Picket reports

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Subject: Pickets 8/26/98
From: hkhenson@netcom.com (Keith Henson)

It Doesn't Get Any Better - by H. Keith Henson

San Jose picket 4:20-5:20, 25 cars when I got there, at 5 PM there were about 28, net of 3, in and out perhaps ten. I was using my new sign that has the OT8 cog (for the scn side) and "space cooties" for the public side.

About 5 PM a red head dude name of John M (I actually know his name because his non scn sister lives across the street from me) went off to body route over on First, where the light rail generates a considerable amount of foot traffic. I followed him out to the corner, but he did not seem to be having much luck so I went back to the org. As I was leaving, I turned north on First to see where he was working and by golly he had raw meat in tow. The guy was East Indian looking and had a company name tag on, indicating (in Silicon Valley) significant income. I rolled the window down and yelled "It's a cult, don't go in." Got a response from John M I could not make out, made the next two right turns and got back to the org and had my picket signs out before John M and his prospect were very far down the block walking toward the org. I started walking toward them and when I got well within reading distance started back showing the other side of my sign (the $360k side). Looked back after going about 50 feet and saw that the guy had decided not to go along and John was chasing him (the raw meat was on a bike) down Rosemary. On my way out to the freeway I saw a rather forlorn looking body router on the corner at Rosemary and First.

When I got home at about 6 PM, there were two picketer at my place.
Grinning from ear to ear, I jumped out and found that they were not staffers, just regular members who know next to nothing about the criminal activities of CoS. And after a while, another one came along. Ah, such fun! My neighbor came by, the one who was hassled by Gene Ingram and Darlene. He told them about Gene and made it *very* clear to them that what they were doing looked like intimidation in a residential neighborhood and was counter productive to a very high degree. Then he left, leaving us to carry on a conversation which ranged over memes, cults, clear cog, OT8 cog, Lisa McPherson and her cockroach eaten hands, and the cost to OT8 (they were sure it is less than I have on the sign)

It was a *long* conversation, and I know I got to at least one of them but good. He admitted to having a scn web page and the ScinoSitter censor program but was technical enough to have figured out how to turn it off. (grin) I bet he is checking out www.xenu.net right now.

After about 40 minutes (I kept them there longer than they intended and one had left) a *reporter* from the local paper with a camera came by. There were some seriously nonplused clams, they were not expecting this, but to cut and run would have looked *awful.* Now two of them can expect to have their mugs in the local paper with a nice story. How upstat can you get!

I got names on all of them because the reporter wanted to know who they were, and they would have looked like complete fools if they had not given their names (it was *so funny* to watch one of them trying to whisper his name to the reporter!). But I don't particularly want to get them in trouble so I won't put names in my reports unless the paper does.

They left, the reporter left, and I made dinner.

It just does not get any better than this. Keith Henson

[note, newspaper article]
Palo Alto Weekly:
[Photo of the two guys]
Scientologists demonstrate
Two Church of Scientology members picket in front of the Palo Alto home of Keith Henson yesterday in portest of his protest of their church. Henson disagrees on the church's teaching, and the church members say his is trying to stifle their religious freedom. The protesters did not give their full names saying they feared that Henson would embarrass them over the Internet. Daily News photo by John Taylor

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Subject: Picket Report, August 26, Los Angeles: Hollywood Blvd. and Celebrity Centre
From: humanrights@delete-this-bit.racerrecords.com (Kristi Wachter)
(http://members.aol.com/jour0/)
Picket Report, August 26 Los Angeles

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Subject: Salt Lake City picket report August 27, 1998
From: mirele@newsguy.com (Deana Marie Holmes)

I decided at 4:55 p.m. to stop by the org for a few minutes after work. I was a bit upset about Zinjifar being leafleted last night after he and some others engaged in legitimate First Amendment activity (i.e., picketing).

Got to the org just before 5:30 pm, parked just down the street and pulled my sign out of the trunk. (Note to myself: gotta fix the sign and put Lisa on both sides...she gets a lot of attention).

The inmates of the org noticed me right away. One guy was sweeping out the lobby, and it was sure amazing to see three more people suddenly materialize to help this guy sweep. I guess it was to keep an eye on the picketer (me). Nobody came outside to talk to me.

If thre really is a new policy of harassment of picketers, I suspect I'll find out about it soon. I would like to remind OSA that I do believe it is not legal to picket a residence, and that you might want to enquire as to the need for a permit beforehand. I personally will not stop you making fools out of yourselves, but I can't vouch for my neighbors.

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Subject: Picket report 8/27/98
From: hkhenson@netcom.com (Keith Henson)

I put in a short picket this morning at the Palo Alto org. Again I had to go up stairs and let them know they had been picketed. As I was leaving a woman with the *sourest* look you ever saw went in. Scientologists (at least when they see picketers) are about the most unhappy looking people I ever saw.

San Jose, 5:15-5:35. There were 21 cars, the fewest I have ever seen, though of course, it was Thursday after two pm. In that time there were two cars out and one in. No body routing. I.e., the place was dead.

I gave up and went home. When I got there, I had the most reasonable (least damage to his thinking) guy from yesterday all to my self as he tried to picket and I held a Lisa McPherson sign next to him for about an hour. He took a Lisa flyer with him. I don't know if he just won't acknowledge things like BTs or if he is such a low level he really does not know about them. He has been to LA and Clearwater, so I have a hard time believing he is that ignorant about upper level scn, but on the other hand, he can say Xenu.

I don't know if they are settling into a regular time to counter picket me. They are using regular members, generally not staffers. I am next to certain they will be here late Sat morning. I expect to put in an early picket at the San Jose org Sat if anyone wants to join in. Keith Henson

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Subject: Revenge picket of my home 8/28/98 and my picket in response
From: mirele@newsguy.com (Deana Marie Holmes)

I half considered going by the bOrg to do a quickie picket, but decided I was tired and wanted to just go home...so I went by the house. It was 5:25 pm or so when I got there.

Good thing I did.

When I pulled up, there were four women from the bOrg picketing my home, with a fifth woman (actually a teenager aged 14 or 15) handing out leaflets to all and sundry.

O I was *furious*! The last time they picketed my home, I found out from my landlady, so this was the first time I'd actually seen my abode being picketed. I pulled into the driveway, shouted something unintelligible at the picketers, tore into the house, and found my camera which very nicely still had film in it. I then dashed out again and began taking pictures (film at 11) and talking to the picketers. I began telling them very loudly (and no doubt not very coherently) about Lisa McPherson. This in turn attracted my neighbors, all of whom seem to know about the criminal cult.

Well, they didn't stay very long, especially after my next door neighbour called the cops. Or maybe it was me pointing out that they had misspelt my name on their sign: "Deanna Holmes". Yeah, it's Study Tech at work again.

And the sign said something about "bigot." Riiight. Picketing is a legitimate, First Amendment protected activity, but Scn only sees the First Amendment as protecting *them*, not those of us who want to tell the truth about Scn to the public.

(BTW, I will probably be sending a cease and desist letter to the bOrg telling them they cannot continue to use the picture of me that is on Martin Hunt's site on their signs and leaflets. They don't own the copyright to it and yes, turn about is fair play.)

Anyway, after chatting for about 2 minutes with my neighbors, I hopped back into my car, arriving at the bOrg at approximately 5:54 p.m. I parked on the Ramona St. side of the bOrg and got my sign out. I picketed them around until approximately 6:12 pm. I told one pedestrian with a dog that I was picketing because I was "telling the truth and they [pointing] are selling lies."

One thing that I noticed that had changed from yesterday was the presence of two Sea bOrg women in their uniforms in the lobby of the "Church". I have been told that Sea bOrg does not usually show up at a Class V org, so it has occurred to me that they may have shown up to handle *me*.

Then I came home and began writing this picket report.
Unfortunately I'm working all weekend so I won't be able to do a really long picket for awhile, but I am giving the bOrg fair warning: You will be picketed. Probably every day after work for the foreseeable future. I WILL assert my First Amendment right to picket and peaceably air my grievances. I WILL do this.

Just because Scn is an alleged church does not give Scn some sort of exemption from the First Amendment, as much as Scn might want it.

Scn might take a leaflet from the Large Institution that Runs Utah: Ignore Picketers. Gee, people go to Temple Square to leaflet during LDS General Conference, and they're generally ignored!

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Subject: San Jose Picket 8/28/98
From: hkhenson@netcom.com (Keith Henson)

I spent the morning being deposed in a 2004 creditors examine by Rosen who had flown out from New York for the occasion. RTC has spent more money on me since the trial than they can be expected to collect, but as we all know, the object is not economic but to destroy anyone who is a critic of scientology. My bankruptcy lawyer said he had never seen anything like it.

Afterwards I put in a picket at the San Jose Org, 12:55 to 1:25. 25 cars, two left, one went in. John M. came out, and this time I followed him over to First and pro actively picketed and gave out Xenu flyers. Picketing and handing out flyers there might be nearly as effective as doing the org. I think John M might be the only one body routing for the org, at least I have never seen raw meat brought in by anyone else.

I presume they picketed me, but I will have to check with the neighbors in the morning to find out for sure.

I should be at the picket at the San Francisco Org at 11 am Sat morning. That one will bring out some heavies. :-) Keith Henson

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[multiple reports]
Subject: Picket report San Francisco August 29, 1998
From: grady@gradyward.com (Grady Ward)

[snip] The weather was absolutely perfect: low 70's light wind, pure blue sky.
We started picketing at the Org on McAllister about 11 A.M. The best the Org could do in rapid response is bring out a person to point a video camera at us. Basically his orders was to keep it in Minton's face.

I say "point a video camera at us" is because Bob noticed quickly that the red light wasn't on. Dead batteries. While undoubteldly scientology would claim that it could help him with that, he persevered with his order to keep it in Minton's face.

More picketers joined. We had Bob Minton, Stacy Young, Grady Ward, jour0, phr, taniwha, xmudder, and Keith Henson.

The cult response was more muted than it had been in the past. While once they had stolen flyers from passerbys, now after an hour they sent two people (publics, not OSA) to distribute the same DA pack on Bob as they had in Boston. The publics actually smiled, so they must not be in too deep in scientology yet.

Unlke the professional video notary at $70/hour, they now had someone who barely could operate the consumer grade cam. Even he was enturbulated as I kept getting my nose closer and closer to the mirror-clean lens. I guess it would talke many months of Sea Org pay to repair the camera.

After an hour the poor fellow with the video hat finally decided to actually get some images, so he got a long extension cord and hooked it to the camera. The picture gallery has a shot of him using extension tech.

The best response seemed to be the cult picketer who left with a picket sign to apparently countepicket, not at the org, but probably back at Bob's hotel on Nob Hill. [snip]

I started a new mode of "verbal tech" by bellowing out my simple appraisals of the criminal cult: "scientology killed lisa mcpherson," "scientology is a cult of death" and so on. [snip] The cult did not quite know how to handle this new tech.

The atmosphere was positive two years ago but is overwhelmingly supportive now in exposing this nut cult. Even a police cruiser took one of my flyers. The picketers outleafletted the two cult publics by at least four to one.

We drifted off one by one for lunch but kept the picket active to at least 2 p.m. We agreed to meet for dinner at seven.
-----
Report by Kristi Wachter

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Subject: SF Picket - Sat. August 29th
From: taniwha taniwha@taniwha.com

Well we heard Bob and Stacy were in town (and being picketed at the airport too - seems someone just wanted to pull in one of their own) - so we hastily organized an SF picket. It was a great day - hot, not foggy with a little wind, pleasent shirt-sleeve picketting weather.

Present were Bob and Stacy, Grady, Keith Henson, Jour, phr, xmudder (am I missing anyone? sorry?) - we put in 3+ hours, some of us broke for lunch.

We got the usual comments from passersby - I heard "it's about time someone was doing this" and of course the ever popular "fuck scientology". I did have an argument with a street person about them - it basicly boiled down to who was better at weaslling money out of people - them or him - he moved in to prove himself, he even went inside - a while later I saw him sneak out looking discouraged - I suspect I won the bet.

The funniest thing we had to deal with was the wonderfull new Co$ video camera tech .... we had this guy who was in everyone's face with a video camera - after a while someone tactfully pointed out to him that the little red light wasn't on and that it was obvious to us that his battery was flat and he was pretending. His face fell. At this point he took it back inside only to return with - an extension cord - sadly, apparently no one in the org had been hatted for the extension cord tech - it took them about 1/2 an hour to get the cord to work - and even then it was a bit difficult following someone who's walking up and down picketting when you're tied to the org by a heavy wire.

About this time we saw someone comning back from the xerox shop with the DA fliers about Bob .... (thus proving we'd caught them completely unprepared - hah!) - at this point we got a few leafletters out targetting the people we gave leafletts to - these dwindled to 2 after a while.

The camera guy came out again - this time taking snapshots, even had film in the camera - sadly he seemed to only have one film - pretty soon he was back with the videocam without the extension cord - and still without the little red "I'm recording" light - when pressed he said "we don't use the little light - it annoys people" and then continued to be as annoying as possible to anyone he could find - hint to people who have recently done TR-Ls - at least make the subject of your lies plausible - doing it with a straight face isn't enough to change reality - if you do this we all know no little red light means "I'm not really recording you because we're too cheap to actually buy batteries for the camcorder"

Anyway - fun was had by all - it was great to see everyone - and for me this was a milestone - my 20th picket - my doesn't time fly. Taniwha SP3.5+XX

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Subject: San Francisco Picket Report 8-28-98
From: Meklar Meklar@ix.netcom.com

kEvin called to wake me at about 9:13 am to tell me of a SF picket, seeing how Joe Lynn a.k.a. Zinjifar got kicked out of his place for picketing in LA I thought I'd return the favor.

By 12:20 I had found a place near the SF Org to park, JourO and Phr were already in action. I put a quarter in the parking meter, pulled my picket sign "Scientology is a Scam" $370,000 for Religious Salvation is a Scam" out of the trunk and joined the picket.
While there was always a clam keeping a eye on us, there was not other real measurable reaction. JourO was very active in handing out fliers and suckers, while Phr and myself walked back and forth with our signs and answered questions from people passing by. The were a number of thumbs up and supportive horn blasts from drivers as they passed by, as well favorable comments from foot traffic. After about an hour the Org set up a table was trying to give "Free Personality Tests" to the public. JourO was taking to a person about why she is opposed to Scientology when he began to ask the auditor questions about JourO's statements. The auditor would not give a straight answer and this started and interesting round or JourO coaching questions to the man for the auditor, who of course was not about to confirm the more damning parts of the Kriminal Kult of Scientology.
After about 1 hour we took a lunch break at a cafe just down the street. After a pleasant lunch break we headed off in our respective directions. I didn't notice if we were followed at point during our break, or when I was driving back home. Meklar SP3++

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From Kristi Wachter, San Francisco, 8/28/98 and 8/29/98

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Subject: Picket Report, Mesa AZ From: bpetty@primenet.com (BP)

The weather in Phoenix has been setting records - I am reminded of the Firesign Theatre radio takeoff: ".. and now for the weather report for the Hooker, Heater and Hellmouth tri-city area - it's hotter than Hooker in Heater and hotter than Heater in Hellmouth. Afternoon temperatures approaching 130 degrees with thunderstorms expected later this evening."
NONETHELESS
I picketed from 9:00 to 10:00 AM, temperature only about 103, dew point 60 degrees. There were only two cars in the lot when I arrived, and only two more showed up in the hour. Scientology is expanding - expect a cleared planet about the same time from now as Xenu is in the past.

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Subject: SLC Org picket, August 31, 1998
From: mirele@newsguy.com (Deana Marie Holmes)

I had my Lisa sign.
I got out there at precisely 5:36 p.m. (I checked my handy clock-calculator.) Traffic was heavy. I began to picket. It's about 20 steps from the north corner of the bOrg building to the south corner. Back and forth, back and forth. There was the occasional car ack. There was no action in the bOrg lobby. A little boy, blonde, about age 6, appeared to be reading in there.

I'm not sure when he came around the corner, but it was probably pretty close to 6 pm when Phil came out to talk to me. I asked him right off if he was a Scientologist. He said he was. He said he had decided to come out here to ask me to leave. I said, very sweetly, "No," and continued picketing. He followed along with me and we chatted about quite a number of things.

Phil is a thinnish guy with a greying beard. He's pretty close to 50. He says he's been in Scn for 24 years and he is an OT VIII. I asked him to tell me about his wins in Scn, but he declined to do so, even though I asked him several times over the course of our interaction. He said it was because I really wasn't interested and he wouldn't tell me.

One of the things that really bugs me about SLC Org is their sign. It says nothing about Scientology on it. It says "Hubbard Dianetics Foundation." So I also kept on about that. "Why are you hiding?" I said. "Why don't you have 'Church of Scientology' on the sign?" The sign is looking kind of old and ratty, and I told him it had birdshit on it. "Surely the public in the org could take up a collection and get a decent sign that says who you really are. It couldn't cost more than a few hundred dollars...you could put the Scientology cross on it."

I gave him a Lisa flyer (the one with quotes from the log), and told him a bit about Lisa. Turns out he was one of the thousands marching around the CW Police Station back in December of last year, to keep them away from *us*, the few. I told him it'd probably be a good idea to not go to Flag this year, unless he wanted to spend his time marching around and not getting services. I also told him that while we were there in CW, we had people come up and thank us for giving them two days free from Scns and their uniforms.

Speaking of Scns and their uniforms, while I was picketing and I had my handler, one of the Sea bOrg missionaires came out and headed down towards 21st South. I asked her (to her back, she made a good show of ignoring me) if she had to write a KR about me. Bet she does. He expressed admiration for the Sea Org and said (I thought a bit sarcastically) that they seemed at least as dedicated as me. [shrug] At least I don't have to worry about coming back ("revenimus").

We talked about Lisa a bit, but not a whole lot. As I said, I gave him a flyer. I also told him a bit about Operation Snow White, about how the cult tried to frame Paulette Cooper (and it came out during a raid in 1979), about the spelling of "Xenu" versus "Xemu" (you know, that Americans versus Brit spelling, about why he wouldn't tell me about his wins....I am sure I am missing something.

I got incensed once, when he said that *of course* Scientology always puts its names on mailings. I snapped, "Bullshit!" and whipped out the copy of the handout that the Co$ picketers gave out last Friday. "You didn't put anything on there!" I said.

Eventually I decided that I was done for today, and dug back into my purse. It was 6:26 p.m. Fifty minutes, and the P.O. had been closed for 26 of them. So I told Phil good night, told him I was in the phone book, made sure he understand how to spell it, and left.

I must say this, Phil was quite pleasant, even though he wanted me to leave. I think he realized towards the end that I was no ogre. He actually said goodbye to me.

Anyway, that's my report, and I'm sure I'll be back quite soon. (BTW, I took the "religious bigot" flyer to work today where all my co-workers, including a company VP, got a huge laugh out of it.)

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Subject: Picket report San Jose 8/31/98
From: hkhenson@netcom.com (Keith Henson)

San Jose, 4:55 to 5:35 pm (extended due to interesting event). 23 cars, about 7 came or went, number stayed the same within a few cars. This stared out as really dull, ignored, little activity at the org, few in or out. Then a woman pulled in with two kids and parked in one of the front spaces. I walked down and she just *stared* at my sign for minutes, first at the space cooties side and then at the OT cog.

One of her kids went in, and when the kid could not resolve whatever, she went in. One of the kids had a Freewinds tee shirt.

She left and another woman came in. First time a woman has given me the finger. She also parked in the front and spoke sharply me me that my sign was nonsense. I told her I had the data from an OT8, an would an OT8 lie? Totally frustrated and waving her hands in the air, she also left after a few minutes.

John M, the local body router wondered out about 5 minutes before I left. I decided not to follow . . . but as I turned south on First Ave., I saw him talking to five folks at once. This was way too much to pass up, so I made a U turn and came back, slowing and yelling to the assembly of 5 plus John that scientology is a nasty woman killing cult.

Needless to say John (who already had pressed tickets on one of them) was completely freaked out, and started yelling at me. I offered the crowd a Xenu flyer and John reached inside the car and grabbed it. I let him have it, pulled up a little and one of the group got a flyer from me, another one gave the tickets back to John, they split, and I split with John making threats to have me put in jail if I bothered him recruiting raw meat again.

This put me home about 6:10 where I had another picketer. This one was not very talkative, so while carrying a Lisa sign I stayed with him and read him Grady's report on Bob, Stacy and Jesse, and then the Xenu flyer. When I got to the end of the Xenu flyer I asked him what he thought of it. He wistfully allowed as how it had sounded better the first time he heard it, which means they are throwing only OT 3 and above at me. I am not so sure this one (who quit the second his assigned time was up) will be back, he may not even show up at the org again. I followed him and got his license number. Ordinarily I would not post it, but personalized plates are just too much. it was RPIODVL (California) if anyone can figure out what his statement is.

Near as I can tell, they did not picket last Fri, Sat or Sunday, which put me ahead by ten pickets. Today was even, with one for each of us. Keith Henson