7/3/01

Jeff Jacobsen

The Ramifications of Injunction II

I am one of the named parties in Injunction II. This orders me to picket in certain designated areas, and to stay 10 feet away from Scientologists. The picketing restriction I will not deal with here. I want to explain how the 10 foot rule has been working.

I work in downtown Clearwater. Downtown Clearwater has Scientologists walking between their many buildings day and night. Some have uniforms which have small church logos on the shirt pocket. These are hard to see until you are close to the person. The uniforms are simply certain colored shirts and pants which are not much different from what non-Scientologists wear. Some Scientologists do not wear uniforms. Since there are hundreds of Scientologists in Clearwater, it is impossible to recognize each Scientologist by sight. Because of these facts, it is difficult to walk in Clearwater and know who I should stay 10 feet away from.

Sometimes when I am standing at a stop light waiting, Scientologists often walk right up to me. In fact, the ONLY Scientologists who seem to be trying to abide by the injunction are some of Scientology’s security personnel. I am convinced that scientology has never told their members about the injunction and especially the rule that they are to stay 10 feet away from me. Even Scientology attorneys ignore the injunction. I saw Kendrick Moxon coming my way one day so I stepped beside the Clearwater brick bench near me and tried to videotape him, assuming he might break the injunction. My camera would not function correctly, as he walked by within about 2 feet of me. He said “You’re head is misshapen” as he walked by, not skipping a step. Wally Pope was eating at Harrison’s last week when Mark bunker and I went to eat there. We sat about 12 feet away from his party. When Mr. Pope left, he not only walked close to us, he purposely stopped and shook Mark’s hand, saying “how are you gentlemen?”

I picketed the grand opening of the city’s new Gaslight Alley Park in downtown Clearwater. I stood at the curb right in front of the Cleveland Street entrance to the park with my sign. Scientology security guards immediately began videotaping me. Security head Paul Kellerhals came and watched me for a time. Two police were within 15 feet of me at all times during this picket. After about 15 minutes Mr. Kellerhals came toward me and yelled “Mr. Jacobsen, you are violating the injunction and will have to appear before Judge Penick.” I did not respond. Mr. Kellerhals knew that I was NOT picketing Scientology but the group that had rejected my brick order for the park. I was not within 10 feet of any Scientologist except the one who walked up to me later. I was in front of a city park, not Scientology property. I was not violating the injunction.

I was walking by the new Scientology apartments on Osceola Street about 2 months ago when one of the construction workers came toward me and started talking to me. I started answering him when suddenly a Scientology security guy came up to me videotaping me. He said “Mr. Jacobsen, you are violating the injunction by talking to one of our agents.” I said he must not have read the injunction then, and he should go do so. I then left, and I am quite sure the construction worker was completely baffled.

I find the injunction to be not only useless as it is being followed by Scientology, but I also find it to be a violation of my basic Constitutional rights. I have done nothing wrong, yet I am prevented from exercising my Constitutional rights and even walking on the sidewalk. I must walk in Clearwater looking at everyone who comes near me or whom I may pass, trying to decipher if they are Scientologists or not. I must look around inside a store or restaurant before I go in to make sure there are no Scientologists inside. When Scientologists blatantly or unknowingly walk up to me, I fear that I may be accused of violating the injunction even though I was not the violator. The solution could be for me to simply stop walking in Clearwater, but I still believe that I live in the United States of America, not the Republic of Scientology. I have just as much right to use the sidewalk as any number of Scientologists do.

The injunction has not kept the peace. Instead, it has been used by Scientology as a weapon to intimidate me and scare me away from walking downtown. Scientologists do not follow the injunction and in fact the few I have warned coming near me about the injunction were completely unaware of it. The injunction should be lifted.

Jeff Jacobsen

33 N. Ft. Harrison Ave.

Clearwater, FL 33755

727-467-9335