8 Jul 2000

Dave Bird <dave@xemu.demon.co.uk>

On Sunday 2nd July, Dave & Shellac and two local people issued a new leaflet around several hundred shops in the area around the current Birmingham Org which is on New Street (but approached by a side door on Ethel Street). Roland's new leaflet has sides three and four on how to get money back and get family out, with contact details for "Escape", "Catalyst", and "Leaving Scientology". The weather was reasonable throughout, but there was a storm with torrential rain on my way back.

We were unable to arrange a door-to-door canvass of those premises midweek, as we had for our first leaflet run in June.

We then had a full demo on Saturday the 8th. I met Jens at the rail way station about 1300, and later Hartley who had been there earlier but gone for a walkabout. I had a considerable amount of old & new style leaflets brought up on the 2nd. We went out into New Street and westwards along the pedestrianised part to the junction w. Ethel Street, where we found one small bivalve the fishermen had thrown back in. We set up with placards and leaflets around the top of Ethel Street; no amplification, but my voice carried pretty well in a no-traffic area. I had a quick lunch from the sandwich shop, and four local people joined us. One was carrying a green inflatable space alien somewhat larger than herself. Another had some alien's head soap bubble blowers to give out.

There was very slight rain early on, but things brightened up and the pedestrian flow increased considerably. We kept it basic down to "scam operating in this area,don't be fooled by the personality test clipboarders, it's a scam to extract money". Our leaflets were well received, and quite a few people stopped for a chat. Over time the phones must have been ringing to summon various other body-routers into the Org, as by the time we finished at 1600 the number had just increased to four with their own counter-leaflets. Leather-jacket turned up and tried to wind up one of the local guys, then me. He literally couldn't confront the stuff I was saying about deaths in Scientology, though -- literally he had to step back, look away, and stop himself listening, then come back and say what he planned to against me.Definitely out TR0.We hoped for a drink at the restaurant but they don't do alcohol except with meals, so we found a fairly nice pub up in the office area and had a chat there until it closed for the end of the afternoon.

All in all, quite an enjoyable afternoon's worth.

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