Hi Everyone,

I’m assuming that most of you have no idea who I am.

I’m Wayne Whitney. I’ve been picketing outside the S.F. mission and S.F. ORG since the global picket of March 9, 96. I’m just a single renegade up here in the San Francisco bay area trying to get the word out about the dangers of Scientology as best as ONE single individual can.

I’ve periodically posted "picket reports" to ARS trying to keep you all informed of my successes and failures. Over the past 9 months I’ve become VERY successful at getting the message out to the public that Scientology is dangerous. I’ve succeeded in keeping A LOT of people from getting involved in the cult of Scientology, mostly while right outside the mission & Org’s front door.

While I was doing all this I also knew that if I kept constantly putting myself in "the ring" that sooner or later I’d probably have to take a hit or two. Well, recently I’ve taken such a "hit". Hopefully we can all learn something useful from the mistake I’VE just made. This is not very flattering for me, especially since I should be knowledgeable about cults and how they operate. I’m not superman with a crystal ball you know. I’m just a concerned citizen out here trying my best to get the warning out.

I could have chosen to stay safe inside my apartment but my little crusade is just TOO important to me, I just HAD to put myself out there on the street and take my chances. I went out on the street, went out on a limb, and in the process I eventually got "taken" again.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

During one of my last pickets at the Org I met a guy who seemed REALLY interested in my cause. He was standing in the exact same spot as the guy that got me on channel 53. We talked for awhile and I ended up telling him my story. After I was done he went away and I figured that was the end of that, time to move on to the next person.

After I was done picketing for the day I headed home. When I got back to Hayward I got on the bus. Who should I run into but the very same guy that I met in front of the Org. It turns out that he was also going all the way back to Livermore just as I was ( two busses and approx. 20 miles away ).

While we were traveling home he said he was so interested in my little crusade. He told me that he had a bunch of relatives that worked at channel 2 and that he could get me on TV. He then rattled off their names. When he found out where I worked he said that his father also worked there for 30 years, until his death from cancer. He then started rattling off so many facts about where I worked that only a person who worked there would have known. He even spontaneously mentioned several people that I worked with in my building. All of this added credibility to what he had been telling me.

When we got off the bus he told me that he felt very strongly that what Scientology was doing was wrong. He said he really wanted to get me on channel 2 so that I could tell my story. I said, "GREAT! I’d really like an opportunity like that." I then gave him my work and home phone numbers so that he could call me. This was just two days before I was to get my amended tax return audited so I suggested we put things off for a few days till I got that handled.

I had forgotten to get HIS phone number and he didn’t call. As the days passed my regret kept growing because I felt I had screwed up a golden opportunity. Eventually I pretty much forgot about the whole thing.

It was about this time that the rainy season started here in Northern California. After several weeks of constant rain and not being able to picket I was REALLY beginning to get frustrated. Nine months of picketing and I’m still obsessed with it. Once again I felt I had lost control. This is significant because it’s always when I’m in this state that I can be taken advantage of. When I feel I’ve lost control and someone promises to give that sense of control back to me I bite every time. When will I ever learn? This is one HOT button of mine that I definitely NEED to stay aware of if I’m going to continue picketing.

After about four weeks of this constant rain and frustration the guy finally calls me up out of the blue. He says, "Wayne, we need to get this thing started. I want to hurry up and get you on channel 2 so that you can tell your story. What Scientology is doing is just SO wrong. They need to be stopped. I’ve already contacted channel 2 and they are really interested in your story."

This guy said he wanted a copy of my story, copies of my invoices and copies of my account statements so that he could present them to the guy at the station at Jack London Square. He went out and had all these picket signs made up. He even said that he had 18 then later 25 people lined up ready to picket with me. I even saw the list of potential picketers. Up to this point it all looked and sounded SO legitimate, like I was really going to have a chance to get my story out to a wider audience. The guy sounded so believable, you just had to be there to hear for yourself. It looked like a golden opportunity for me so I went for it. Sometimes to make things really happen in life you just have to fly without a safety net. I though this was one of those times.

It was at this point (after I’d made a financial commitment) that things started getting really weird. Without going into details I’ll just say that things got too weird, even for me. I finally decided to cut my loses and call the whole thing off at the last minute. Was it the right decision? I guess I’ll never know now.

I hope I’ve learned a few lessons from this disturbing little "adventure". This was probably one situation that I didn’t handle as well as I should have. Once the 97 picketing season starts I’ll be back out there despite this unfortunate episode. I guess this just goes to show that after all I’ve been through I’m still not immune from getting blind-sided. Silly me.

Victims (of cults) you don’t need to be too hard on yourselves. You deserve better than that. God knows how *I’ve* practically beaten myself to death because I ALLOWED myself to get sucked into the cult. I understand how it can happen. It really is NOT your fault that you got taken! Cults go after your weaknesses AND YOUR GOOD QUALITIES and EXPLOIT them both. Cults are experts at exploitation. They probably took you when you were off guard. Unfortunately we are ALL vulnerable to cults (or cult personalities) at some point in our lives.

I’m a REAL person out here in Livermore CA., I’m NOT just an E-mail address. If you want to talk call me at (510)-449-0332. If you don’t want to pay the phone charges E-mail me your phone number and I’ll call YOU. I’m ONE person you CAN trust.

Wayne Whitney ( a VERY REAL "flesh & blood" concerned citizen )