Starbucks in Clearwater does the right thing

[Free to shine]

Weblog of G. Allen

http://blackfish.biz/allen/?p=257#commen
Signs and portents part II
Posted on 26 April 2008

I write a wee bit, some of you may have noticed. One of my favorite places to write (outside of my home-office.) is a certain Starbucks coffee house. The one in Downtown Clearwater Florida to be specific. deep inside the Scientology campus. A stone’s throw from Flag and a block away from the infamous Fort Harrison Hotel and the Super Power building.

I’ve been going here on and off for some time, years perhaps. I write and I watch the Sea-Org people march back and forth between classes, late into the night.

There used to be a steady flow of Flag staff in and out of the Starbucks, On stats-day they would line up at the counter. Most of them looked like they were in a big hurry. I nodded at them but never really tried to talk to them. Sea Org members have little time to chitchat.

This is not happening anymore. The last few weeks have been very quiet. No one lines up at the counter. I don’t see any Flag staff relaxing in the shops couches or Delphi kids doing their homework. I don’t see teens hanging out in the veranda. It’s been oddly quiet in there. I see people, not locals. lots and lots of people from other counties, I hear Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Japanese being spoken. There is Japanese lady that come in sometimes with a small child. she looks lost and homesick, they have Starbucks stores all over Japan now. Perhaps it helps.
But the Flag staff are conspicuous in their absence.

So I did what I usually do when posed with a mystery, I asked.

“What religion are you?” said the person behind the counter nervously,
“I’m not one of those guys, I can tell you that” I said, indicating the hordes of Sea Org people in their uniforms walking by.
The person behind the counter relaxed a bit, “well, have you heard of this group Anonymous?”
“I’ve heard of them.” I said.
“They did some protesting over here a few weeks ago.” Said the counter person.
“So I understand,” I said.
“Well, ‘they’ (indicating the Sea Org people outside)” came in here and asked us not to serve the Anonymus people, we told them no.”
“Hmmm,” I said, “ what are they doing now, boycotting you?”
“We think so “ said counter person. “They seem to be going to another place, they don’t have very much money and the other places are cheaper.”
I thanked the counter person for the information and left, not too surprised to tell the truth.

Starbuck’s is one of the only places downtown that has not sported “No Anonymous” signs in its windows. Personally I intend to go there more often now. I have little tolerance for discrimination and that’s what the No Anon signs are. I don’t care if you agree or disagree with the protests. Actions speak louder than words and those Anon people have impressed me with their passion as well as their platform. In all the protests I’ve witnessed, I have not seen any of them get out of line.

Starbuck’s has impressed me too, with their solidarity, not to the Anons but to what is right. The management of Starbucks knows instinctively something that most of the Scientology run businesses seem to have forgotten. That people need to speak out from time to time, that free speech and free expression are something tha’s been fought for in this country, and it’s being fought for once again, in the streets of Clearwater Florida.

They have forgotten, bit not everyone has.

And as long as that is so, there is hope.
------------------------------------------
Additional comment:

Hey an_anon;

Thanks for the advice; I do know something of their fair game policy, enough to understand that, from Scientology’s point of view, they have not yet evoked “fair game” on anyone in Clearwater. To them, this is just “legal actions” to intimidate people as per Hubbard’s directives. They think that by casting such a wide net they can keep people away from the protests. That is their objective at this stage. Staying away for any reason plays into their hands and achieves their objectives. Their objective BTW (IMO) is to keep Clearwater a profit center. Protests interfere with that.

– They took out a restraining order and two injunctions, one of them has my name on it. And what am I as a respondent accused of?

Specifically as a person supposedly acting in concert with “Anonymus” I’ve (allegedly) made “repeated and explicit threats threats of attacks, raids, wars and assassinations upon petitioners.” I (as a respondent) have encouraged “Anonymus members” to use “bombs, machine guns and baseball bats to attack and kill petitioners and other Scinetologists.”

Now, should seeing this kind of crap on a public document serve to keep me away from the protests? If I were guilty of such things, perhaps so. Otherwise a normal human reaction would be to make it a point to attend the protests to protest such an outrageous series of allegations.

And I hope that the around 50 people that were named on these absurd civil actions are all out there too.

The only way to deal with a bully is to stand up to one, Scientology has become the bully of Tampa Bay and I for one am sick of hearing about their continual antics (which date back to 1976 BTW.) Additionally (and I almost forgot…) I’m not doing anything wrong, nor have I done anything wrong, nor do I intend to do anything wrong. Going to a protest is a “protected” activity,

To even suggest that someone should steer clear of a protest because the subject of the protest might resort to the reason for the protest; their policy of “destroying their foes,” most especially as this protest is all about protesting the “fair game policy” in the first place is … Hmmm…...

Besides, I don’t think of myself as a foe of Scientology, I’m a foe of some of their habits and I disagree with a few of their assertions. Or as someone said while being burned at the stake – – “No – no people; I agree with your goals, its your methods I question!”

Thanks for coming by dude, sorry about the rant; these folks have a way of getting under one’s skin.

[Emma]

Yay Starbucks.

I wish I drank coffee, I'd drop in and spend some cash.

Do they do tea?

[Lulu Belle]

I thought that that Starbucks was owned by Scientologists.

That was what was said years ago when they opened.

[Reasonable Lady]

Yay Starbucks.

I wish I drank coffee, I'd drop in and spend some cash.

Do they do tea?

Yes, they do tea.

RL

[Emma]

http://i25.tinypic.com/20f8b42.jpg

[Zinjifar]

Does that only go for card-carrying 'members'?

How can one tell if one is anonymous?
Is failure to present 'your papers please' ipso facto conviction?

Is it enough to say, 'Hi! I'm Tory Christman and I'm not Anonymous!'

[enter Beavis and Butthead mode] Hehe he
They said 'member'

Zinj

[Good twin]

Does that only go for card-carrying 'members'?

How can one tell if one is anonymous?
Is failure to present 'your papers please' ipso facto conviction?

Is it enough to say, 'Hi! I'm Tory Christman and I'm not Anonymous!'

[enter Beavis and Butthead mode] Hehe he
They said 'member'

Zinj

:conspiracy: Uh, shut up..Beavis!

[Kathy (ImOut)]

I thought that that Starbucks was owned by Scientologists.

That was what was said years ago when they opened.

To the best of my knowledge, Starbucks is NOT franchised. All stores are owned by the Starbucks corporation.

The Starbucks that are located in grocery stores, is some special arrangement.

Go to the Starbucks web site and find, but that's what I was told years ago.

[Royal Prince Xenu]

Weblog of G. Allen

http://blackfish.biz/allen/?p=257#commen
Signs and portents part II
Posted on 26 April 2008

I write a wee bit, some of you may have noticed. One of my favorite places to write (outside of my home-office.) is a certain Starbucks coffee house. The one in Downtown Clearwater Florida to be specific. deep inside the Scientology campus. A stone’s throw from Flag and a block away from the infamous Fort Harrison Hotel and the Super Power building.

I’ve been going here on and off for some time, years perhaps. I write and I watch the Sea-Org people march back and forth between classes, late into the night.

There used to be a steady flow of Flag staff in and out of the Starbucks, On stats-day they would line up at the counter. Most of them looked like they were in a big hurry. I nodded at them but never really tried to talk to them. Sea Org members have little time to chitchat.

This is not happening anymore. The last few weeks have been very quiet. No one lines up at the counter. I don’t see any Flag staff relaxing in the shops couches or Delphi kids doing their homework. I don’t see teens hanging out in the veranda. It’s been oddly quiet in there. I see people, not locals. lots and lots of people from other counties, I hear Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Japanese being spoken. There is Japanese lady that come in sometimes with a small child. she looks lost and homesick, they have Starbucks stores all over Japan now. Perhaps it helps.
But the Flag staff are conspicuous in their absence.

So I did what I usually do when posed with a mystery, I asked.

“What religion are you?” said the person behind the counter nervously,
“I’m not one of those guys, I can tell you that” I said, indicating the hordes of Sea Org people in their uniforms walking by.
The person behind the counter relaxed a bit, “well, have you heard of this group Anonymous?”
“I’ve heard of them.” I said.
“They did some protesting over here a few weeks ago.” Said the counter person.
“So I understand,” I said.
“Well, ‘they’ (indicating the Sea Org people outside)” came in here and asked us not to serve the Anonymus people, we told them no.”
“Hmmm,” I said, “ what are they doing now, boycotting you?”
“We think so “ said counter person. “They seem to be going to another place, they don’t have very much money and the other places are cheaper.”
I thanked the counter person for the information and left, not too surprised to tell the truth.

Starbuck’s is one of the only places downtown that has not sported “No Anonymous” signs in its windows. Personally I intend to go there more often now. I have little tolerance for discrimination and that’s what the No Anon signs are. I don’t care if you agree or disagree with the protests. Actions speak louder than words and those Anon people have impressed me with their passion as well as their platform. In all the protests I’ve witnessed, I have not seen any of them get out of line.

Starbuck’s has impressed me too, with their solidarity, not to the Anons but to what is right. The management of Starbucks knows instinctively something that most of the Scientology run businesses seem to have forgotten. That people need to speak out from time to time, that free speech and free expression are something tha’s been fought for in this country, and it’s being fought for once again, in the streets of Clearwater Florida.

They have forgotten, bit not everyone has.

And as long as that is so, there is hope.
------------------------------------------
Additional comment:

Hey an_anon;

Thanks for the advice; I do know something of their fair game policy, enough to understand that, from Scientology’s point of view, they have not yet evoked “fair game” on anyone in Clearwater. To them, this is just “legal actions” to intimidate people as per Hubbard’s directives. They think that by casting such a wide net they can keep people away from the protests. That is their objective at this stage. Staying away for any reason plays into their hands and achieves their objectives. Their objective BTW (IMO) is to keep Clearwater a profit center. Protests interfere with that.

– They took out a restraining order and two injunctions, one of them has my name on it. And what am I as a respondent accused of?

Specifically as a person supposedly acting in concert with “Anonymus” I’ve (allegedly) made “repeated and explicit threats threats of attacks, raids, wars and assassinations upon petitioners.” I (as a respondent) have encouraged “Anonymus members” to use “bombs, machine guns and baseball bats to attack and kill petitioners and other Scinetologists.”

Now, should seeing this kind of crap on a public document serve to keep me away from the protests? If I were guilty of such things, perhaps so. Otherwise a normal human reaction would be to make it a point to attend the protests to protest such an outrageous series of allegations.

And I hope that the around 50 people that were named on these absurd civil actions are all out there too.

The only way to deal with a bully is to stand up to one, Scientology has become the bully of Tampa Bay and I for one am sick of hearing about their continual antics (which date back to 1976 BTW.) Additionally (and I almost forgot…) I’m not doing anything wrong, nor have I done anything wrong, nor do I intend to do anything wrong. Going to a protest is a “protected” activity,

To even suggest that someone should steer clear of a protest because the subject of the protest might resort to the reason for the protest; their policy of “destroying their foes,” most especially as this protest is all about protesting the “fair game policy” in the first place is … Hmmm…...

Besides, I don’t think of myself as a foe of Scientology, I’m a foe of some of their habits and I disagree with a few of their assertions. Or as someone said while being burned at the stake – – “No – no people; I agree with your goals, its your methods I question!”

Thanks for coming by dude, sorry about the rant; these folks have a way of getting under one’s skin.

To the ANON person: Get yourself a few MP3 player/recorders with enough capacity to last an entire demo, and make sure you recorded every word that comes out of your mouth. If you can prove that the Scn allegations are falsely sworn, the signatories could get into a great deal of trouble for bearing false witness.

[ThisFenceHurts]

The canteen located within the Fort Harrison Hotel does serve Starbucks coffee. This would be by special arrangement and may be what anyone who said that Scientology owns the downtown Starbucks was referring to. It was promoted at one time by the CoS to be a coup for PR as they now had their own Stabucks "franchise".

[Tanstaafl]

The canteen located within the Fort Harrison Hotel does serve Starbucks coffee. This would be by special arrangement and may be what anyone who said that Scientology owns the downtown Starbucks was referring to. It was promoted at one time by the CoS to be a coup for PR as they now had their own Stabucks "franchise".

The ultimate in credibility for any true religion! :)

[Voltaire's Child]

Dear Ems,

Yes, they do tea. Iced tea, hot tea, etc. I am a coffee drinker but sometimes I switch off to some nice earl grey tea or a nice iced tea when I'm in the mood.

Can get hot chocolate and "Chai", too.

[Voltaire's Child]

The ultimate in credibility for any true religion! :)


So now that we know this, you and I can start OUR religion. :coolwink: :p :happydance:

[Good twin]

So now that we know this, you and I can start OUR religion. :coolwink: :p :happydance:

:morecoffee: :surf: :gathering: :coffee: We have everything we need.:yes:

[Ladybird]

My opinion and more information from this thread:
http://ocmb.xenu.net/ocmb/viewtopic.php?t=27392


Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 12:39 am Post subject:


Hmmm, is it illegal? It smacks of putting up signs like "No Blacks" or "No Jews" or "No Pigs" all of which are illegal.

Maybe a Clearwater resident could take some pictures right quick before the cult figures out they just shot another hole in their foot and get them to the press and the ACLU and other authorities?

That said, I would be very leary of buying a stick of gum from a store that would do such a thing. If they think you might be anonymous (meaning anyone who is not a card carrying scientologist in "Occupied Clearwater") does that make you fair game? They might think it was justified to spike your toothpaste or spit in your soda?

What kind of people publicly discriminate against others in such a blatant manner, all the while they are howling to high heaven about being discriminated against? The scientologists are not being discriminated against but are in fact doing what they are accusing others of.

The cult has proven itself over and over to be the kind of people who defaced Lisa McPherson's memorial brick and who lie through their teeth about their cults disconnection, fair game, enemy declares, black PR Operations and other criminal cult policy, and who dressed up like Nazis to intimidate government officials, the Press and others in Clearwater, Germany and Australia...just to name a few of their criminal and fair game tactics.

Story of the Lisa McPherson Memorial brick:

http://www.whyaretheydead.net/room174.html

[Lulu Belle]

Here's the thread from ARS when that Starbucks opened.

http://tinyurl.com/6ekak2

It's true that Starbucks isn't franchised; however, Scientologists own the building.

This may be why they didn't have a "no anon" sign.

From one of the posts:

Being a large international chain, they will not be able to engage in
the practice of denying service to anyone for their religious or personal
belief system.

That makes sense.

[Tanstaafl]

So now that we know this, you and I can start OUR religion. :coolwink: :p :happydance:

I got dibs on High Priest! :D

[Good twin]

:bowdown: :anon:

[Lulu Belle]

:bowdown: :anon:

What she said.

[Royal Prince Xenu]

I got dibs on High Priest! :D

You have your deity right here :evil:

[Free to shine]

http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/article503671.ece

Clearwater merchants upset over anti-Scientology protests

CLEARWATER — About three dozen downtown business owners are upset with a group of anti-Scientology protesters and want the City Council to do something about them.

But city leaders Tuesday said there's little they can do.
"Suspending the First Amendment is something we shouldn't spend a whole lot of time on," Councilman Paul Gibson said.

The loosely organized group Anonymous has held several recent demonstrations against the Church of Scientology. Many Cleveland Street businesses say the masked protesters and the constant chanting have begun to take a toll.

They say the monthly demonstrations are turning away customers and ruining the overall ambiance of a downtown that city leaders have spent years trying to revitalize. And, they say, the protesters are scaring away people.

A petition signed by 34 merchants and two residents asked the council for "assistance in this matter."

The petition said the local Anonymous group, mostly college students, have a right to peacefully protest, "but they are in no way peaceful."

"Their actions have prevented customers from coming into our stores," said the petition, which was submitted Friday to City Hall. "These people are making it difficult for us to attract customers downtown."

On Tuesday, the City Council spent less than two minutes discussing the issue. The members agreed to send a letter to the businesses, saying they would not address the issue.

"I'm glad the City Council recognized our rights as Americans to gather to speak our opinions and protest," said Joshua Nussbaum, 19, a student in Hillsborough County and local Anonymous organizer. "They did what was right . . . and we will continue to do what we think is right."

The majority of the business owners who signed the petition are Scientologists, which led some in Anonymous to question whether the church had a hand in the petition. But Church of Scientology spokeswoman Pat Harney and a number of business owners who spoke with the Times on Monday denied it.

The merchants said they were concerned the protesters would harm the downtown that Clearwater is trying to rebuild.

"You can hear them screaming, hear cars honking and people who come here for a massage just want to relax," said Gen Cournoyer, owner of Botanica Day Spa, 123 N Fort Harrison Ave.

"You're entitled to free speech," said Cournoyer, a 26-year-old church member, "but we're trying to make a living and it can affect the people who work here. Plus it's an eyesore. They look punkish."

But the dissatisfaction isn't limited to businesses owned by Scientologists.

Debbie King manages Trickels Jewelers and is not a Scientologist. She didn't sign the petition but wishes the protesters would go away. "People don't want to come downtown when that's going on," King said.

She added that the masks Anonymous members don to shield their identities also scare children.

Angela Gioffre, who owns an Italian clothing store and helped organize the petition, said she will talk to other merchants to see if they can meet with city leaders.

"We have to find a solution," she said.

Others, though, don't see the protests as a big deal.

"When they're out there, they do whatever they do, but they haven't scared our customers," said Manola Louvon, 30, whose father owns Chiang Mai, a Thai restaurant at 415 Cleveland St.

Local leaders have invested millions into revitalizing the downtown's core, particularly its main east-west thoroughfare — Cleveland Street — where most of the affected businesses are located.

And while council members say they want to lure more businesses downtown and help keep the ones there happy, they say the demonstrators haven't done anything illegal.

Anonymous organizer Nussbaum said "our problem is with the management and leadership of the church," and questioned how the marches could harm local shops.

"We've never said anything to the employees or customers — we've always been polite," he said adding that members are frequent patrons of many of the businesses.

He also pointed out that no Anonymous member has been arrested or cited during the demonstrations. But he said he would be willing to meet with business owners.

The group, which marched in downtown for the fourth time last Saturday, has a core of about 80 members, he said. The next march will be June 14 when they'll dress like pirates, calling the demonstration "Sea Arrrgh," a poke at Sea Org, a religious order in the church.



[Last modified: May 14, 2008 02:14 AM]

[Free to shine]

Clearwater council right to leave Scientology protests alone
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article506348.ece


The Clearwater City Council took mere seconds Tuesday to deliver a powerful message: that people have the right to peacefully assemble and speak their minds, and the city won't even consider trying to tread on that right.

Thirty-four downtown merchants and two residents signed a petition calling for the city government to take action against Anonymous, a loosely organized, Internet-based group that has been conducting worldwide protests against the Church of Scientology for months. Since the first of the year, the group has led four weekend protests in downtown Clearwater, where the Church of Scientology has its spiritual headquarters and a massive presence. Another protest is planned for June 14.

The protests in Clearwater have been peaceful, without a single arrest, but they do look a bit bizarre. The protesters wear masks or bandannas to cover their faces because they believe the Church of Scientology will target them if they are recognizable. It is not an idle fear, since in the past the church has been accused of using private investigators to follow critics or contacting their employers.

Downtown Clearwater merchants who signed the petition told the St. Petersburg Times that the protests are keeping away customers and the masked protesters look scary to children. The Church of Scientology also has objected to the tenor of the protests, accusing Anonymous of using hate speech — signs carried by protesters often refer to Scientology as a cult or a scam — and claiming that Anonymous members have phoned in death threats to the church and attacked the church's computer systems.

However, Clearwater police have closely monitored the Anonymous protests, and they have seen no reason to arrest or cite the protesters.

Anonymous organizers say they have not blocked customers from entering downtown businesses and that no one has any reason to fear the protesters, who generally have numbered from 50 to about 200 — nowhere near the estimated 3,000 Scientologists who, in 1997, marched around downtown in a surprise mass demonstration against the Clearwater Police Department and the St. Petersburg Times. At least Anonymous provides plenty of advance notice of its demonstrations.

Scientologists had the right to speak their minds on the streets of Clearwater in 1997. And Anonymous has the right to do so in 2008. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to free speech and peaceably assemble, and it declares that government may make no laws abridging those rights.

While the tactics of Anonymous members or supporters have not always been laudatory in other parts of the world, in Clearwater, they have done nothing to warrant government intervention. They may express views that Scientologists find objectionable, but Scientology expresses views that others object to as well. Both sides have the right to express their viewpoints peacefully.

The City Council's response to the merchants' petition was exactly right.



[Last modified: May 14, 2008 09:07 PM]