Clearwater
City Commission Hearings |
Jeff
Jacobsen
August 17, 2000
Speaking
before Jeff is Mary DeMoss. Hans Bschorr and Joanie
Sigal speak in response to Jeff's comments.
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Transcript
of Jeff's Remarks:
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 lisamcpherson.org/LMT.
Thank
you.
LMT
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