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[SocialTransparency]

 Please read this article. The parallels of what could happen if the C of S gets its variances are staggering.

Language school in church accused of violating permit.

The school doesn't have a sign at St. Andrew's, but Rebecca Hunter of the school's parents committee said that is because "Sandy Springs has a moratorium on signs"

http://sandysprings.lps2.com/Articles-c-2009-04-02-155725.113118_Language_school_in_churchaccused_of_violating_permit.html

[SocialTransparency]

http://sandysprings.lps2.com/Articles-c-2009-04-02-155726.113118_Christ_the_Kingdelays_pitchto_community.html

Christ the King delays pitch to community.

"A dispute between the church and the adjacent Peachtree Heights East neighborhood, especially over an addition to the church's parking deck, caused the church's counsel to request the delay in the NPU-B discussion."


From what i read into this particular article, the local community is very active in its knowledge of local zoning issues.

[Lorelei]

Some quick case studies of how the cult changes neighborhoods and cities for the worse might be in order.

Examples: Clearwater, of course. Cult sneaks in under false pretenses, infiltrates local government and law enforcement, and turns downtown CW into a ghost town populated only by cultists, having run local businesses out.

Second Chance: bailed on bills, snuck out (appliances in tow) in the middle of the night.

YT video about how a man was denied payment for A/C repair services (IIRC).

Narconon in ATL: impact on neighborhood (eyesore), death of "guest," competition with legitimate services

Abandoned org in LV: eyesore

Stress test / book sale table harassment of passersby in NYC and elsewhere without proper peddler's licenses

Closing of roadways on LRH Way incoveniencing neighbors every weekend, plus nosie, laights, long business hours, traffic, people trespassing on private property, parking lot spaces filled to the max, security patrols prowling up and down the street all day scaring off visitors and bothering neighbors, constant video surveillance and other invasions of homeowner privacy

Big Blue (?): harassment of pedestrians and the homeless on public right of ways, assault, terrible disrepair of facilities

Gold: No public right of way provided; cult built out to roadway and neglected to allow space for sidewalks; loud noises / Gold tone, harassment / assault of private citizens, infiltration of local government and law enforcement, vehicle tampering, defying water restrictions during droughts, security prowling around, constant video surveillance, insisting on special favours for themselves that they do not follow (protest distance / private residence guidelines do not apply to cultists or cult shills).

Shallowford: rumours of plumbing problems, probably not adequately addressed. We should check to see if the old folks home had any issues with parking space competition, or was OK with sharing a lot with the cult. Abuse of law enforcement personnel they do not pay taxes to support.

Mt. Vernon: why are they no longer there? Did they get run out of the area? Why are they using a VERY old address?

Austin: I believe Austin has noted that letters have fallen off the building signage, and that the org looks like shit. (It is the building seen in the animated GIF of the EFGs dancing in front of a blue building, FWIW.)

I may be worth asking on WWP about the conditions of other orgs in the US and elsewhere. Poorly maintained buildings owned by the organization, preferably with images, may help. Failing that, it may be possible to get stills from YT videos of protests.

If promotional material is available, check to see if the buildings in ATL have been photoshopped to look better than they are. Pointing this out may also be damning.

[ethercat]

All good examples; please write a letter to the Sandy Springs govt. about it, if you haven't already.

Mt. Vernon: why are they no longer there? Did they get run out of the area? Why are they using a VERY old address?

I believe they sold the Mt. Vernon bldg, which they owned, for part of the money to buy the Roswell Rd. bldg.

[Lorelei]

Exes and OGs may know the precise reference for the "bill paying tech" (i.e., they try to haggle down the agreed-upon price, delay payment, futz with sending unsigned checks or checks for less than the full amount due--they just flat out don't pay contractors / providers of services what they owe tjhem without a prolonged, annoying, time-wasting fight).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7738aoaPQ0

Any contractor in the ATL/Sandy Springs area who decides to do business with the CoS should insist on payment up front; otherwise, they may never see a dime.

This is not an isolated incident; see also Second Chance, a CoS front group in Phoenix akin to Narconon (NOT Narcotics Anonymous, which Narconon tries to pretend to be) that supposedly cured convicts and ex-cons of addictions via vitamins, Scilon indoctrination, prolonged hot saunas, etc., then, after failing to comply, dumped cons and ex-cons in locations unknown when they picked up in the middle of the night after stealing anything not nailed down, like dishwashers owned by the landlord, and not paying bills for months.

If your time, products, services or labor are valuable, be forewarned that the cult may try their "bill (non-)paying tech" on you!

[Stutroup]

In an attempt to google to remind myself of thee exact name of Scientology's deferred payment plan, I'm running into more stories of billdelinquency such as these:

http://www.scientology-lies.com/press/austin-american-statesman/1994-01-02/firms-that-pay-late-still-have-power.html

http://www.xenu.net/archive/WIR/wir5-35.html

Basically, and I do promise to post links once I find it, there is a Scientology policy about deferring payment as far back as possible without utilities etc. being turned off.  The bills are supposed to be payed form the farthest back first, and as little as necessary to temporarily appease the bill collectors for the moment.  With contractors etc., the same policy states that when a business starts calling to collect money, for the Scientologist to say that (s)he will not to business with them any more if they call back again, and hang up ... and IIRC, not to pay them at that point.


edit:

FOUND IT!

dateline paying:
http://www.lisamcpherson.org/cos/construction.htm

L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology, wrote policy letters that the church has bound into books (the "green volumes"). These are considered scripture by the church and cannot be cancelled, since only Hubbard himself could cancel policy. The "green volumes" are where financial management is discussed.

Hubbard wrote that the church was to use a "Dateline Paying" method of paying bills, which means a date in the past is selected according to how much money the department has, and then any bills due past that date are paid. "Tell Accounts, 'Give me every bill we owe prior to August (three months ago).' Add these up. Let's say the amount exceeds our cash. Cut it back one month. Order 'Write cheques for every bill up to July 1.' (That's four months back.) That we can cover fully with cash." (HCOPL of 28 January 1965, "How to Maintain Credit Standing & Solvency") If important bills are overdue and threats are coming in, "Still try to use the above system. But if you can't, pay it and retard other bills accordingly. And thereafter, don't pay that outfit's bill on any other terms than threatened trouble... Be very proud and haughty about bills. NEVER propitiate." (ibid.) "In the case of a tradesman demanding for a bill only slightly overdue you will usually find they have done poor work or slow work if you're at all solvent and paying your bills. Don't say 'We're too poor and we can only send you a little but we will try.' ... Say properly 'I don't see that your bill is much overdue. It takes a bit of time to pay a bill you know. I will check over your account and see if it is all right. And by the way, people who dun us either have insufficient finance to handle our business or something is wrong with their bill. I am setting your bill aside for audit and if you call again about it, we will sever the account." (HCOPL of 28 March 1965, "Emergencies and Accounts Personnel") "Disbursement NEVER pays from a received bill alone. All bills received are first filed in the Disbursement files. Then the file is reviewed as a whole when the time comes to pay bills. It is forbidden to short circuit this line and pay bills just as they drop into the In basket. They are filed. Then all files are reviewed once a month, summated and the result entered in a statement sheet in the file folder and on a Bills Summary Sheet.... when thereafter requested to do so, the Disbursement Section makes out the cheques as indicated or readies the cash." (HCOPL of 6 May 1964, "Accounts Policies"). It appears that bills must go through a lengthy bureaucratic paper shuffle before payment is finally made.

[Lorelei]

Thank you, Stu! I had to give up after a half hour, but that is exactly what I was talking about.

"Be proud and haughty about NOT paying your bills to the companies and individuals who worked hard to provide a service or some goods to you," eh?

Nice one. We Southern folks do not appreciate rudeness and a lack of self-sufficiency. I hope that none of the SS-area businesspeople, contractors or merchants ever have to deal with this bologna.

[ethercat]

Thank you, Stu! 

As some of us know, they like to keep money in the family and services in house when they can.  I wonder if they practice the same policy with their own WISE members who provide services to them.