Off to the Crusades!

[emotional leper]

I'm leaving for Atlanta. I shall try to bring back pictures.

If I do not return, be comforted, for I shall dispense as well as I shall receive

[Menolly]

*sigh*

Stay safe, EL.

[thefirst]

Which Atlanta, I wonder? If it's GA, you have my sympathies, I hate driving in that town

[Menolly]

'tis GA, thefirst.

[thefirst]

Best wishes then EL, personally, I'd rather be

[onewyteduck]

Driving in Atlanta is ok IF you know where you're going but if you don't make sure you have that little plastic Jesus on your dashboard!

[sgt.null]

I'm leaving for Atlanta. I shall try to bring back pictures.

If I do not return, be comforted, for I shall dispense as well as I shall receive

get me a lapel pin please!!!

[emotional leper]

Back from the Raid. I have pictures.

All in all there were about 250 of us, maybe three hundred. I protested for about 4 hours. There was a police helicopter and a riot squad with shields, helmets, batons, and teargas waiting for us when we got there. They stayed on their side of the road, we stayed on ours. Two local television stations came out. I was told that video would be up on youtube tonight. There were some very touchy moments where it almost devolved into 250 of us versus < 30 cops, mainly because some of our more stupid members didn't understand this whole "Stay on OUR SIDE OF THE ROAD" thing.

I'll get the pictures developed tomorrow, I hope.

[Montresor]

In that case, use the motto of the Crusaders when they sacked Jerusalem: "Kill them all, God shall recognise his own".

Although, if you're already back, it's too late for a pillage.

[emotional leper]

In that case, use the motto of the Crusaders when they sacked Jerusalem: "Kill them all, God shall recognise his own".

Although, if you're already back, it's too late for a pillage.

We could have taken the Police if it had come to that, but then we would have lost anyway.

The Scientologists were conspicuous by their absence. I only saw maybe three, and one woman who gave us the finger as she drove by before pulling into the church.

[matrixman]

I understand the story now...I applaud you once again, EL!

I'm glad that violence was avoided.

[onewyteduck]

You do? All I understand is EL was protesting something in Atlanta..... I missed something somewhere!

[Menolly]

Welcome home, EL.
I am glad to hear you are safe and sound.
The rest, you can tell us as you find the strength to relate it.

[Wyldewode]

Yes. . . glad to hear you arrived home safely and were not arrested.

[Lord Mhoram]

This wasn't School of the Americas protesting, was it?

[Waddley]

I had some friends protesting, as I slept through it. Glad to hear you were doing something, el!

Can't wait to see pictures!

[Wyldewode]

Wadds, they're posted in the photography thread.

[matrixman]

I just saw a report on CBC news about this. Didn't realize this was a day of such widespread protest against Them. There was even a protest staged outside the branch in our city. (Yes, I'm ashamed to say that Their tentacles have reached even here.)

Bravo to all who've made a stand against Them!

[JazFusion]

I guess between Scientologists and Jedi, I'd pick the Jedi.

Though in all seriousness, I'm scared. One of my friends became a scientologist after MONTHS of vehement and public abhorrence of them. Then she decides to become one because it just "makes sense".

I told her to stay away from Kool-Aid.

[emotional leper]

The protests were world-wide, starting in Australia. They were timed to be on Lisa McPherson's 49th Birthday, were she still alive.

The pictures I need to develop were mostly of us rallying at the Taco Bell and then marching to the protest site and setting up.

Scientologists were taking pictures of us, and followed many of us back to our cars when we left and took pictures of us unmasked and of our license plates.

We met up at the Taco Bells starting around 10:15ish. As more and more people showed up we kept on going over the ground rules: Don't get physical, don't get near the building, avoid the word 'hate.' Do not give out your name. When people were being interviewed we all gave our names (most of us gave our names) as David Davidson

We started marching there around 12:30. One long big group. Cops were already out directing traffic so we could get by. When we arrived we started setting up infront of the Church on the opposite side of the road. That's when we noticed around thirty cops in formation, marching in place. When they saw us they started walking forward and set up their line. We counted one tear gas grenade launcher and a few assault rifles.

There was a chopper overhead that we thought was a News crew. It wasn't: It was a police chopper that stayed there for four hours. Great waste of taxpayer money.

The day basically consisted of me waving my sign and getting people to honk, and other handing out flyers, spotting the Scientologist plants in our midst, and trying to keep the /b/tard and memespeak to a minimum, although after a while we started goofing off a little. Towards the end we gave the cops a round of applause, and some people were saying they were going to bring the cops water, as it had to be hot in that riot armor.

When I left I walked back with a few other people, as we had found out that we were being followed. We'd guessed that would happen anyway, and we were worried about being assaulted if we walked by ourselves.

The highlights of the day were the news crews showing up to interview some of us, and the one scientologist lady who drove by us, gave the us the finger, and shouted, "Get a job!" as she entered the parking lot for their building.

And we're doing it again on the 15th of March.