Today was a beautiful day for a picket! Sunny and about 72 degrees...what a treat! Peter and I met up with the SP contingency at 10 AM in front of the Celebrity Center. As we approached from the corner of Bronson St. heading downhill toward one entrance of CC, we saw Jeff J and, I believe, Goonybird...being followed by a young guy talking into his shoe-phone...oops, I mean his OT communication device. I got out my camera to "capture the moment"

when I saw the OSA stalker sneak into someone's yard and hide behind a small breezeway wall. When he saw that I wanted to snap his pic, he took off around the corner. We followed, curious as to why he was scurrying about, until he saw us approach him as he was crouched by a gate spying on Jeff. As soon as he saw us, he raced away like a bat out of hell, jumping a 6' tall fence!

By the time we caught up with Jeff and Goonybird, we found Lawrence Woodcraft and his 2 delightful daughters, Astra and Zoe. What a wonderful group of folks they are! We started our picket and joined up with Tory and her friend John and got a measurable amount of horn honks and good wishes from folks passing by.

Meanwhile we found that the 2 buildings on Bronson street(one is called the Copa) opposite CC are now owned by Scn and are used for berthing. We found out this info only after a couple of guys who were out in the street writing down our tag numbers ran inside one of these buildings and we walked up to the door to get his picture. Scn, in turn, called the police. The police officer was really pleasant and told us to stay off their property but that we should have fun and enjoy the public sidewalks.

Alot of folks walking down the street stopped to talk to us and asked for fliers. Many had their own stories to tell about how creepy it is to have Scn in their neighborhood. We ended our CC picket at around 11:30 and moved to our cars while being filmed by OSA.

We resumed the picket 15 minutes later at the LRH Life Exhibit building and of course its neighboring cult clubhouse, the Hollywood Guaranty building. The HGB is where Scn's "spy shop", OSA, is headquartered and we saw first hand just how effective they really are....as they piled folks up at the back door and slipped them out quickly to a van or running across the street before they were able to catch sight of our picket signs. Even their chief OSA thug, Porter wouldn't come outside, he stayed inside behind closed doors filming us through the glass. Astra told us a story about how he'd grabbed her by the throat and spit in her face when she was in the cult so she performed a "re-enactment" for him while he filmed.

I'd guess the highlight of the HGB picket was the ambulance that came careening up to the front doors of the HGB with sirens blaring. The Scn security guard came out to flag them in. The paramedics brought out the gurney and rolled it through the front doors. Now, this is the 2nd time since I picketed Clearwater in December that I've been at a Scn property when an ambulance pulled up. The first time was outside of the Fort Harrison Hotel in CW. At that incident I asked the paramedics what happened and one of them said: "Oh, same stupid bullshit...another one passed out". I asked if this happened often and he assured me with a groan that it happened all the time. So today, after I got pictures of the ambulance pulling up, I waited for the paramedics to come back out to ask them what happened. The driver said, shaking his head:"Oh, another one passed out". I said: wow, I"ve heard that before in another city. He said:

"Well, I'd pass out too if I had to stay in THAT place...it's CREEPY!"

After the ambulance incident, Peter pointed out to me a guy across the street who'd been watching us, so I went across the street to talk to him. He didn't want to talk at first, but I'm getting quite good at getting these folks to open up. His name was Joel and he denied being an OSA volunteer......yeasurefine. So I told him that we had no problem with his "religious tenets", but that perhaps he'd ask a few questions for himself. I told him to find a 1985 version of LRH's "New Slant on Life", then suggested he compare it to the current "version" of the same book...that he would find there are nine chapters missing in the new version.(Thanks to my old pal Safe for this and many other facts about how they're reinventing "the tech") I concluded my discussion with Joel by saying: Just take a look at a few things...for yourself...and ask management why they're squirreling the tech. Joel surprised me with his response: "They're not squirreling the tech, they're "REMEDYING"

the tech!" I said: Oh? well then you agree that LRH's tech requires remedy?

SILENCE.......dead silence. I turned around while walking away and said: Sorry Joel, you're busted...report to ethics. ;-) At that point we broke for a quick lunch and re-grouped one hour later at Big Blue. Peter and I got there early so, without picket signs, crossed Sunset Blvd to stroll down LRH Way, which had been closed off due to "an event". They had LA PD stationed at either end, but there was no problem walking down the street. There wasn't much of an event going on...maybe about 15 kids playing basketball in the middle of the street and a few adults milling about. Peter and I have never picketed in LA before so I was wondering how long it would take OSA to spot us and alert the troops. We got all the way to the bottom of the hill (Fountain Street) before some short rotund fellow came running up to the police officer to "report us." He then came up to us and said: We don't want you here...find another way to go." I said: well, I didn't notice any no trespassing signs...and last I heard, this was a public sidewalk. Rotund shorty said: We don't want you here hassling our children. I said: Well, you don't know me..why would you think I would hassle your children? He said: Find some other way to go.

I looked at the police officer, he shrugged....Rotund shorty had a conference with some horrid woman with bad teeth, then turned around and said: Fine, then she will escort you.

So the Tooth Lady staggered alongside of us as we walked until finally I said:

Ya know? we don't need an escort to walk up a public sidewalk...so please stop walking alongside of us. She said: (like the "drone du jour") we don't want you hassling our children.

I reminded her that until she had proof that I was there to do that, she should find someone else to stalk. She did fall back...and we continued up to Sunset where we joined up with Jeff J and Snefru who had just arrived. They held a 10' long sign advertising a favorite website and positioned themselves on Sunset.

We were then joined by the Woodcrafts, Graham Berry, Arel and Keith Henson, Tory, John, Richard from RIverside (I hope I'm not missing anyone..but it was a LONG day).

Then the fun began: Big Blue's version of the OT committee came out armed with windsail-sized picket signs announcing the LRH birthday event. There was no message intended....just the fact that these signs were SO big they could block OUR signs...which is what they tried to do.

At one point there were 7 scns with giant placards surrounding my relatively small picket sign so....since I'm not one to be out done...and the weather being so pleasant, I decided to give them a "run" for their money so to speak.

Using quick pivot footing I'd learned in my old basketball days (haha, Scn hasn't found out about THAT yet) I maneuvered quickly into a sprint leading the whole herd of Scns in a disjointed run up LRH Way. Yes, folks...a SIGHT to behold...Culties on the run trying to hold up unwieldy oversized signs. When I got a good distance ahead of the running throng, I stopped...held up my sign and waited for the "gang" to catch up to me. When they caught up, I started walking, became engulfed in Scns...then quickly pivoted from side to side...forcing the entire gang to pivot in unison. Once they started bunching up I would head in the opposite direction leading the whole flock back down LRH Way until they would catch up, then pivoting quickly one direction then the other until they were actually colliding with each other. This comic relief version of picketing continued for quite a while, with new, less winded replacements joining ranks as the others drifted off. The height of this lunacy HAD to be when Joel (Mr. Remedy the tech from HGB) showed up with another guy carrying their OWN 10 foot long sign announcing the LRH birthday event. I knew then that they had brought out the "big guns." So, using the SP dexterity moves....aka the Picket Pivot, I managed to have this 2 man sign detail running forward and backward, backward and forward-- almost ripping the sign in half as they tried to determine which direction to run. They collided into each other...they stumbled, they ran...and finally, gave up...only to find a calmer SP to handle further up the street. I was able to picket from that point forward relatively unencumbered. A few new Scns would come out, try to block my sign, but my lightening fast footwork left them to hassle someone else.

The whole scene was so ridiculous. I tried to remind them that the kids were watching them behave like loonies. This seemed to impress a few of them in that they eventually ceased trying to mimic my maneuvers. But you've GOT to wonder what all those kids playing basketballs and kickball were thinking to see these full grown adults stumbling around trying to block our signs.

I'd have to say that the highlight of the Big Blue picket was when one of the LA PD officers waved Peter and I over to talk. We obliged easily and he leaned in towards us and said: Okay...so what's this Xenu stuff about? Well, of course we told him. Then he had all kinds of other questions..which we gladly answered. He was still smiling when we walked away to go to our cars.

We left the picket at about 4:30PM with the sun just heading toward the horizon on Sunset. A great time was had by all!

In summary, after picketing last Sunday in Toronto..and today in LA, the Scns in both of those cities are FAR more courteous and open to discussion than the ones in CW. Whereas it takes a little time to warm them up to conversation, the public Scns sent out to handle us in LA and Toronto were really nice folks and I had some pretty interesting conversations with them. Most are working with OSA and are allowed to read a.r.s. (which surprised me). I had thought they were only allowed to post and not to read, but it seems that the ones I talked to were doing both.They ALL knew about the movie Peter and I are making, "THE PROFIT," and most had been to our movie's website (www.theprofit.org).We told them all that Scn had been trying to stop our film....and that they were harrassing our film crew and most said:"if that's true..that's NOT okay". They acknowledge that "things are not perfect" in Scn, but they're still buying into the party line. That's okay....as long as they're reading..maybe something will 'click' for them...we can only hope.

I'm sure they're all tucked in their beds tonight relieved that they don't have to run up and down LRH Way again...chasing the sprightly picketers.

Best regards from LA
Patricia Greenway

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