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                       ** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ** 

CRITICS PICKET CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY MARCH 8 IN CLEARWATER FLORIDA

Contact:     Local contact: March8th@aol.com 
                               or
Arnie Lerma   alerma@dgs.dgsys.com
Jeff Jacobsen in Clearwater March 6-10 call XXX-XXXX

                    
Downtown Clearwater will again, as last March, be host to a peaceful
protest of the Church of Scientology on Saturday, March 8.  A
candlelight vigil will also be held that evening in memory of Lisa 
McPherson, age 36, who died under suspicious circumstances after a 17 
day stay at the church's Ft. Harrison Hotel in late 1995.  Police are 
investigating her death.  Dozens of protesters will be coming from
around the U.S. as well as from the Clearwater area.

'Stop Hurting People, Scientology' is the theme of this year's event. 
Protesters will focus on the church's policies that hurt both critics
and members of the church.   Some believe those policies were
instrumental in the death of Lisa McPherson in Clearwater.

A policy L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, invented called the 
Introspection Rundown teaches that members who are perceived to have
had a "psychotic break" be put in isolation and not allowed their
freedom until the "case supervisor" determines that the member has
recovered from his or her "psychotic break."  Within the Church's
belief system, going against Hubbard's instructions is considered to
be a high crime.

In Italy and France this past year, high-ranking Scientologists have
been jailed for fraud and even manslaughter; and court cases are
pendingagainst the church and its organizations in Greece, Spain, and
othercountries.  Suicides, such as those of Noah Lottick and Richard
Collins,appear to be related to the policies of the church.

Critics point out that it is not the "religious beliefs" of the church

to which they object, but rather the policies written by L. Ron
Hubbard, which direct Scientologists to attack "suppressive people"
who criticize the church, or anyone who is perceived as an enemy.
Scientology is widely known as an extremely litigious organization,
which is part of Hubbard's policy : "the law can be used very easily
to harass...if possible, of course, ruin [the critic] utterly."

Organizers invite the public to their peaceful picket on Saturday, 
March 8.  We will gather at the Pinellas County courthouse at 10:45
a.m.At 7 pm a candlelight vigil will also be held in memory of Lisa
McPherson. 

More information is available at:

http://www.primenet.com/~cultxpt/demo.htm
http://www2.dgsys.com/~alerma
http://www.tampatrib.com/reports/scientol/home.htm

This will be the second picket in Clearwater organized on the internet
toprotest the Church of Scientology's actions.