They will never learn.
After enduring some of the worst PR in recent memory for declaring war on beloved Winter the Dolphin and Clearwater Marine Aquarium, turning their wrath on the Clearwater City Commission and then on Pinellas County — scientology pays for a press release to announce how they are bringing the Clearwater Community together. Oi vey.
Can they be serious?
This is their paid release:
Church of Scientology-Sponsored Block Party Brings Greater Clearwater Community together
CLEARWATER, Fla., May 08, 2017 — On Saturday, May 6th, 2017, over 3,000 residents flocked to downtown Clearwater to celebrate the Downtown Clearwater Spring Block Party sponsored by the Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization and six Humanitarian Centers on the block of Cleveland Street and Fort Harrison Avenue.
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“I can’t wait for your block party,” said owner of Princess Nails, a local salon on the 400 block of Cleveland Street in downtown Clearwater when he was invited. “I’ve been looking forward to this for months and counting the days. They are so much fun!”
Designed for the entire family, the party included live music, a balloon artist, a bouncy house, train and face painting for children. The Church of Scientology sponsored some of the area’s favorite food trucks and downtown restaurants at the party so that there was free food for everyone. Vendors and restaurants that participated were: Engine 53 (brick oven pizza), Better than Eve’s BBQ, Crepelicious, La Fondita de Leo, Umai Café and Dunkin Donuts. A raffle was also held that included items donated by downtown Clearwater stores and restaurants.
The Church-sponsored humanitarian programs saw hundreds through their doors during the event. Fourteen non-profit groups who partner with the humanitarian centers, were also showcased at the event with their individual booths.
“It is one of the tenets of the Church of Scientology to do all we can to assist other groups in the community that are helping people,” said Church spokesperson, Pat Harney. “In that way we work together to bring even greater improvement to our city.” The non-profit partners included: the Children’s Home Network, Second Chance Life Skills, Hard2Guard, Owl’s Nest Sanctuary For Wildlife, Haitian Mission Par La Foi, Cole Link Foundation, Clearwater Audubon Society, Angels On Assignment Worldwide, Food Our Children Ministries, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Children’s Home Network, The Refuge, L. Ron Hubbard East Coast Theatre, the Community Learning Center and Narconon Suncoast.
“Volunteering to help my community is something I am very committed to,” said Church volunteer, Kelly Yaegermann, “it is part of being a Scientologist.” Local Scientologists donate an estimated 200,000 hours of their time each year.
Visitors learned the following from the humanitarian centers:
*United for Human Rights — implementing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
*The Way to Happiness Foundation — restoring trust and honesty the world over based on “The Way to Happiness” booklet written by L. Ron Hubbard.
*Foundation for a Drug Free World — empowering youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and live drug-free.
*Criminon — addressing the causes of criminality and restoring the criminal’s self-respect.
*The Scientology Volunteer Ministers — a global force of volunteers, who live by the motto “Something can be done about it”.
*Citizens Commission on Human Rights — helping to enact more than 150 laws protecting individuals from abusive or coercive psychiatric practices.
The Church of Scientology
The Scientology religion was founded by humanitarian and philosopher, L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was formed in the United States in 1954 and has expanded to more than 11,000 churches, missions and affiliated groups, with members in 167 nations. Based on L. Ron Hubbard’s words, “A community that pulls together can make a better society for all,” the Church of Scientology regularly engages in many humanitarian programs and community events.
Contact: Pat Harney (727) 467-6966 patharney@churchofscientology.net
What an amazing piece of self-stroking this is. And how incredibly unaware these people are… If they had just been busted for child abuse, they would put out some sort of release “scientology demonstrates care for children with free balloons” – once again highlighting their horrendous behavior. The one thing everyone in Clearwater now knows about Miscavige and his Minions is that they are ONLY interested in what they want and think is good for them, the rest of the community be damned. And not only that, they will go out of their way to try to try to destroy even the most beloved institutions in the community if they displease them by failing to salute and comply. Hardly the models of “bringing the community together” they proclaim.
Unfortunately, I was out of town so unable to attend their little event, but Aaron Smith-Levin stopped by for the festivities. He posted a short video on Facebook along with a comment and a response to a question about how many people were there:
1,000 people? Wow. Of course from much past experience we know that any figure the church gives is wildly over-inflated — they have claimed “thousands” even when their own photos show 276 people because there are so few they can be individually counted. So, 3,000 was wrong just because they said it.
1,000 is half the Sea Org population of Clearwater. They claim they have twice this number of outside visitors at the Flag Land Base at any given time. And 10,000 – 12,000 in the local community. How can they not JAM Cleveland St full of people? Scientologists are very obedient. Order them to show up and they do (it’s much easier than being routed to ethics and having to pay to be interrogated). And it would have been the perfect opportunity for Miscavige to make a point to the City of Clearwater that scientology can get people to downtown. But this would require actual people, not just hype. When scientology has to put up or shut up to support their outlandish claims, they invariably fail on both counts. In fact, this whole debacle proved to Clearwater that scientology is NOT the big boogieman, but more like the Wizard of Oz. A little man sitting behind a green curtain pulling levers to make loud noises.
A few more notes on their “release.”
They get the wife of David Pomeranz to give a canned quote. Wow. Not a single business owner from Cleveland St, but an unnamed man from a nail salon a few blocks down Ft. Harrison. This is the community they brought together?
And of course, they could not put out anything without mentioning the Potemkin Village of deserted storefronts that NOBODY ever goes to, with a bizarre introduction about what people “learned” (nothing, just their name?):
Visitors learned the following from the humanitarian centers:
*United for Human Rights — implementing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
*The Way to Happiness Foundation — restoring trust and honesty the world over based on “The Way to Happiness” booklet written by L. Ron Hubbard. etc etc
They included the names of “non-profit partners” (some of whom are scientologists). If any of them are NOT scientologists, they should take the time to learn what it is they are supporting. This is an ugly organization abusing people all over the world acting like the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood — these sort of events are like the granny hat and apron the wolf dons to trick the kid…
That “welcome” sign looks fake/photoshopped. #justsayin
As soon as people stop calling this a church, and start calling it what it really is; not just a cult, but a despicable plague upon society, then maybe they will just simply implode!
The IRS recognizes “it” as a “church”…go figure….
Balloon twisting and a bouncy castle for the kids… this is what scientology has been reduced to.
So much for saving this sector of the universe.
LRH and David Miscavige have failed completely, and Teegeeack is doomed.
Yeesh, what a ridiculous religion.
“…trying to maintain a cult in the internet age…” Right! Its impossible!
Gee, if I had attended, I might have been able to see my brother. I’ve been on his SP list for ten years or more. Sometimes I want to walk in the CO$ front door and start screaming and breaking things, thus proving, unfortunately, that wogs are indeed insane.
RAdams, I understand exactly how you feel. I know how difficult it is to restrain oneself from acting out in response to longterm injustice. But know this: your brother is not happy. He’ll never admit it to you because to do so would make him wrong and would make him a “betrayer” of his group and put him at risk of ethics actions, etc. But don’t be fooled by his facade of indifference. This is an artificial personality he has had to adapt in order to survive in this cult. Indeed, all of them must adapt this facade in order to survive in Scientology. But deep down he knows there is something wrong. Beneath the veneer he is not indifferent to you. He thinks about you.
So beautifully put.
John Gotti to used to hold similar block parties … hey, it’s free food .
Though I would have probably gone to Gotti’s … local color AND Italian sausage!
Pablo Escobar also was a huge “supporter” of his local community.
Al Capone was beloved of many in the ‘hood also.
I wonder where Narconon was.
How was Unnamed Nail Guy able to look forward to this event for months when no one else knew about it until after it happened?
I thought I read a Flag Calendar of events a while ago – before the whole voting on the lot thingy – and it was showing like 3-4 events planned by CoS in Clearwater. I was wondering if they’d still stick to their earlier published events – guess they are.
I was expecting that they would try to get all the local scientologists to attend, to make as good a show as possible after the recent debacle with the community – and the lack of obvious member support in their campaign over the properties, led me to suspect that there must only be about 1,000 active Scientologists left in Clearwater (a related estimate of 2,000 in the whole Tampa Bay area, has recently been made). This showing would seem to fit with those estimates – and they might just have been able to pull it off, without even having to take staff off post and getting them to put on street clothes.
Our community throws an annual block party sponsored by the current City Council members in September. We are approximately 25,000 strong. A few thousand attendees or so show up during the all day event. There are live bands and free food, face painting, free games and non-alcoholic beverages. Alcohol can be consumed for a cost. There are booths where you can spend money (if you desire) run by local vendors who sign up for space way in advance because the booth space is always gone by July.
We are preparing right now for that happening. In August, high-schoolers will be going door to door dropping off flyers, which will also be posted in local businesses. It is also advertised in the paper, and on the local internet media as well as facebook.
Local downtown “mom and pops” love the walk in traffic they receive that day. It is the City Council’s way of giving back to the town.
That is what a block party should be, not some thrown-together last minute PR push.
What’s this unbelievable crap I’m hearing about the $cilons luring folks into their cult with free burritos, so they can work them half to death for pennies per hour!?
That’s totally impossible…the cherch never gives anything away for free!
The “Church of increasing creepingness.”
It’s good to see the more they communicate the more they are despised. What’s next, Miscavige kissing babies? Or maybe a family planning seminar for church staff.
OMG, he’d never do that cause he’s afraid the baby’s BTs are gonna jump onto him!
If the Dwarf Boy even tried to kiss a baby, that baby would slap the shit out of him, crawl out of his bassinet and punch him in the balls. For starters…
Especially when the baby is taller than COB :/
ROFLMAO Old Surfer Dude. But my mock up has DM in the baby carriage, bonnet and all, pitching a hissy fit and crying crocodile tears. Wah. Wah. Wah.
Any baby picked up and held by Miscavige should postulate a sudden attack of diarrhea.
Once again, the CoS demonstrates their inability to think in any longer terms than one week.
“OMG, we’re being attacked (not capitulating to their demands now constitutes an “attack”) – go on the offensive. They’re suppressive criminals! Find their crimes!”
“OMG, everyone hates us! Reach out to the community! Polish up our image! Let’s throw a block party!”
You’ve nailed Cof$’s operating logic in a simple comment, good work, but a week is stretching it a little. I thought my short term memory was bad but it’s nothing compared to a Scientologist.
The (Real) Way to Happiness:
Begin by heading south on S Ft Harrison Ave toward Franklin St (0.2 miles).
Turn left onto Chestnut St and continue (0.5 miles).
Continue onto Court St (1.0 miles).
Continue onto Gulf to Bay Blvd (4.0 miles).
Take the County Road 611 S/Bayside Bridge exit toward Saint Petersburg (0.3 miles).
Merge onto County Rd 611/Bayside Bridge. Continue to follow County Rd 611 (4.0 miles).
Turn left onto 140th Ave N (0.2 miles).
Slight right to stay on 140th Ave N (0.3 miles).
Turn left onto Roosevelt Blvd (0.4 miles).
Slight right onto Terminal Blvd. Destination will be on the right (0.3 miles).
Arrive at:
St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport
14700 Terminal Blvd #221, Clearwater, FL 33762
Go inside.
Buy a ticket to…………..anywhere else.
Begin the first step to experiencing true Happiness.
The best moment in an SO member’s life is when he leaves the SO. I’ll never forget the day, in ’82 I went to the local Hertz, rented a car and put whatever few belongings I had in the trunk and drove to Texas. Took a 4 hour nap in Louisiana or Mississippi as my only break. When I drove out of the FH, I didn’t even glace in the rearview mirror – never to see that hellhole again.
Yes Clearly, fond memories. A rental car is pretty untraceable unless they have your credit card info. I took a city bus to the Greyhound station and got the next bus to anywhere. If you hang out for long waiting for a bus they will catch you. The airport is not a safe way to escape. They have ways to find out your flight info.
One time I went back to LA “route out properly” then had cold feet and just decided to fly home from LAX instead. Booked a flight at an Internet Cafe for a few hours later that day – but somehow my credit card wouldn’t work at the kiosk. Then I look up and there are two Gold staff members and someone from the Big Blue, waiting to take me back. They couldn’t have found my secured credit card number, I had opened it only the day before. Spooky.
If the only way to get away from your church is to plan an untraceable escape route, with multiple cutouts to duck the searching security guards and a burner cell phone, You MIGHT be in a destructive cult. (apologies to Jeff Foxworthy)
Bruce,
Love your Foxworthy apology – funny.
I was lucky in that my father was just put into a hospital with a collapsed lung so nothing was going to stop me. They knew I was leaving and even did a routing form for going on “leave”.
The sad thing is that I pretended I was coming back, even though I definitely knew I would NEVER come back. Part of my “shore story” of coming back was I purposely left my favorite and in my mind, expensive stereo system behind as they knew I loved it and wouldn’t leave it behind.
Terrible you had to take a bus – so you actually blew with the possibility of being followed. Horrible….. Glad you got out! You must have some great stories to relate. I cant believe that those prick OSAs were waiting for you.
Im a never in and watched the A and E Scientology series. There’s something i just don’t understand. . why go after the blown people?? If one desires to leave. Let him leave !! It seems in most cases a total waste of time and ?! !
It takes YEARS to indoctrinate someone to the point of signing up for the Sea Org and even after years and years, many Scientologists still won’t. So these are rare birds that you don’t want to fly the coup. Also, sadly, once people are brought back, Scientology has successfully manged to get many to repent and stay so it’s worth their effort to rekindle these desires as it’s proven they can. People end up agreeing to stay as their whole life, all their friends are in Scientology and they don’t want to lose their eternity. The RPF breaks and humbles them once they’re brought back.So really, it’s not a waste of time and with SO members working for free, it’s not a waste of money. Sadly.
Good for you, CPO! Way to go! Fucking cult…
There were thousands of people there. One thousands to be exact.
Were they cutouts?
Paper mache people perhaps. It has certain ring of truth about it if one refers it to being a Scientologist.
Dave,
Oi Vey Update:
Have you considered using your SuMP to collect and disseminate all of the sludge of your cult’s accelerating dwindling spiral?
You have been forcing the likes of Tony and Aaron to work long hours and do a lot of heavy lifting just to cover all of the bad news you are generating.
The FBI will be contacting YOU (not Ding-A-Ling) with more questions, under oath. This time you won’t be able to shut it down. Followed by a grand jury. You have probably noticed that your contacts and ‘safe points’ are being purged — from the top down, LOL.
So so sweet.
The walls are closing in on scientology. Every shadow on the wall must be frightening David Miscavige right now.
The suspicion must be unbearable… every person he interacts with is a potential informant involved in helping build the case against him. Maybe all of them are involved.
The little guy must be having the worst nightmares.
I doubt any of this truly bothers him at all…..he has so much protection around him he fears nothing. The BEST day WOULD Be if the FBI/CIA or an “official government group” comes after him…..but I don’t see that happening any time soon.
L. Yash, I will assure you right now, David Miscavige is fearing every shadow on the wall.
His inner circle is under extreme vigilance, and well it should be.
He is being betrayed, but he has no clue from where it is coming.
I never received a Facebook invite for this event. Guess I was one of the lucky ones! Wouldn’t want us locals snooping around. 🙂
Speaking of paid releases, I saw this one yesterday announcing the anniversary of DMSMH.
Interesting how they are now promoting it as a secular, non-religious book. Maybe the IRS should tax all Dianetics services.
http://www.worldreligionnews.com/religion-news/scientology-social-media-celebrates-l-ron-hubbards-dianetics-67th-birthday
This was probably the supposedly non scn event I saw headlined in the National Enquirer paper I scanned while waiting in line at a convenience store a few days ago. There were pictures of Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kristy Ally on the front page. Kristy took her adopted child (she’s 66) and the scn-ists present were quite pleased about it since they saw a potential new recruit, the non scn event had people pitching scn, and the food was shitty, according to the article.
The food is always shitty.
Mike, clearly (no pun intended) your sensibilities are insulted with this attempt at “PR” but I wonder which was more offensive for you: The stupidity of their PR effort (since that was your area of expertise) or the blatant (self)deception the CoS seems to have? Both offend me but if I were a former PR person for the CoS, I think the stupidity would almost bother me more. Do they honestly believe they can gloss over the irony of human rights violations in their organization by this? Do they really believe people won’t ask the question, “What do they want from me?” when they offer such grand freebies?
I don’t know many human beings in this world who think gifts don’t come with strings (except when offered by Santa Claus.)
Just curious.
The Church of Scientology will never be successful at re-convincing the world it is here for the greatest good for the greatest number because it has never been the one to point out its mistakes to anyone. It has been the fate of other people to “do this for them” (outsiders, critics, HBO to name a few). 🙂
A 4 hour ‘party’ that features all the $cieno front groups? I am ashamed that Clearwater Audubon Society and Big Brothers/Big Sisters participated in this hoax. I would have to suspect that some clams have positions in those groups.
Still a 4 hour ‘party’ with no real pre-publicity guarantees that turnout will be low. Can’t have the wogs using $cieno bathrooms and contaminating the faithful. And it keeps the food truck bills low.
I hope some of their church members got to enjoy the Pizza and other food truck items, it sure beats eating rice and beans.
Trying to win friends & influence people by dangling “carrots” n front of the public’s faces in an effort to improve public opinion of what it already knows & has seen of CO$. It seems that COS has taken over downtown Clearwater & surrounding area & literally just WHO would want to be walking around in an area where one feels they are NOT welcome due to the over whelming presence of CO$ & it’s members scurrying around trying to get….where??
Seems like the COS PR people keep relighting the fuse on the M-80, a highly powerful explosive that when it goes off, will open more doors into the inner sanctum. WHY NOT just go “quietly away”….i.e. carry on witout drawing more attention to one’s self..
Odd that Kelly Yagerman doesn’t have her husband’s last name? When her husband, David Pomerantz is a very popular among Scn.
Joetheta, the reason Kelly Yagerman doesn’t have her husband, David Pomerantz’ last name is because at one time she was an aspiring actress and wanted to keep her own name in case she made it big as an actress. I never saw her in any TV or movie things, but did see her star in “The Tone Scale Film” that LRH made.
…”I know! We’ll Caper Clearwater!” OSA staff rubbing their hands in glee as they plot and plan out the block party……
So much spin. We’re betting a whole lotta staff suddenly got afternoon Libs for the first time in (how long??) and were told to put on the civvies and go eat a hot dog. Look happy. Wear make up so you don’t look so dang fluorescent-light-bleached-out. Spin to the staffs, hiding the real reasons, spin to the local scn public to get them out in to fill up the streets, (OT Committee orders) press releases to try to spin to the locals and general populations.
They’re spinning like so many little men holding sticks with plates spinning madly atop.
Here comes Mike on Bike to hurry up the inevitable.
@secret, my bet is they didn’t get to eat the hot dogs. Did you not read last friday’s RB? They were forced to cook the hot dogs and pretend to like the people they were handing them out to all the time pretending they weren’t hungry.
When I helped with events, it wouldn’t even have OCCURRED to me that I could eat. It was for the others, not for the staff. Yes, our minds were that controlled.
Val, they were probably shitty Luke warm dogs anyway.
Lips and assholes, yeah that sums it up pretty well.
OMG, I’ll never eat a hot dog again.
OSD shitty lukewarm hot dogs? That would mean that it was 47x better food than Sea Org members usually get.
We should have a drive for food and basic hygiene necessities for Scientology staff and SO. Wogs care.
Disagree, and not because I don’t care as I donate to a number of organizations which feed, clothe and house needy people. I disagree because Staff and SO need to get themselves OUT of the cult. Keeping them comfortable is enabling them to stay. Then again, perhaps some decent food and rest would give them the strength and courage to make a plan to get out…actually, I’m on the fence about this…maybe it depends on the individual.
If I were sure that it would help get them out, I would donate. Possibly it would with SO, but with Cl V org staff I do believe not worrying about food or bills or clothing or housing just keeps them there. My opinion based only on my observations. I could be wrong about those staff I haven’t observed.
If I believed that the food and basic hygiene necessities would go to the Sea Org members, I would donate. I doubt they would see it. If those in charge really cared, they could provide those things for them now, the funds are there, just being “appropriated” elsewhere.
Good point, Valerie. The needy ones would never receive these things. Wow.
Time for Clearwater to take downtown back: https://www.flickr.com/photos/marksshoops/34480479536/in/dateposted-public/
Caligula lays out the bread & circus…
I got my “party pack” delivered right to my front door in Largo, FL. I could not believe the booklets that came with the invitation, so strange and out of touch. Do they not think we have seen and read all about this false church? BTW, my whole family watched you and Leah Remini on A&E. It was an excellent series. I hope the few people still clinging to Scientology get a chance to watch it, not likely, but I hope…….
That’s why scn doesn’t want scn’s to watch anything against scn. Because its the truth and they don’t want the members finding out how they are being controlled, manipulated and bled dry of money.
ylfrith, you’ll be counted in their statistics for books in the hands of new public. Joy, huh?
Just when you think they can’t possibly get any creepier. It’s like the local pervert who gets caught and then hands out candy to the neighborhood kids to “prove” how much he cares about the children.
A lot of politicians are pretty money motivated and are easily bought. Miscavige must have been very pissed when his 15 million bucks was soundly rejected. Looks like the good citizens of Clearwater have been reading the Sociopath Next Door and won’t be fooled again.
The cherch’s paid “PR” has to please both internal robots and external public. To do this, they MUST lie to the external public and this backfires on them every time because the external public IS allowed to look for themselves, read newspapers, look at the internet, read and form their own opinions, etc… The truth is, Scientology is not being brought down by external forces, it is internal forces trying to maintain a cult in the internet age that is smashing the cherch into oblivion. Good Riddance I say.