Monday night, a group calling itself the “Los Angeles Faith Coalition” sent out notices that it was going to have an “emergency press conference” and protest to be held outside of Disney’s studios in Burbank on Tuesday afternoon.
According to its notice, the Coalition was going to hold a demonstration to convince Disney that its subsidiary the A&E television network should stop airing Leah Remini’s show, Scientology and the Aftermath, because airing the series was resulting in “hate crimes and fatalities in houses of worship across faiths.”
You will probably not be surprised to learn that if you check the Coalition’s website, it’s owned by the Church of Scientology’s Valley Ideal Org in North Hollywood.
So, Scientology’s fake “interfaith” group held its hastily-arranged protest yesterday, and we were fortunate that Jeffrey Augustine decided to drive down and give it a look.
“The crowd was underwhelming,” Jeffrey said, and he wasn’t kidding. Photos show that the number of attendees was in the low tens.
“It was billed as a press conference. But there were no reporters, and they took no questions. It was a staged event that tried to paint Scientology as a civil rights leader,” Jeff added. “One speaker complained that Disney CEO Bob Iger would not respond to Scientology. But Aftermath always extends an invitation to Scientology to appear on the show. It refuses.
“This was OSA’s attempt to bypass A&E and try to get to Iger directly,” he said, referring to Scientology’s spy wing, the Office of Special Affairs. “But the event did not draw one single Disney employee. It was held on the front lawn of the Redeemer Church which is directly across from Disney Studio’s main entrance.”
Jeffrey said that despite the small size of the event, he saw about 15 Burbank police officers on the scene. Apparently, Scientology was expecting some trouble.
At one point, one of the church executives came to speak to him.
“Janet Weiland came up and spoke to me. She wanted to know who I was and I told her. She said ‘Oh you’re that Jeff.’ Then she walked off.”
Jeffrey also saw Ed Parkin, but the Stand League leader avoided him.
“They sang ‘It’s a Small World After All,” and the pastor said, ‘What would Mickey do?’ And they finished by singing ‘We Shall Overcome.'”
A crew from Scientology Media Productions dutifully filmed the event, but Jeffrey says he didn’t see any other reporters.
Karen de la Carriere tells us that she recognized many of the people in the photos that Jeffrey brought back. “More than 50 percent of the people there were OSA employees. I recognize them all,” she tells us. “This was not a group of the general public. This was in-house Sea Org.”
An astroturf coalition, with a rigged crowd? Well, no wonder no one at Disney paid any attention to it.
Jeffrey managed to shoot some excellent photographs of the event…
Here’s the 30-minute video that Jeffrey shot of the event…
——————–
Daily Beast talks to Danny Masterson accusers about Ashton Kutcher
Excellent piece this morning by the Daily Beast’s Amy Zimmerman following up on our story yesterday that Danny Masterson and Ashton Kutcher made their first appearance together since Masterson was written out of their Netflix series in December 2017. And at a Scientology wedding, to boot.
A couple of really interesting quotes at the end of the piece by two of Masterson’s accusers, who are unhappy that Kutcher, who has advocated for womens’ rights, hanging out with an accused rapist.
——————–
Start making your plans!
——————–
Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!
We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.
Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!
Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society!
Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in our weekly series. How many have you read?
——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] A private eye comes clean: ‘Scientology is a disgrace to the world’
[TWO years ago] Putting back a family ripped apart by Scientology can be easier said than done
[THREE years ago] L. Ron Hubbard’s magic chalk, and other Scientology miracles at the ’07 Birthday Event
[FOUR years ago] Another Secret Lives leak: L. Ron Hubbard enjoyed humiliating people under hypnosis
[FIVE years ago] Jefferson Hawkins finishes off our series on Scientology ethics with a reprieve
[SIX years ago] Scientology’s Atlanta Drug Rehab Crumbling: Executive Director Mary Rieser Out
[SEVEN years ago] Death of a Scientologist: Why Annie Broeker, Famous in the Church, Had to Die in Secret
——————–
Bernie Headley has not seen his daughter Stephanie in 5,345 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 1,476 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 1,978 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 1,458 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 521 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 409 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 3,716 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 1,584 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 2,358 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,132 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 2,478 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,044 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 6,964 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,131 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 2,712 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 2,972 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,012 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 1,724 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 1,250 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 5,339 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 2,479 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 2,799 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 7,655 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 2,774 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,130 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 5,432 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 1,538 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 1,941 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 1,812 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 1,395 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 1,890 days.
Mary Jane Sterne has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,144 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 13,253 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on January 30, 2019 at 07:00
E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.
Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2018 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2018), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…
Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.
Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele
