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Picket report, San Francisco, August 7, 1999

Date: Saturday, August 7, 1999
Start and End Times: 12:10 - 2:00 pm 
   (plus 50 minutes walking to and from the org, which is time spent
handing out fliers and practicing wave tech)
Location: San Francisco
Picketers: Kristi Wachter, phr
Handlers: none
Weather: started overcast and turned sunny
Number of Handouts given away: 165 (upstat!)
Comments: no handling; some static from Scientologists

flier stats:

  16 Lisa fliers
  32 Rodney
  17 Judges on Scn
 100 Mint/Law
    
 165 total (upstat!) 
 total includes fliers given away by phr - thanks, phr!
 
Note: Quotes may not be exact, since I didn't listen to my tape recording
at all. Also, I occasionally rearrange the chronology slightly to enhance
the narrative flow.


Phr and I had a nice quiet picket at the San Francisco org today. It was
largely uneventful - just the way I like it.


I did my usual quick call to the police and, as usual, left a little late
(dang suppressive personality).


TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL

No intimidation picketers were waiting for me when I left. I merrily
walked the several blocks to the org, waving and smiling and occasionally
handing out fliers.

I passed one lady walking with her small son; when I stopped to give
someone a flier and some info, she passed me, and we waited together for
the light. Her son, noticing me, asked his mom, "What's that?" and she
began to explain to him that Scientology tells people they can help them
but they really brainwash people, and if you criticize them, they'll hurt
you and sometimes even kill you. He asked what brainwashing was, and she
told him. I turned to her and offered her a leaflet and told her about the
IRS review, and she thanked me.

Scientology: their reputation precedes them.


NO STATIC AT ALL

(well, okay, some static:)

Although we had no official handlers today - I didn't even see anyone come
out and take pictures of us - I noticed a little more static than usual
from the public Scientologists coming and going from the org. (There were
a lot of publics there today, and I saw more smokers than usual feeding
their addiction in front of the org.)

Just after I arrived, a gentleman rode up on a bicycle and began locking
it to a lamppost in front of the org. I offered him a flier and he asked
me when was the last time I did something right. I told him I was doing
something right at the moment, and asked him if he was a Scientologist. He
declined to answer, but went into the org.

Phr and I both got the "how much are they paying you?" line from a
gentleman in a van; I told him "Not a thing." When I asked him who would
be paying me and why, he declined to answer (but said something about
"what a way to make a living" as he drove off).

I also had a gentleman flip me off and say "fuck you"; a lady say "you're
lying" (when I mentioned the criminal charges in Spain, she had no further
comments); and a lady whom I offered a flier - she said "You don't want to
talk to me. You need to stop slandering us." I told her I wasn't
slandering Scientology, and she said, "I know you don't think so, but it
is. You haven't found out for yourself what Scientology is about." I told
her she didn't know what she was talking about, that I had done some
auditing and that I had read Dianetics cover to cover. She said "Thank you
for telling me that."

Although I was saddened to see so many people unwilling to confront the
truth about what their organization is doing, I was glad that we didn't
have any in-your-face confrontations. I wish their communication courses
really did help them to communicate better.


Among the staffers, I saw Josh (whom I greeted cheerily, and who returned
my greeting), Burly Guy, and Mr. Get Your Facts Straight, who MAY have
returned my smile (it really is hard to tell when he's smiling, I think).
There was also a Sea Org lady that I didn't recognize; she had short curly
red hair. I hope she hasn't come to replace our cute Sea Org Lady.


TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD

We had a couple of interesting conversations - or rather, phr had them,
for the most part.

One lady, who seemed a bit out of it, talked to him at some length. Her
son is a Scientology minister in Clearwater, and she said as long as it
keeps him off drugs, it was okay by her. Phr gave her a lot of good
information, and I joined the conversation for a few minutes, giving her
some info about Rodney Rimando and pointed out that the people who were
watching Lisa were good-hearted people just like her son, but they had
participated in a serious crime. After quite a long chat with phr, she
went into the org for a few minutes, possibly to ask them about some of
the things we said.

She seemed sweet, if a bit confused, and I hope both she and her son are
okay.

Phr also had a conversation with a a gentleman who was in a veteran's
group that was approached by Scientology to try to get them on the
Purification Rundown to get rid of Agent Orange toxins. Phr said the
gentleman felt they all had a strange smile and look in their eyes and it
turned the group off, so they chose not to do the Purif.

(As usual, I got one or two questions about the "Does Scientology cause
liver damage?" question on my sign.)


I LOVE A PARADE

There was a parade happening on Market Street, a block away, during our
picket. Phr and I wandered over for a few minutes to take a look. We
couldn't quite tell what it was for, but there were various groups with
flags and colorful costumes... quite lovely.


TALK TO ME

After the picket, we had a bite at the cafe (they still have a poster in
the window for two performances by Linda Langford, a/k/a Our Lady of the
Stress Test Table, even though her performances were last January) and did
some catching up.

Afterwards, I walked back, smiling and waving and giving out the
occasional flier. A pair of gentlemen passed me in a crosswalk, and one
said, "What's all this? Give me the quick story." I started to hand him a
flier, but he refused it and said "I don't want to read. Talk to me." So I
gave him the quick spiel: false imprisonment, fraud, extortion, felony
charges. He asked for some details; I answered. He asked for a flier. He
asked some other good questions, and I answered, and suggested contacting
the IRS. He thanked me profusely.

Thank goodness I'M not forbidden to use verbal tech.



I MISSED AGAIN

Apparently I just missed Craig's revenge picket; I got home at around 3:15
and he reportedly split shortly before that. It was apparently just him
and his "Don't criticize what you don't understand" sign. He's certainly
been the most consistent of my picketers; I haven't seen Stridenta or Ben
in ages. I wonder if he's OSA?

He kindly left a flier for me. I am sorry to have missed seeing him.
Pardon me while I interrupt this picket report for a quick message to
Craig via the OSA ars monitors:


Hi Craig! How have you been? I hope life's been treating you well!



All in all, it was a lovely picket - not too warm, not too windy, plenty
of avid flier takers, no ugly behavior from Scientology staff. It was just
splendid to see phr, and it was nice to see some of the Scientology
regulars, too. (I'm always happy to see Josh.)


The next regularly scheduled first-Saturday-of-every-month picket is
September 4 at the regular time, 12 - 2. See you then!



Kristi


--
Kristi Wachter
the activist formerly known as "Jour" (before $cientology outed me)

I think $cientology is hurting people and breaking the law, and I
want them to stop it. See http://www.scientology-lies.com for more.
         Can you say "Xenu?" ... I knew that you could.

This page was last updated on December 18, 1999.