Picket Report - San Francisco Org, 83 McAllister Street, May 10, 97

Hi Everyone,

Today I arrived exactly at noon, perfect timing. It was overcast and a bit gloomy looking but the weather was expected to clear. I raised my sign over my head and turned the corner in front of the Org ready to start my usual picketing activities. Imagine my surprise when I saw that Jeff Quiros and a whole gang of staff members (including some Sea Ogres) were already waiting for me out front. Jeff has NEVER been there on weekends as far as I know, that's one reason I was surprised. Darlene (Jeff's OSA counter part from the south bay) immediately came up to me with a camera. The first thing she said was, "Are you going to buy us all beers too?" She was referring to a post I made two weeks ago promising to buy beers for everyone who showed up that Saturday.

Jeff Quiros and several other members of OSA have definitely made it clear to me that they have been monitoring ALL my posts right from the very beginning. Now it appears that they are even passing copies of them to all the Orgs and missions in the San Francisco bay area, probably even pictures of me. They've certainly taken enough pictures of me that they should have enough to go around. Can a DA pack be far behind? If a DA pack DOES come out on me then I will know POSITIVELY that I really am having a negative impact on them -- despite Jeff's claims to the contrary. A DA pack now will definitely show that one SINGLE individual CAN make a difference. Will they tip their hand to me? Let's see what happens shall we? This is certainly starting to get interesting.

Anyway, back to my report. Darlene took several pictures of me making sure both sides of my sign were taken. The professional videographer they hired for four hours (my usual picketing time on weekends by the way) followed close behind and started taking videos of me. I guess I've become a little too predictable on weekends, they even remembered how long I usually stay. Oh well, at least my weekday pickets are still totally random. They never know which days I'll show up or how long I'll stay then.

Darlene seemed rather pleasant enough so I was pleasant to her in return. I did, however, maintain a healthy uneasy feeling inside since I have learned to NEVER let my guard down when dealing with Scientology staff members. I've been burned too many times by them to know better. Just because someone is friendly doesn't mean that you can trust them.

After our little 'photo shoot' I began my usual picketing activities. I picketed for almost 30 minutes with all of them milling around the front door just watching me. It was about this time that one member broke from the pack and walked right up to me. The first thing he said was, "Wayne, you're just a geek". Look at your hair, you look like a slob. When was the last time you took a bath? Why don't you just go get a life?

This sudden attack took me a bit by surprise. It's the first time they've actually sent someone out specifically to intimidate and harass me. I don't remember what I said to him at first but eventually I told him I was out there just peacefully voicing my opinion about Scientology. I told him that I got scammed by the organization. I told him that I was promised many things and that Scientology took all my money and then NEVER delivered on any of their promises and that I considered to be outright fraud.

He said, "Your just embellishing the facts just to fit your own warped reality. There are two percent of the population that are so degraded that no matter how hard we try to help them they just get worse because they WANT to get worse. YOU'RE one of them. They gave you their best shot but you just weren't able to improve."

He said, "You just continually come out here acting like a perverted geek. You're a bonehead. You're totally imploded in on yourself and unable to look at the world around you. You need to get over it."

He continued, "Just look at you (he gave me the once over). You look really homely. You didn't even shave this morning did you? The people out here are all laughing at you. You probably don't even have a job and if you did you're the kind that never get promotions. The people around you are always sick."

He said, "I have a six figure income and it's all because I got involved in Scientology." I told him, "Well if it's working so great for you then you're free to go inside and do your thing. I'm not going to harass you, I won't even give you dirty looks."

He immediately points to my sign and says, "Your telling everyone out here that Scientology never works for anyone." I glance up at my sign and then back at him and said, "You must have an MU (misunderstood word) because my sign does not say that. It says, 'In my opinion Scientology is a scam.' To me Scientology IS a scam and I'm just out here peacefully voicing my opinion about it. I got ripped off by this organization and I'm letting as many people as possible know so the same thing does not happen to them. If you're upset about my sign then Scientology should have fixed that by now. If people want to go inside and get serviced by your organization they're free to do so. I'm not going to stop or harass them. They have a right to make their own decisions. I'm just giving them the opportunity to hear what happened to me after I walked in that door."

Then he tried to tell me what I SHOULD put on my sign. He said I should put, "Scientology wasn't able to work on me". Naturally he wanted it worded so that it looked like *I* was the reason the tech didn't work. I told him that I thought the 'tech' was all crap and THAT's the real reason it didn't work. I also told him that I had a mind of my own and that I was not willing to be turned into a mindless idiot by a mentally ill, bankrupt science fiction writer.

I told him that when I first got involved I was promised that they would cure me, that I would never get sick again, that I would get a perfect memory and that I would become superliterate (among other things.) I told him that when I got involved I was told repeatedly that Hubbard's tech works on everyone, 100% of the time, INVARIABLY. I told him that was an outright lie used to con people out of their money.

He said, "You were NEVER promised you any of those things." I said, "Hey, I was there, you weren't. I KNOW what *I* was promised. Scientology took all my money and then delivered nothing in return. To me that's outright fraud." I told him that it wasn't just me either, that I saw many others get ripped off as well.

He shot back, "You're probably so stupid that you get scammed everywhere you go and now you're just taking your anger out on Scientology". He said, "I bet you can't name twenty people who got scammed, I BET YOU CAN'T". I told him that just because I couldn't name names does not mean those people didn't get ripped off. I was there, I SAW it happen to them.

He said, "You didn't get scammed and you KNOW it. You just want to hurt other people. You come out here looking like a geek. Everyone driving by is laughing at you. I bet you can't even get a girlfriend. What do you have to offer anyone? You're just so imploded in on yourself that you have no value to ANYONE.

I pointed out that if Scientology was so great, like they claimed, then it would practically sell itself and that people would be banging down their door to get their services. I told him they wouldn't have to lie and rip people off just to come up with their rent money. I pointed to the front door and said, "I don't see any new people flocking in there. Do you? What does THAT tell you?"

After going round and round with this guy it became obvious that he was so totally introverted into his own head, dramatizing Hubbard's implants, and that there was no way possible to carry on an intelligent conversation with him. Fortunately most members I've dealt with out there still had a personality and could actually carry on a conversation. This guy, however, I would consider to be the classic "Rondroid". Nobody was home except a Hubbard circuit. This guy couldn't even answer a simple question like, "What's your point?" When I'd ask he would pause for a moment and then just continue on with his rant. That's probably why they sent him over to handle me, everything else they've tried so far has failed to make me go away.

I believe they are trolling for buttons on me now. The Steve Martin look-a-like from a couple of weeks ago came up empty now they send this guy out. From what I've been observing it looks like he's their official harasser. Now I know why and I will deal with him appropriately just like I have everyone else that has gotten antagonistic with me.

At this point I decided the best way to deal with him was to pretend that I was listening but instead treat him as just regular traffic noise. My little mantra I'd occasionally say to myself was, "This (guy) TOO shall pass". Sooner or later he'd have to go back inside to get his 'stats' up. Oh how they love their stats.

After about 30 minutes of this guy following me around constantly trying to tear me down Shelley Thomson showed up. The instant she did the guy left. I find this behavior of his VERY interesting. I guess they think that if they isolate us picketers they can 'isolate and conquer' but if there are two or more together they don't stand a chance (unless they have the picketers vastly outnumbered.) From all the evidence I've seen so far it looks like staying in pairs is the safest way to picket. Fortunately one picketer acting alone CAN hold up and be effective, just look at Ted and what he's managed to accomplish in Los Vegas.

Me and Shelley had been out there by ourselves for awhile when another picketer (name withheld by me on purpose) showed up. Now there were two active picketers and Shelley. Shortly after this second picketer arrived the same guy who harassed me earlier came out and tried to handle him as well.

We continued this way for a while, me and Shelley walking together and the second picketer and his handler walking together. Several members took some of his flyers and sat out front and actually read them. It appears that they'll even read our flyers now. After awhile Darlene got two of these members to go in and get signs and counter-picket us

I had been waiting since I arrived to have a private word with Jeff Quiros but he was always with someone. Around 3:00P it looked like I finally got my chance, he was starting to walk off by himself. I approached him but the instant I did this one counter-picketer walks up and stands right there next to us. Then a few seconds later the videographer closes in and gets the camera pretty much right in my face. I thought to myself, "Well, there went THAT 'private' conversation right out the window." What did they think I was going to do, threaten him or pick a fight or something? Are these guys paranoid or what? All I wanted to do was talk to him for a few minutes.

Jeff once told me that he wanted to deal with me "man to man" about my picketing. That was way back when I was still picketing the San Francisco mission and the mission had just received an eviction notice. Now a year later Jeff won't even answer my phone calls. Now he won't even talk to me unless he's got a "bodyguard" and a video rolling. Now he won't even LOOK at me when I'm out front and he's by himself. I'd hardly call that dealing with me "man to man". I guess he false attested to Grade 0. I would inform head of ethics about all this but she won't talk to me either. Another win for "the tech." I guess. Go figure.

Despite all the privacy intrusions Jeff and I still had very interesting conversation. It wouldn't be prudent for me to say what we talked about but I CAN say that he told me that the San Francisco mission is NOT doing well at all. All you SPs out there deserve a merit badge and a brownie for all your efforts because your warning message *IS* getting out to the public. Jeff confirmed it to me once again, Scientology IS shrinking, even here in San Francisco. Him telling me that was music to my ears. You guys are simply the greatest. It's so nice to be on a winning team.

Around 4:00P the other picketer left so it was back down to me and Shelley once again. We both stayed until almost 5:00P before calling it a day.

Wayne Whitney ( one satisfied little picketer )