PARTS ONE And TWO.

Picketing the Church of Scientology© since May 10, 1997, for Objectionable Management Practises.

PROLOGUE:

It's been a busy week.

I'm going to tell you about this last Saturday and Monday.

The reason for hitting them so hard this month is that September is 30 years of Scientology in Canada, and 5 years since the jury announced their criminal conviction.

Picket #6

Saturday:
Gregg & I realized that this picketing schedule would be tough on critics, and we weren't too suprised when we were the only two picketers at our 2pm start time.

The highlight for today was our new banner. I'm sure Gregg will post the exact wording, but the gist of it was 30 years of Infamy - Canada's only criminally convicted church. It's about 12 feet long, and looks very professional.

We fastened one end of the banner to a handy sign pole, and Gregg took the other end, armed with his megaphone. I was armed with leaflets and one of our dayglo yellow picket signs. I was handing out 3 different leaflets, Roland's Xenu, and my Dyn'ethics and my latest leaflet "The Courts decisions".

When we arrived, we had total control over the sidewalk. Gregg was doing a great commentary, inviting people to learn Scientology's dirty little secret - OT3.

After a while, Buttnor came out to take a picture of our new banner, Gregg streched it for him, so that the picture would be good.

The scientologists had a problem on these two days. Unlike last Monday when they could stand in the doorway and shoot us on the camcorder, we were around the corner, and they couldn't see us from the door. They had to shoot us through the windows of the org. I think this makes it pretty obvious since the camcorder can only operate from the mains, the battery is broken!

This shot is from the Picket on September 1st.
The Videocamera battery was dead then too!

Gregg got engaged in a conversation with a scientologist, I was listening but not partipating. It was a very interesting conversation, and I'm looking forward to Gregg's reporting of it - I couldn't do it justice as I was distracted by talking to members of the public as I leafleted.

The cops showed up, I belive responding to a complaint by Buttnor, they spend a long time talking in the org, then came out to talk to us.
One of the first things he did was to ask each of us who were were, and the scientologist first claimed that he was just a passerby before admitting he was a scientologist. This was in one extended sentence, but it was very telling - they won't even admit they're scientologists to the cops who they called to "protect them".

Gregg & I talked to the senior one. He confirmed that we were not breaking any laws, and advised us on how to continue not breaking any laws.
One thing that we discussed was photography.
I said that I don't take pictures until the scientologists take pictures of us. Now I didn't realize this at the time, but the scientologist ( who was stil hanging about) chipped in and made a big boob. He said that I had photographed Co$ Staffers the previous week, and they had me on video doing it!
Excuse me! Isn't video a form of photography too?

The Cosite slipped away.

We finished our conversation with the Cop, and thanked him for his time.

After a while, we were joined by Slippery Jim & his friend Karl Marx. Karl took Gregg's station on the end of the banner, and Slippery Jim helped me hand out leaflets.
The Scientologists were again handing out the 6 page leaflet they first gave out on Labour day.

By the end of the day we'd handed out about 300 leaflets, and informed more people in Toronto.

One thing I've been meaning to mention for months and months.

At our very first picket we noticed that the Org has two elevators. The right hand one as you look in the door had a poster on it, covering the doors in such a way that that elevator is obviously not in use. That poster, or one like it, remained there in May, June, July, August, and now September.

Slippery Jim DiGriz    Almost 6 months, and they can't repair their elevator.

....Continued.