17 Aug 2000

jeffjacobsen@lisatrust.net (Jeff Jacobsen)

The person just before I spoke was the lovely Mary De Moss, telling about a new Religious Tolerance group coming to Clearwater. Just before her was a guy explaining how $700,000 was spent trying to improve the image of the Tampa Bay area. Then I got up and said....

My name is Jeff Jacobsen, I live at X. I moved to Clearwater in May after having come here previously to picket against the Church of Scientology. I didn't know how far Scientology's influence has spread in this community just from visiting once a year. But I've seen the influence now. Scientology gets away scot-free after the death of Lisa McPherson, while critics of Scientology are enjoined from even walking on certain sidewalks in Clearwater. A Scientologist hits a critic's video camera with a hammer and the police do nothing. A picketer is assaulted not once but twice by a Scientologist, and despite the assaults being on video tape from different angles, the Scientologist is not arrested.

The city officials seem hell-bent to treat Scientology as just another friendly property owner, albeit one with $40 million of property in Clearwater, a large portion tax exempt. Yet in return, I've counted 18 security cameras on Scientology property aimed at Clearwater citizens on the city sidewalks and streets. Motion sensors protect both the Ft. Harrison Hotel and the staff's housing at the Hacienda Gardens. If the Clearwater/Scientology relations are so good, why the security cameras, the motion sensors, the security guards everywhere? Why the paranoia about Clearwater citizens walking by?

Now just a few weeks ago a German official from Hamburg came to town. I was at the airport when about 30 Scientologists greeted her with shouts of "Nazi Go Home!" and attempted to manhandle her. I was there when the Scientology attorney came demanding that she be deposed in a case she has nothing to do with at the exact time she had already scheduled a news conference. Ms. Ursula Caberta has gone home after having been viciously treated by Scientology, and let me assure you that the European media, starting with Der Spiegel, have already begun to paint Clearwater as German-hating and nuts. I suspect you are going to be seeing fewer German tourists around here now, thanks to the actions of Scientologists.

The death of Lisa McPherson and other serious actions by Scientology hasn't seemed to bother the cozy relation Clearwater's officials strive to have with Scientology. Maybe when Europe's tourists boycott our wonderful community, the hit in your pocketbooks might wake you up to reality.

If you'd like to view any of the videos I've described some of them are available on the internet at lisatrust.net.

Thank you.