Clearwater, December 1998

Subject: Picket, Clearwater, Dec 1998
From: "G. SCARFF" garryls@earthlink.net
Thursday, December 3:

At 5:00PM, the picketers converge on the Ft. Harrison for an impromptu picket. I wore my T-shirt that said on the front "I'M NOT A SLUT, I'M JUST POPULAR" and "MINTON RULES" emblazened on the back. We picket the Ft. H and the Sandcastle being tailed by the same (gorgeous) OSA agent that filmed us at the Sandcastle last year. The agent remained silent but took a number of photographs of picketers, some at the same time that picketers were taking his photo. On the way back from the Sandcastle, I walked behind the OSA agent informing him how attractive I found him to be and complimented him on his personal assets ~ I won't go there ~ I didn't have to ~ Grady Ward, ever the comic walked alongside me and talked to the OSA agent how he and I should get together for a romp in the hay, noting that the OSA agent got an erection from all the verbality.

Later, I see this agent trying to take pictures of Peter Reichelt who is evading him. I hold my picket sign between the OSA agent's camera & Peter, earning the wrath of Bob Minton telling me not to hit the OSA agent with my sign. Later at the Holiday Inn, Bob chews me out for "hitting the Scientologist" saying he did not see it himself, but others told him I had done it. It was a lie and I told Bob it was pretty amazing that some critics hold Scientologists responsible for deceptive behavior, but don't see the hypocrisy behind acting in the same manner themselves.

Because of the accusation, Bev and I drive back to the Ft. Harrison and speak to Scientology security. I inform them of the accusation levied at me, was wanting to apologize if it was true though I know it was not, and gave a guard a note instructing Mike Rinder to call me at my motel. I deliberately left myself open to arrest if the Scientologists wanted to take advantage of the situation. I later received a call from Mike telling me it was "utter bullshit" by those among the critics that had a grudge against me.

I converse with a very nice fellow going by the name of "Exile" and I agree to meet him the next morning to picket the Scientology properties.

Friday, December 4:
At 9:45am, I meet Exile in front of the historical 500 Cleveland Building (former Bank of Clearwater, now the Admin building for Scientology). Scientology operations have shut down, at least in the streets, as the Cleveland Building is quiet and all it's windows have the shades pulled down on it. Tiring of just standing in front of the 500 building, I walked by myself to the Ft. Harrison and picket for an hour there, seeing church members and guards running into the Ft. H where they will stay while I picket.

Later, I go into to One Stop Shoppe, a drugstore/convenience store owned and operated by Scientologists (and the only downtown Clearwater business of it's type to stay open till 2:00AM, 7 days a week) and inquire about getting my hands on a recent copy of Flag's FREEDOM newspaper. I am informed by the lady co-owner that because of the presence of "troublemakers" in the city who plan to picket the church, that church members had removed all the newspapers from the bins city-wide and from store shelve's to keep the "troublemakers" from "stealing them".

The support Exile and I receive from passerby is great!! People are honking and giving their thumbs-up support. Several tell us to "be careful" and tell us we are doing a great job taking on the Scientologists. Only one person is negative: a guy in a beaten-up stationwagon who pulls up to the sidewalk and flips a bird at me, telling me to "go to hell" nearly clipping a car. It was a joy seeing the quick reaction on this turd's face when he saw he was about to collide with another car.

That evening, I take Val and Bev to Clearwater Beach for dinner. On the way back, we drive around the Ft. H. and it is in the back of the hotel that we cause the skirmish with Scientology guards who upon seeing us, rush people off a bus to behind the black-tarped gate, and knowing that the bewildered staffers are not running off the bus fast enough, shove them back on the bus and order it's driver to drive away FAST!!

Just to be safe, Val, Bev & I go to the Clearwater Police Department to file an incident report with female officer M. Gustavson. Upon leaving the department parking lot, I accidentally run into a guard post which draws the laughter of Bev & Val, enjoying the fruits of my "California driving"... To be continued... Garry Scarff

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Subject: Scarff: Clearwater Picket, 12/5/98
From: "G. SCARFF" garryls@earthlink.net
Date: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 22:16:10 -0800
Message-ID: 366F672A.76D4E2E2@earthlink.net

Saturday, December 5:

My morning starts out with a phone call from my mother in response to my message to her that I'd like to visit with her before I go back to California. My mother agrees as long as I agree to her rules that no mention is made of Scientology, her beliefs, and nothing is mentioned of my activities in Clearwater which is a definite source of aggravation to her. She also says that we can meet as long as Bev is not there as one SP is enough to deal with. I later arrive at the Ft. Harrison with Bev and Val in tow and there is not a Scientologist in sight. I arrive with my sign "MIKE RINDER IS STILL ONE HOT HUNK" surrounded by colorful valentines which draws the attention of several news cameras (and which CiCi said later that night ended up on one of the news stations as a very funny set-up to an interview with Mike Rinder). I can only imagine how fast Mike had to run to his room to change his soiled underwear...

Stacy Y. chews me out for "hitting a Scientologist" the night before. I give her a piece of my mind on the matter and tell her I don't give a rat's ass about comments made by those critics present I don't count as friends. All the critics present are nice to me and a joy to be around. Jeff Jacobsen is silent throughout and we ignore each other. The only asinined remark comes from the poster boy of hemorroidal creams, Rod Keller. I ignore him as well.

Other developments:

1. I get my photo taken with Xenu.

2. I am asked by a police sergeant (with a barking dog in the back of his car) to please keep my pants on (following a complaint by Scientology that I had dropped my pants and mooned one of their photographers.)

3. I informed Stacy that Mike Rinder is across the street speaking to Police Chief Sid Klein. Stacy says hello to "Mikey", but he ignores her. I then take Bev's hand and walk her across the street to intoduce her to him, and when he see's me coming, he RUNS south across the parking lot. We look for him but cannot find him. One of the officers inform us that he was seen running back across the street and into the Ft. Harrison garage.

4. Bev, Val and I spend a greater amount of time behind the Ft. Harrison at a black tarped gate where Scientology was running their staff in and out to avoid the picketers up front. It becomes apparent as long as we are there, they will not load/unload their buses, and soon, recognize that they have again changed course and are running white vans in and out of the garage on Ft. Harrison Avenue. Flag guards stand on the roof watching us.

5. I walk around with my black whip "PROPERTY OF DAVID MISCAVIGE" and am informed by an officer not to whip anyone as that could constiute assault. I ask the officer if I could try my toy out on him, and he declines.

6. Keith Henson and I have a conversation with a police officer how Clearwater does such a great job keeping the peace, but how LAPD has royally kissed the ass of Scientology in California. The officers says it is strange to him because off-duty LAPD officers have been in Clearwater working for Scientology. Keith tells the officer the saga of Glen Barton and why he was fired as a LAPD Chaplain.

7. In the back of the hotel, I "inform" the security guard that we will be walking by the gate every 15 minutes till midnight. Bev takes turns trying to comm with the guard who runs and hides behind a post in the courtyard, and singing to him (go figure ~ and you thought I was crazy!!)

Garry Scarff

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Subject: Scarff: Clearwater Picket, 12/6-8/98
From: "G. SCARFF" garryls@earthlink.net
Date: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 22:32:37 -0800
Message-ID: 366F6B05.F6A846B6@earthlink.net

On Sunday morning, Bev and I check out of the motel, eat breakfast (Bev refusing to budge on my suggestions to order the fresh alligator omelet) and got to the Holiday Inn to say our goodbyes. We then drive down to the Fort Harrison where we observe RPF crews and children breaking up the concrete sidewalk in front of their sign advertising the construction of the Super Tower. We make ourselves know to Flag security, driving arounnd the Fort H, and watch in amazement as OSA guards order all their members into the Ft. H. Exhausted, dirty RPF'ers are routed single file and marched into the Ft. H garage followed by cleaner guys with clipboards. Everything at Ft. H closes down as Bev and I walk around the area sans picket signs, followed closely by a squad car of 4 police officers. We converse with the police officer and Bev thanks them for assuring her safety and keeping the events of the weekend peaceful. While Bev is talking to the cops, I am mentally undressing one of the younger cops............

Leaving Clearwater, he head for Lakeland where I will meet with my mother, my younger brother and in turn, set her up to meet Beverly. It is a very strained meeting but my mother seems to have no problem talking to Beverly (though the KR will probably not reflect this). Bev notices the strain and the aloofness of my mother and her turning into a cold fish when I embrace her. It is hard. My mother glares at me immediately with anger when I let it slip out that we enjoyed spending the weekend in Clearwater.

After a quick dinner, and tense converation, we part ways and Bev and I return to Orlando. Bev expresses concern about Scientology retaliation for her being in Clearwater and whether they will kill her dogs. I tell Beverly that if they kill any of her dogs, there will be a couple of dead Scientologists to contend with.

Tuesday, December 8:

Today, my flight returns me to Los Angeles. While in the terminal eating breakfast, Bev expresses nervousness over a guy that has sit down next to us, and when we leave, he follows us wherever we go. I stare him down and prior to boarding the plane, I tell Bev to go ahead and leave the terminal and I will keep my eyes on him until she gets away. I stare at the man who meets my stare for awhile, then sits down with his back to me, looking over his shoulder intermittently.

Bev tells me later she has had no further incidents. I arrive to a very chilly LA 6 hours later disappointed that no one at Scientology has met to picket me.

Garry Scarff
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Subject: Scarff: Clearwater Picket, 12/3 and 12/4/98
From: Ablab garryls@earthlink.net
Date: Tue, 08 Dec 1998 18:37:37 -0800
Message-ID: 366DE270.7DD1753@earthlink.net

On Thursday afternoon, Dec. 3rd (Valeries 47th birthday), Bev and I drove to Clearwater for the weekend. We first stopped by the Holiday Inn to see if anyone had arrived. We then drove to Clearwater Beach, followed by a tour of the Scientology properties and the builldings I had worked in while an OSA operative. It wasn't long before our trail was picked up by Scientology guards, particularly by "Spencer", a young Flag guard whom I'd known for 2 years (and who appeared with me in the ARD video ~ Spencer was the Flag guard that filmed me and Martin Ottman in front of Flag).

Bev had a special place in her heart for Spencer, because of his youth and her knowledge of how Scientology manipulates and uses its youth, having been an employee of an Applied Scholastics school in the past. In fact, Bev and I had been in Clearwater the previous weekend and sat down with Brian Anderson to talk about her issues with the church and we also commed with Spencer, who unlike many Scienos, was very considerate and open to comming with us. Don't get me wrong: Spencer is a committed Flag guard doing his job, but he was polite and respectful and a big difference to other Flag guards we had come across. Thursday night was spent at Clearwater Beach.

On Friday, Dec. 4, Bev and I headed over to the Holiday Inn to see whom had checked in. We were informed by a Clearwater police officer that we were not welcome into the press conference per orders of Jeff Jacobsen. I understood Jeff's indifference to me, but I thought it to be incredibly rude and heartless to treat Beverly like that. Bev sat on a sofa downstairs during the Press Conference and met other picketers as they wandered out of the Conference. I was on the phone when I noticed Valerie checking into the hotel and I helped carry her luggage and cardboard coffin to her room. Bev and I then went upstairs when we heard that the conference had ended and met CiCi and others. I pointed out Jeff Jacobsen to Bev and they exchange pleasantries, and then Val introduced herself to Jeff as the one he had e-mailed and stated that the extent of her acceptance by the other critics "rested with the company" she "kept". Jeff acknowledged this to her and she walked away expressing her disgust with the way people act and try to control the behavior and actions of others. I told Valerie and Bev that I had as much respect for Jeff as he did for me, and not to let our relationship interfere with the potential friendship they could have with Jeff, as I did not dictate to my friends whom they could or could not associate. This proved true later on with Bev and Tilman (by the way, Til, if you ever get tired of Germany, there is a redhead in Orlando that loves you to death. :-))

I later introduced Bev to Bob Minton and the three of us had some private time together where Bob revealed to me some very disturbing information about OSA activities which I agreed to keep confidential right now. I then introduced Bev and Valerie to the other picketers, and Bev, Valerie and I headed to Clearwater Beach for dinner.

Garry Scarff