Church of Scientology of Harlem opening July 31, 2016

[CommunicatorIC]

Church of Scientology of Harlem and Community Center opening July 31, 2016.

From Mike Rinder's Thursday Funnies: http://www.mikerindersblog.org/thursday-funnies-93/

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[Udarnik]

So. They're not closing the street? Confirmed attendee count too far below the 2500 they predicted last year to even make a pretense?

 

[CommunicatorIC]

 

[Jump]

This is history!

Well, they got one thing right.


​

 

[Free to shine]

Here's Tony Ortega's report and photos:

http://tonyortega.org/2016/08/01/sc...rlem-and-we-werent-made-to-feel-very-welcome/

Well, we found out later that Scientology had expended all of its costly methods for keeping press and protesters away on 126th Street, because they expected that curious onlookers like your proprietor would be trying to see into the stage area from that vantage point. It was there, a block north of our location, where they had set up high hedges and portable shrubs and massive fabric walls in order to keep our prying eyes from seeing what was going on.

What they didn’t expect, apparently, is that we’d get a vantage point on 125th Street itself, and it quite obviously sent them into a panic. Within a few minutes of our entry into the auto shop lobby there were half a dozen beefy looking guys in tight-fitting suits and with earpieces, talking into their wrists and pulling over police officers.

 

[BunnySkull]

So. They're not closing the street? Confirmed attendee count too far below the 2500 they predicted last year to even make a pretense?

Even more interesting, so far, is the complete lack of press releases or any overtures to mainstream media outlets to promote this grand event opening. If you google "Harlem Ideal Org" besides the first two hits being Scio sites promoting their new facility opening, it's all basically the critical communities stories or discussions about it. Not one actual new story from a general publication.

Maybe they knew that having such low attendance in what is arguably the most important city in America (and right up there globally) reveals too much about their actual membership numbers? Its one thing to get a 1,000 or 2,000 people in Atlanta or Portland, but in NYC? A city where the attendance at events like Puerto Rican Pride parade exceeds 100,000, a "major" religion attracting only a few thousands (or less) in a densely populated city of 8 million would make their dismal membership all too obvious.

I had assumed their pact with NOI would have ensured at least nominal asses in seats in Harlem. (I've always thought the deal with the NOI for the cult was about getting more member activity and POC in photo-ops, and for the NOI it lines Calypso Louie's pockets and facility use.) Maybe I was wrong about asses in the seats, because if the NOI can't turn them out in Harlem then they can't turn them out anywhere.

(I remember six years ago going into a NYC Org right near the heart of Times Square on a Saturday evening. I figured on such a night it would be easy to slip in unmolested to gawk a little, maybe get a magazine, I was wrong. The place was DEAD. We got swarmed by SO/staff trying to sell us Dianetics or watch a film before we even made it in through the door because we were the only ones who had darkened it's door for quite awhile. This wouldn't be notable, except for the location which has more foot traffic than almost anywhere else in the city, plus they had two ppl actively trying to get people off the streets into a visit with tickets/invites, and even then it was dead as a doornail on a Saturday evening - six years ago.)

 

[Mimsey Borogrove]

What I found most interesting - they endangered peoples lives by making them walk in the street around the barrier set up to keep Tony isolated. What a warped sense of civic duty. I guess if you can't confront and shatter suppression, you can isolate it. Their efforts to stop him gave him a great story. What were they thinking?

Mimsey

 

[George Layton]

Posted at The Underground Bunker.

PickAnotherID • 23 minutes ago PERMIT NEWS - THERE WAS IN FACT A PERMIT
I just received a call from the lady at the NYC Citywide Event Coordination & Management Office that issued the permit, and who was on site for the entire event. The permit did allow for blocking the sidewalk on the side of the street where the event was being held, but not on the side where the $cientology buildings are located. She said when Tony, or anyone else, asked to see the permit, he/they should have been directed to her location to review the permit. She was not happy that isn't what happened when Tony asked to see it. She also said the permit's not on their web site now because, unless it's a long term event across more than one month, everything from the previous month drops off on the 1st of the next month.
So, there was a permit and both $cientology security and the NYPD had been told to bring anyone who asked about the permit to the CECM lady to review it. She will be having words with both about why Tony was not brought to her when he asked to see it.

 

[Little David]

Scientology press release photos:

[FONT=&quot]“This new Community Center represents not just an offer to help, but rather, our obligation and right to help. Because, no matter what makes each of us individuals, we all represent the brotherhood of man. And so, there is no escaping the fact that anyone’s suffering is also our suffering. And, that none of us are free unless all of us are free. When you track that to the end of the blackboard, it becomes no less than our inviolate duty to introduce humanity to every last living soul. And thereby keep faith with the family of man,” said Mr. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Miscavige[/FONT][FONT=&quot].[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/3024656#ixzz4G6xCeYLV[/FONT]
http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/3024656

 

[Dulloldfart]

Thanks for the pix. For an event in Harlem I see an awful dearth of black people there. I counted one, although I could have missed some. There also seem to be a lot of light blue shirts and black suits, although maybe that's normal and isn't really paid extras and/or staff.

Looking at that picture of the Dwarf and remembering Sherman's speeches I think they could simply replace him with an animatronic version for the same effect.

Paul

 

[BunnySkull]

Scientology press release photos:

[FONT=&quot]“This new Community Center represents not just an offer to help, but rather, our obligation and right to help. Because, no matter what makes each of us individuals, we all represent the brotherhood of man. And so, there is no escaping the fact that anyone’s suffering is also our suffering. And, that none of us are free unless all of us are free. When you track that to the end of the blackboard, it becomes no less than our inviolate duty to introduce humanity to every last living soul. And thereby keep faith with the family of man,” said Mr. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Miscavige[/FONT][FONT=&quot].[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/3024656#ixzz4G6xCeYLV[/FONT]
http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/3024656

The only thing impressive about that crowd is that they managed to have an event in Harlem that was almost 100% white. Where the hell was the NOI? They have (or did) have a somewhat significant presence in Harlem.

On the other hand DM had to be furious they couldn't even get a decent attendance in the largest city in the USA. A drink special or small acoustic set by no-name musician at a club gets bigger crowds in NYC than this CoS "grand opening."

Wonder if any media outlets will pick up this tired press release, the one they trot out and fill in the blanks for every idle org opening? I would bet good money the NYC press won't bother to touch it unless there is a critical bent.

 

[phenomanon]

Thanks for the pix. For an event in Harlem I see an awful dearth of black people there. I counted one, although I could have missed some. There also seem to be a lot of light blue shirts and black suits, although maybe that's normal and isn't really paid extras and/or staff.

Looking at that picture of the Dwarf and remembering Sherman's speeches I think they could simply replace him with an animatronic version for the same effect.

Paul

I was looking thru the crowd for a black face. I saw none.

 

[Little David]

.....but Chill EB was there:confused2:

http://tonyortega.org/2016/08/01/sc...rlem-and-we-werent-made-to-feel-very-welcome/

 

[Dulloldfart]

I was looking thru the crowd for a black face. I saw none.

If you follow the link from the first image you can access the high-resolution original. Zoom in on it (browser zoom might be Ctrl +). The large woman in the white dress at the extreme top left looks black. To her right seem to be a few more black males. Looks like they got strategically placed in the front row.

https://www.newswire.com/files/b6/73/ae37492a94d530a452ba73cd37fd.jpg

EDIT: I indicated some possibilities below. What are the two people in grey uniforms with (I suppose) peaked caps? Are these NOI Fruit of Islam uniforms or something?



Paul

 

[oneonewasaracecar]

I was looking thru the crowd for a black face. I saw none.

#blackthetansmatter

 

[CommunicatorIC]

Mike Rinder: Some Thoughts About The Harlem Ribbon Yanking

Mike Rinder: Some Thoughts About The Harlem Ribbon Yanking

http://www.mikerindersblog.org/some-thoughts-about-the-harlem-ribbon-yanking/

Topic Headings:

Nobody Important Showed Up

Shelly Miscavige Is Still Missing

No International Executives of scientology

No celebrities

Open to the Public? Not.

No humility

Not much truth

Missing Ethnicities

 

[TheOriginalBigBlue]

My sense is that this is purely a lobby reinforcement strategy.

If you are lobbying members of Congress and Congressional Committees for things like Religious Freedom agreements in foreign countries so they can treat public and staff like they do here, and co-opting other group's lobbying agendas like NOI and Ban the Box then those people who ally with them need to be able to point to something high profile to lend credibility to their association with Scientology and to neutralize the bad PR.

Just for that purpose this could be worth subsidizing 100% from IAS funds and its added insurance for maintaining charitable tax exempt status - a cost of doing business. If I were planning this I would absolutely try to locate it in the center of an area with high name recognition and reputation for much needed social improvement that could piggyback on other group's already well established efforts.

Scientology is for the "able to become more able" but that can just mean more able to sacrifice time, money and friends and family to Scientology. The challenge here is for the Harlem community to verify that it means what they want it to mean or minimally for the net benefit to the community to be sufficient to offset the negatives. The Church may indeed attempt to make this their case study for charity and successfully mask their true nature, at least locally.

I'd also add that there is a PR advantage to the Church going into this hiring local law enforcement en masse and getting them on board with the idea that there is a threat out there that triggers their protective instincts on the Church's behalf. The Church evokes loyalty of public and staff by stirring up fears of government agency threats against Scientology and then gets the government agencies stirred up about threats from critics. Its all good. LRH loved to play PSYOPs and he infused it into the organization's dna. Personally, I think this cumulatively ends up backfiring on them but they can't help themselves.

 

[Little David]

From Tony Ortega and attorney Scott Pilutik, a good question:

"Scott was really surprised by the banner on the public library. How did a city facility agree to hang what was essentially a massive advertisement for an organization that calls itself a church?"

http://tonyortega.org/2016/08/01/sc...rlem-and-we-werent-made-to-feel-very-welcome/

 

[TheOriginalBigBlue]

The banner over the Library appears to be based on this glass mural. Who is the artist?

http://tonyortega.org/2016/08/03/sc...e-court-and-ken-dandar-gets-canny/#more-33086

 

[uncover]

Thanks for the pix. For an event in Harlem I see an awful dearth of black people there. I counted one, although I could have missed some. ....

Maybe the black ones choose to visit the "Cotton Club / Apollo" instead (visible on the right side) ?: