Clearwater City Commission Meeting

Transcript of Jeff's Remarks:

I am responding to the St. Petersburg Times article of July 4 indicating that Chief Klein and Manager Horne are considering halting off-duty police work on Watterson Street. The Clearwater police hired by Scientology have taken off-duty assignment on Watterson Street, near Cleveland and Ft. Harrison, for about a year and a half now. Two uniformed police, often with their police car parked nearby, sit in lawn chairs with a Scientology security guard or in their police cruiser or private vehicle, 8 hours a day, 7 days a week. They do absolutely nothing for their $21 per hour. They eat Scientology food, talk on their cell phones, fill in crossword puzzles, chat with their Scientology security guard buddy (who at times sits in the police car with them), and otherwise watch the world go by. On rare occasions they may get up to direct the stray car that might come onto Watterson while the Scientology buses are loading or unloading. There is no reason for these police to be there.

I have the rare privilege of working at a business that has an entrance on Watterson, so I have sat on our steps many days watching the goings on on this road. I have never seen any activity requiring a policeman's presence on this street, nor have I heard of any. The main thing that happens is the Scientology staff is bused in for breakfast, lunch, and supper to the cafeteria there. The buses load and unload. That's the excitement of the day.

Every Scientologist who enters and exits those buses sees the 2 armed uniformed policemen sitting with the Scientology security guard. A message is sent by these officers' presence. Scientology is under threat, Scientology is being protected by the City, and Scientology and the City are working hand in hand. I'm not sure that this is the message that the City wants to convey, however.

I have personally heard some of these police officers making derogatory remarks toward some staffers of the Lisa McPherson Trust. There is no reason for the police to be showing bias to anyone or any group, and this is not only highly unprofessional but just another indication of the city's bias.

Transcript of Mark's Full Remarks:

Mark Bunker…765 Bruce Avenue.

I’ve brought for each of you, two cd’s containing some of the videos I’ve produced for the Lisa McPherson Trust. These cds contain interviews with people who have been abused or defrauded by Scientology right here in Clearwater.

This isn’t abuse from 20 or 30 years ago. These stories are from people who were in Scientology as recently as one or two years ago.

You’ll meet the Woodcraft family. Lawrence, the father, was a successful architect in London. He was lured to Clearwater with promises of being the official architect for Scientology. He was told he and his family would be provided with a place to live. Once here, he discovered that the whole family would be crammed into one small cockroach infested hotel and the job he was promised didn’t exist.

His daughter Astra, joined Scientology’s Sea Org. It was not what she was led to believe and eventually she wanted out. But it isn’t easy to leave Scientology. In fact, Astra’s job as a 15 year old was to watch over people who wanted to leave without permission. She was to make sure they didn’t. She once put a mattress outside the bedroom door of one couple who desperately wanted to leave. Astra tied a rope around her wrist and around the doorknob and slept with her arm dangling from that rope so she would wake up if they tried to flee in the night. All the time she was inwardly thinking, “Take me with you.”

The younger daughter Zoe, was 14 when she was put in charge of a team of people who were re-carpeting the second floor of the Bank Building on Cleveland Street at 4 in the morning. One of the men sliced his hand so severely that he had to go to Morton Plant for stitches. The man only spoke Russian and the only Russian words Zoe knew were “work” and “faster.”

The doctors and nurses were confused as to why this child, covered in blood, was with this man at 4 in the morning. Once she admitted she was a Scientologist, they understood everything.

Maria Pia Gardini is an Italian woman. Scientology defrauded her of two million dollars right here in Clearwater. They told her she would be financing the training of Italian auditor. A year later she came back here and discovered not a single Italian being trained…but the woman who convinced her to make that donation was driving a brand new sports car with the commission she earned on Maria’s religious donation.

There are many more interviews and many more stories.

The St. Pete Times was right when they said Scientology is not like any church they know. That remark came after Scientology’s Private Investigators were forced to testify a few weeks back in the trial of Jesse Prince.

These are the survellience logs those PI’s turned over to Scientology. Daily reports on the whereabouts and activities of Jesse Prince. Their lead investigator, Brian Raftery, stated under oath that he alone is paid $187,000 a year for following and reporting on the members of the LMT.

Raftery’s work isn’t done. Yesterday, Raftery was staked out at Checkers down the block from us. Jeff pulled up behind Rafterey’s car, then Raftery came charging at Jeff shouting obscenities and threatening him, breaking Scientology’s injunction.

By the way, the Clearwater police report directly to Scientology’s Office of Special Affairs. So does Brian Raftery.

These officers are not working an occasional shift. They’re on an extended Tour of Duty.

Today I received a tape of a broadcast from Spain’s Telemundo network. In that program which aired a few weeks ago, one of the Clearwater officers tells their cameraman that it’s illegal to videotape a police officer while he’s performing his duties. He tells him that twice. There is no such law, and that officer was not on duty. Our attorney will send you a copy of that videotape next week.

Isn’t it time to remove the Clearwater Police from Scientology’s influence?

And do you have a planned date for doing so?