April 18, 1998 - Artemis

This picket completes the first year of pickets in Toronto.

Last May, myself, Gregg and D'artanian were confused, disorganized, and outnumbered.

Today couldn't be more different. Apart from minor details, like running out of the flyer of the day, and slight problems with variations in the police officers interpetation of the law, we've become expert, well organized and effective picketers.

Since our March picket, when we picketed in the snow, Toronto's weather has seesawed. In less than a week we went from 32F to 70F. However the last week has been pretty unpleasant, mainly overcast with showers and rainstorms. The long range forcast on Tuesday predicted rain, and the three day forcast on Thursday predicted dry, but overcast. It was a pleasant suprise to wake up on Saturday to bright sunshine.

I gathered up my latest copies of Dyn'ethics, which was ammended this month to add William Barwell's research on the number of clears, Edith Ervin's story (As posted to ars) and TV3's exposure of Narconon, and headed out to the meeting place.

Going to the org we found, well no-one actually. The org was almost deserted. Mario (previously known as YukYuk) was scowling, certainly a marked change from his sunny attitude a year ago, there was no-one inside the public section.

Today the Co$ was handing out two leaflet's, the large lame "welcome to the earth" one they've handed out before, and a new one to me, "Diamonds of wisdom", or "please buy $110 US of Scientology books" as I dubbed it (NSOL, FOT, The Problems of Work, Scientology 0-8 and Dianetics: The evolution of a science). This was a major footbullet IMO. We're telling people that the Co$ is money orientated, and they defeat it buy telling people to buy overpriced books.

We were handing out Dyn'ethics, the Xenu / Criminally convicted church, and articles on Stacy Young's cat shelter. However, some time after we started, we saw someone in a Xenu costume handing out copies of OT 3.

The auditing table was brought out again, it's first appearance since last summer, but there was a marked difference. Last year it had a Mark VII Quantum, today it had a Mark V, last year it was occupied for a large percentage of the time, today there was about 4 or 5 groups of people trying it, at least one group was actually Co$ staff or people already on courses, and at least 2 of the others were people who were not going to go inside in a million years. We spoke to one young couple, she was a jehovah's witness who was being shunned, and he sat down, and worked out how to make the needle move within seconds and was doing his own thing while the auditor 'droned on'.

There was at one time, several people inside watching Orientation. At this time I walked back to check the back of the building (They still have the broken windows reported back in October, but the grafetti has been painted over) and as I walked back, the people inside looked at me and smiled.

Today the Co$ instructions seem to be 'get in their way'. I was trying to hand out leaflets to people, and one female Co$ person would step between me and the person who was reaching out for the leaflet. However this procedure backfired. I was talking to one person who was very reasonable, we were agreeing that everyone should make up their own mind, when he turned to walk away, the Co$ were getting in his way, refusing to move, and he ended up going away very angry. This was quite an ugly incident cause he was walking away shouting that someone should firebomb or bomb the place. I'd like to place it on the record, as I made perfectly clear on the day, that I do not agree or support this viewpoint in any way. Violence is not the answer, information is.

When the group of several people came out, I think that almost all of them either already had our leaflets, or took them as they left. I didn't see any of them going upstairs into the offices either.

Soon the police arrived, called by both Gregg & Al Buttnor apparently. The officer sent was a youngish oriental guy, and he apparently wasn't well briefed. We've been advised by the police in the past that we don't have to keep moving, as long as we don't cause an obstruction. This guy was telling us that we had to keep moving. I don't care WHAT the rules are, as long as I know what they are.

Later on, we had the only bad incident we've ever had with the police, and I'm ashamed to say I was at the centre of it. Following the action in September, I verifed the property line at the land office. This building has the property line at the very edge of the building. This is marked by a transition from concrete (city property) to some sort of marble tile (Co$ property). Since then I've been VERY careful not to step on the marble tile at any time.

A couple had our leaflets, and the Co$ leaflets, and they asked the body router to explain something. The body router wasn't answering the question, saying that they should try it for themself. I started to explain about verbal tech, and at this point the police officer came over and started to complain about me being on Co$ property and not moving. As I said above, we were advised before that we don't have to keep moving as long as we don't cause an obstruction, so I tried to get clarification from him about what he wanted us to do, and I don't think he was understanding my accent too well. Every time I tried to ask him a question, he though I was arguing with him. Eventually we got it sorted out, and learnt that his rules were that I couldn't stand in front of the porch. I quickly made sure that all the other picketers knew this.

For the rest of the afternoon, it was handing out leaflet after leaflet, talking to people we've talked to before, and new people, and continuing to educate people. Many people came up to us and said that they had the leaflets before, but could they have a copy for their friends. We gave these people two copies, as our leaflets change each month.

We headed off to the bar, and refreshed ourselves on beer & fries, and as we headed out, we saw something remarkable. The public section of the org was CLOSED, at 6:30 pm. I have NEVER seen this before.

We limped off, tired, sunburnt, but pleased at another succesful picket, and another several thousand people educated on the Co$.

Check the webpage for pictures and copies of the picket report, they'll probably be up in a day or two.

"I am a Canadian, a free Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship God in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I belive wrong, free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind" Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, House of Common Debates, July 1 1960.