Not saying that I believe this, but there are a lot of people that think Danny masterson didn’t commit those crimes. I stay away from drama to the best of my ability, so obviously idk details. Ashton kinda ruined his image even by sticking up for Danny. I’m disappointed in general and hope more valid evidence comes to light. If anybody knows hard facts, please drop a dime 🙏 👇
Same here. Also lived in Dunedin & Spring Hill, which are both basically Clearwater. Never really noticed anything odd… except all the druggies, old people, and the erratic environment/wildlife
Fun Fact: The Cult Awareness network that was founded after the Jonestown massacre was eventually infiltrated and acquired by the Church of Scientology.
As someone who lives in Clearwater, this was not on my bingo card when starting the video. Paused right at the Clearwater, and was like ohhhhh ya that makes sense, fucking scientology. Downtown is completely avoided. Luckily, they pretty much stick to their area and locals avoid it. One thing you missed is they also run for city boards and have won seats.
I live in Clearwater as well, a lot of these weird tactics the scientologists used went out the window after covid. They are stealth installing people into the city council though, by running smear campaigns that largely work on people that watchdog them. The latest mayoral race being one, as the last mayor resigned due to overspending by the city council. Now they want to install this new mayor (Kathleen Beckman) that will put the city in serious debt with an unnecessary new city hall. Which the church would love as that would restore the leverage they had to scoop up more land prior to covid.
My cousin Alyssa grew up down there, sadly her Mom was into Scientology and they moved to Clearwater when my cousin was like 8 and she ran away and got up here to her Michigan family when she was 16. Sadly, she went on to become a drug addict and then recently, at 34 years old, she moved out to California and became homeless and a few months ago was hit and killed while crossing a Highway near Hollywood. I didn’t even know she moved out there, we were really close after she got to Michigan and basically escaped Scientology and her Mom. That place really messed her head up they REALLY feed these people some bs and they become so brainwashed it’s really sad to see. She was extremely outgoing, and always happy on the outside, but deep down, she told me she knew that place did a number on her psyche. RIP Alyssa! 1989-2023! We love and miss you!
It makes me laugh to think that somewhere in Clearwater or LA is a file that has the words “Papa Meat” listed on it. Like, someone had to physically write “Papa meat.”
It's heartbreaking to see a community destroyed by these lunatics. I've wished more people would shine more light on this for years so, genuinely, thank you so much.
Thankfully the local government has SOME allies trying to do something but between the power of the church and the protections for “religious organizations”, it’s a Hail Mary…
Even the athiests can see there aint nothing going on abojt science with scientology cults. And athiests often camt even tell that theres only 2 genders science clearly supports
@@sw8ds97 Yeah, true. I've lived there for for years and a friend has never said something like "Hey, want to go to dt" Hell, the local news barely talks about the place over Tampa or St Pete
i live near clearwater, i used to stroll scientology lane with friends late at night. stopped going because every time we went, weirder and weirder shit started happening. normally the scienos wont talk to you (in my exp) but they started directly interacting with me, my car would get followed, busses full of people going around at 3am, we would get followed by ppl on bikes, they pop out of fucking nowhere (all the doors must be oiled or some shit because theyre silent). super creepy
Been in area for almost 40 years. In my teen years in the 90s, they were here but nothing like it is today. Knew a guy who placed wiper fluid nozzles by his headlights, meaning the water would squirt in front of the vehicle, used to blast these guys on crosswalks. They've been told for decades they're unwanted, but they've persisted.
Same here! I used to go to clearwater to skate with my friends, but it got weirder and weirder like you said. We started having people film us, follow/chase us on foot/bike or even in a car a couple times, etc. I don't go there anymore because it's so sketchy/creepy
Ex Scientologist here. So, I'd like to give an explanation to the whole idea of Scientology and why I left. I was born into it. My mom was an OG Scientologist from the 70s and my dad got into it in the late 80s. So, the way I saw it and what I was told was that L Ron Hubbard was this forrest gump kind of guy why basically saw all the horrible shit in society and wanted to make a difference. He was a top tier boy scout, a pilot, a captain in the navy and a philosopher and an artist. And a pulp fiction writter. Basically too good to be true. His mother was a teacher and his father was a captain in the navy, at least that's why I remember. Hubbard was very brilliant and basically read every book he could in philosophy, and religion and tried to put the pieces together to understand why humans act the way they do. He then later studied psychology and learned a lot about the human mind. When he was a kid he went to asia with his father and saw the horrible shit that was going on. He learned some really mind blowing stuff from a bhuddist monk and saw what the mind could do, like some matrix type stuff with the spoon and what not. So hubbard found out that something in our cells has a track record. Something he could decode and basically found out we have past lives. He went deeper and found out people have been around for trillions of years. And at one point we were the creators of our existence. To sum this up. He basically found the answer to life and death and what happens when we die afterwards. Now, this is what the xenu thing is supposed to be. Basically, at one point, we were god. A Hitler type person didn't like this and wanted to take control of our abilities and trap us here. We had these implants that keep us trapped and the only way to get out of this and become how we used to be is to get auditing. Regression therapy. Now, the big selling point, is that the more auditing you get, the better your life becomes, and basically have a nirvana moment, when you don't need to be in this physical universe and decide to play another game. We are addicted to sensations and that is why we are stuck here. The psychiatrist thing is like mr smith. It's a very matrix type of idea. But the drugs prevent us from acurratley do the auditing and they push psychiatry as a leading reason society is fucked up. Because the elites behind everything are supressives. Any body who does psychiatry is PTS, which means they can cause issues in your life. Any body connected to anybody who is against Scientology is PTS and needs to be handled (re educated or disconnected). So you can see how bad this can get. The big selling pull of Scientology is that it makes you take responsibility for your own life and not rely on a god to do it for you. L Ron Hubbard has a lot of good concepts on paper until you look deeper. One of my favorites is how you need to look up every word you don't understand. Their education books and all their books and tapes are fucking expensive. A book that teaches you how to learn costs up to 60 dollars, with really basic shit, like look up misunderstood words, demo with clay to get a bettter idea of what you learned. But it is basically mind control. If you don't look up a word you will have a bunch of physical ailments like: feeling tired, dizzy, yawning, etc. If you don't look up a word, you can become a criminal in the future. As you can see, there is truth and lies. Its so well constructed, i've seen Harvard grads become Scientologists, doctors, lawyers, you name it. Because a lot of it makes sense. Oh yeah and that book I told you about was made in the 90s, very out dated. I left because they were always pushing me to do staff, and if I didn't I was seen as something lower. I couldn't do what I loved, which was music and they also did shit that I saw as red flags. None of the shit they did was helping me, it just cost lots of money and time. The people were kind, but you an see a lot of manipulation. I could go on, but this is a really long post. But yeah, it ruined my family life, my parents are fucked up from it. The church doesn't care about its members, they care about real estate and making money and if you say anything against them, they will destroy you. It's like a mix of mafia and cult basically. It has been banned in many countries like Germany and france. It is not a religion, it is not a cult. It is a dangerous organization that needs to be investigated and shut down. It's not a joke. They are north korea in america basically.
Thank you for sharing that, it really puts into perspective how a rational person could get pulled into scientology. It would be great if you shared your story in a video or series (if it's safe for you to do so). Seems like you can get the message across without coming off as bitter or dramatic. Even if you don't decide to make anything else out of it, thank you for sharing.
Wow... Just.... Wow.... 😳 I can understand why someone might be pulled in out of curiosity and stay because they are looking for something bigger than them or some sort of answers. This is why schools teaching critical thinking is so important. Not to get political but lots of Florida schools discourage critical thinking and just want you to obey.
Thanks for more insight into this major issue. Why anyone would listen to the teachings from a mad man from the middle of nowhere i.e. Nebraska is beyond me. There’s being out to help people with self discover and then there’s creating a small dictatorship that looks to take peoples money and brainwash lost souls into preaching toxic and putrid methodology.
Yup. Just how I imagined it to be like :) and, at the end- it's all about money and control of that constant, steady money flow. Even if they maybe started with good, dff intentions, over time it gets to hoarding money, connections, organized crime. Like with everything else.
I went to Clearwater High, and had a few friends whose families were Scientologists. One was shipped off not long after graduating to go work on a yacht for the org and when I saw her a few years later at a GameStop at Clearwater Mall, her friends closed ranks around her and pretended I wasn't even there- mid conversation. She looked at me with a worried expression and I regret not confronting the folks she was with. It broke my heart. It's not great optics to have members interface with non members in that manner, it just validates what's out there further.
Back in 2008 We had a QB on our football team who was incredible (D1 offers) but then he disappeared because his Family joined the church of Scientology and 5 years later I ran into him at the Clearwater mall and he was clearly brainwashed. 😢
They’ve had one every superbowl for like 15 years. They’re legally required to spend their massive amounts of money on their parishioners or else lose their tax exempt status. Hence why they own SO much real estate
I coach football and one guy I work with mentioned the Scientology aspect of Clearwater Academy International since he coached a lot of kids who went down their to play on their football team. Once he saw it for himself, he refused to send anyone else down there.
@@RollingCalfto give context, he went down with his son since his son was being recruited by them. The campus itself is smaller than a daycare centre and most of the events were held in that hotel Papa showed in his video. Said the vibes were very off the entire time and the whole city felt like a ghost town but the ocean views were excellent
I used to live near Tampa when i was 17. There was one day where my boyfriend at the time were walking around Ybor City. This lady was standing on a corner (normal looking middle aged lady) and she was like "hey you guys wanna take a personality test?" So off we go, because we were dumb. We follow this lady a couple blocks through town and then i see the scientology building approaching. Red flags are going off in my head, but my bf is just having a great time. They bring us into the church, and put us in this room to take the personality test. We were left alone so I'm trying to figure out the best way out but there was someone right outside the door. After doing this test, they bring us into the lobby to watch some weird inspirational scientology video, and we cant leave here because there were 5 different people standing in front of the front entrance blocking the doors. After the video, we were brought back into these little cubicle things and they talked to us separately. The lady talking to me had the same paper plane tattoo behind her ear as every other woman I saw there, and said "i know what people say but this ISN'T a cult" and im like yeah okay. She was trying to sell me a whole bunch of the dianetics books and was trying to get my information. I thankfully was able to be like "i dont know, I'll think about it, im not comfortable giving my information currently". At this point i was worried my bf would give out everything because he wasnt the brightest. He walks out and we leave, and I'm like "please tell me you didnt give them your information, they are crazy". This man gave them my bitchy cousins phone number instead 🤣 she was getting calls for weeks and had no idea how they got her number
Had briefly dated a guy from Clearwater in 2014. One night we randomly went walking downtown, wondering why the streets were so empty. After passing a valet booth, they explained the Scientology building was hosting a big meeting. After seeing the building up close, it was so illuminated as if it was a rocket about to launch. Such an odd and eerie place to see in person. We happened to be there when this meeting ended and stayed still watching people leaving all walking in unison, their uniforms similar to flight attendants. They had blank expressions and didn’t have any conversation among each other as those who would normally chat after being in such a place. Florida is an interesting location all around. That night in particular always stuck with me and confirmed how cult like behavior those associated with Scientology are.
Hi, I probably was one of those they saw, lol. I was in there for almost 20 years. Staff don't want to interact with the public, just because they are so pressured into getting their jobs done, working sometimes 20 hours or more a day. They don't have any time, nor do they feel comfortable enough under the pressure they are in, to do so. They are brainwashed. well, to certain extent we are all brainwashed by all kinds of Ideologies, but this is a cult no doubt. Wasted the best years of my life, but I am so happy that I had the guts to leave. Its been about 20 years since I left and seeing the place again on video, still makes me feel uneasy.
when you see then on their busses, (they own apartment buildings on Keene road that they live in, i see then everyday) You see them all facing each other inward toward middle of bus, they don't speak to each other.
I was a drifter in Florida for a few years little over 20 years ago. Living and working where ever I felt like going. The construction business was booming in Florida at that time. Lots of cash, cold beer, beaches and girls in bikinis.. Perfect for a guy in his mid twenties. I stopped in Clearwater and lived there for a time. I used to talk to the homeless people around the downtown main bus stop and they would tell me that the homeless disappear and the cops do nothing. A few would tell me that scientologists were taking people underground. They even had these building that were built into the side of a hill. Like a bunker. And the way it was constructed was weird. It's a weird place with a dark demonic vibe. I remember seeing these cult member children in groups all wearing the same tropical shirts to mark their age and class. Each age group had different shirts to mark what group they where in. All of them looking like hive drones. Brainwashed, with empty lifeless eyes. I felt like I was being followed and watched when I was downtown. Especially at night. Something sinister in the air. Even the cops where corrupt. I felt it best to get out of there. Something felt off and there was more work over in the Jacksonville and St. Augustine area so I got out of there as soon as the opportunity arose.. Glad I did. My life sent me on another path that I never would have thought would have happened to me.
I was born and raised in Clearwater and everyone knew to never walk in downtown Clearwater unless you wanted to be recruited by scientologists. When I was living on my own (nowhere near downtown Clearwater), I had scientologists come to my house and claim that they were my relatives and I needed to come with them to the headquarters. They knew me by name. It was a terrifying experience and I wonder what would've happened to me if I went with them.
What the frick did they want? I know there’ve been kidnappings but I thought they only kidnapped members/ex members. They probably wanted to corner you and pressure you into getting scanned by those machines but would have let you leave if you threw up a fuss hopefully
I grew up in Clearwater and the aquarium you mentioned is top notch and helped give a backbone to a lot of businesses there to stand up to them…a few years ago what we called it when I ran a music store there was “the looney bin”…everyone just needed a stepping stone and the aquarium gave them that. I used to call driving down Ft Harrison “the March of the Penguins” because it was all people in the same uniform walking to random locations in downtown…I would be headed to a gig I was playing on the beach sitting in traffic at that time blasting Sublime’s music from my SUV and get the looks from every one going “I miss that!” Lol that little aquarium on the beach helped out vets with their amputee research (look it up pretty cool…whole movie about it…) but kept the city from folding to the organization that has moved in.
I went to high school across the state in Melbourne & then went to college at USFSP and worked at that Clearwater aquarium taking photos of guests at the same time. I loved working at the main aquarium on the beach bc it would get more business & schools would have field trips there. Everyone hated working at the smaller downtown location. Being from another part of FL, I had no idea why, the dt was like a ghost town. Sometimes we had 1-2 customers a day IF that. It absolutely blew my mind at the time how a downtown area could be a COMPLETE dead zone. I’d always heard that Clearwater was the Scientology city but had NO CLUE they had overrun the dt area to this extent until this video. Now it all makes sense. The empty shops, creepy feeling in the downtown area…the feeling of being watched…This is wild. At certain times it did feel like the Truman show, not gonna lie. I’m glad the aquarium helps breathe much needed life back into the area. I would also be blasting my Sublime & Slightly Stoopid through the windows! Let’s take back Clearwater!
I live right next door and every time I drive through it’s just eerie. People walking around with seemingly no destination, plots of land in prime locations that remain empty lots. It’s a shame because it could really be a beautiful city
Me too, so sad to drive thru it. Gorgeous downtown, absolutely picturesque-and like 3 entire people walking around outside in the sunshine. Feels eerie.
I used to drive from washington state to el paso growing up, did it about 7 times. We followed a sign for a gas station in rural montana because my mom really had to use the bathroom. We came across this tiny little town with about 20 houses that all looked like lincoln logs but not a single car in any of the driveways. The gas station was gone and the only thing left was really old and worn out pumps so we drove through the small town to leave and as we went past every house we only saw fingers peaking through the blinds, it freaked us out and we drove back until we found the highway again. Ever since ive never been able to find it on Google maps and i think about it from time to time
Makes me wonder what's really going on in small super isolated towns like that. Being so isolated from society and probably no internet, what they consider as normal could be really really strange. They could be perfectly normal, but I'd be too scared to walk around a place like that. Sounds like the stage of a psychological thriller/horror movie
Y'all are so funny. I was raised and currently live in a creepy town and I don't feel at home unless I'm around us fellow creeps. We love to scare outsiders by talking about ominous yet vague things in earshot and peeking through blinds. Its just a way of life guys.
Small town Montanan's are actually incredible and kind folk even if very odd at times. You probably could have knocked and asked to use their bathroom and they would have made you dinner.
Poor John Travolta. He was THE Hollywood scientologist and then he was sidelined by Tom Cruise. He even made a movie that was basically the cult´s mythology and failed miserably with that too.
Holy shit, this explains why we get so many flyers advertising Clearwater here in my hometown in the UK as we have a Scientology recruitment centre in our town, right by a church no less XD
Hey man, I'm 74 and I have nothing to do all day except sit here in my batchelor apt. with my little grey and white shih-tsu female dog and watch youtube channels. Probably a thou a week. I gotta' say, yours gets 2, TWO thumbs up from me. you are talented and often funny. I feels good to laugh. You have a great channel, loaded with the best YT has to offer. Keep 'em comin'!
TL:DR - Seen my first Scientology church in Cali, they tried to aggressively persuade us to buy a $50 book on Dianetics by reeling us in with the promise of a free movie, then they basically lost to a game of My Dad’s humor. My first ever experience with Scientology was in Los Angelo’s when I ran into a group of people outside in similar dress shirts and ties that were handing out flyers for a “free movie”. I should’ve picked up on what was going on when my dad instinctively saw the sign then ran off, literally leaving me in the dust before he realized and came back for his child and my other cousins (but in my defense I couldn’t have been more than 13-14 y/o and sheltered to the point that saying “devil’s dandruff” would’ve made my mom faint) So me being a curious sheltered child I was who had no idea what Scientology was, I took the offer of seeing a free movie, thinking it was some special premiere or something movie related that ppl did in Cali Idk. Long story short, it was just a 20 minute film about dianetics then as soon as it was over they sat us down told us word for word “This is the book on Dianetics it’s $50 cash or credit.” We tried at first to decline but the weren’t taking no for an answer and insisted we needed it until they tried to use my dad as an example by asking what did he want to improve about himself with him answering “being more happy” then they asked what is he like when he’s not happy and he said “less happy” and they went back and forth like that until they finally gave up and gave us a free dvd that my cousin proceeded to throw away as soon as we were out of view, crazy times😂
As someone who was born in Clearwater and lives here. I hate what they’ve done to my home. I don’t know how they managed to buy my beautiful city but they have. I wish people knew that this place is still a beautiful place to live and by no means do they represent us. Here people will help you if you’re on the side of the road, you can go to the beach and people will watch over your stuff so no one else steals it. The people here are good but yes unfortunately the scientologists run downtown, the police jump at their every command. At the beach we used to have street performers work and make the beach enjoyable and I remember the day that the scientologists started advocating for “control” of the streets so what ended up happening is that it became almost illegal for those performers to be at the beach. They have a lot of “out reach help programs” but they target drug addicts, single moms, the homeless and they “help” them by giving them housing and jobs within the organization and basically enslave them because they’ll never be able to pay back the “help”. My dads old job a few years ago was contracted to build a floor to one of their “exercise rooms” where it was painted completely black and they were supposed to turn off the lights and walk on a ramp going upwards in a spiral and it was supposed to “train” them to not be afraid of the dark while walking. Almost like if you’re trusting their instructions then you won’t fall, being subservient and in the middle of that spiral was going to be a ufo spaceship. Honestly I still don’t understand why people gave up on fighting them.
I grew up in Palm Harbor but live in SC now. An old friend of mine, who did the Lisa McPerson case against them successfully, told me stories about them following him to dinner, smashing out his tail lights, then calling the police when he left to pull him alleging DUI. What they have done to Clearwater is horrid but their organized tactics of making everyone fear for their future is, unsurprisingly, effective. I went to law school and wanted to take them on but got stuck fighting other crazies in SC. I can’t tell you the anger this post reignited in me.
@@suzannecoe4347 Just put a strong Witch in the middle of that town and let that Witch put a curse on it which will only be removed when the last Scientologist is gone. Give it about 6 months to a year,and that town will be cleared out. This is a cult run by fear,so give them some of their own medicine. ...If this sounds crazy,just remember that sometimes you have to fight crazy with a different kind of crazy.I should know,I am a Witch and have to help ppl w all kinds of bs...And since this is not a real religion,they will have no "God" to turn to for help.
They’re positioned themselves politically in the area in a way that makes them too powerful to fight all though there is growing opposition against the church in general. They’ve ruined downtown just as the hotels, Condominiums and developers cannibalized the authentic beach area. Condos filled with boomers whom have the lights out at 8pm and barely level their habitat. Setting where cool little shops, bars and restaurants once sat.
I live near Clearwater and I remember being 14 years old and taking photos by their building for a project for my architecture class with my friends and us getting chased away by the Scientologists. They actually started following us on bikes and we were able to get away from them. The fact that a lot of downtown Clearwater is controlled by them is scary
Went there once on a work trip. The crazy thing is how beautiful the city is, but we took a cab ride there and he warned us about how much it was controlled by them. Told us a story about a mom and pop business that had been open for like 20 years. Scientologists tried to get them to do something and they declined. Said they were shut down in about 3 weeks!
Man this explains SO much!! I am not from Florida, but went on vacation to Tampa last year with my girlfriend. We drive to Clearwater for some sunset cruise and decided to get dinner in town afterwards. It was dark when we got into town and we tried to find a place to park. It was weird because there was NO cars anywhere, but for some reason we still couldn’t find a place to park legally. Finally we found a place to park on the street, but we had to download an app for some digital parking meter. I remember getting out of the car to scan the QR code on the sign and just feeling this fear come over me. Something about those empty streets is SO EERIE it’s unexplainable unless you experience it yourself. Anyways, we ate dinner and it was delicious and a very nice staff at the restaurant.. but we couldn’t get out of that town fast enough
Thats any major beach in Florida, you could have parked on the beach or parked at the restaurant you’re eating at they have their own parking. Seems like y’all were just lost in the cult 😂😂
Do Dudleytown in Connecticut. It was abandoned but they have a weird corporation that keeps people from even asking questions about it and it’s technically private property and there’s a lot of myths about the place. I’ve been to the outskirts and it felt heavy af man. The corporation is Dark Entry Forest, Incorporated. And it was the radio station 99.1 I think that tried talking about it and emailing them and they sketchily told him to drop it. Why not just say there’s nothing going on here. It’s always just been myths. But we wanna keep teens from wrecking it. But no. They act alll freaking weird about it
All it is, is a bunch of neighbors that banded together to keep people from trespassing. Dudleytown was a town that existed early in the settlement of this country and was eventually abandoned. There is a lot of cool real history and legend. But the legend and stories of ghosts draw a lot of people and somewhat understandably neighbors don’t want that. All that is left of the town is a few stone foundations.
yep just looked into it, and while odd that the company hasn't developed land like they said they were going to 100 years ago, nothing odd sticks out after reading the cornwall's historical society's article on it.
The craziest thing about them picking where they did to build their base, is that they chose the dead center of the city. City Hall is one block west of their building. The Pinellas Trail, a popular biking and walking trail, is one block east. A bus terminal for several wide reaching lines is literally across the street. The main artery road to and from Clearwater beach (which is routinely deemed by many to be one of the best and most popular beaches in the world) is just south of their parking lot. They are the heart of the city.
Yeah but they are so silent and like non abrasive it’s literally like wind passing by. They mind their own business and won’t even talk to you so it rly could be worse
Don't forget the hospital down there as well.. I was born there..lol.. I'm surprised they haven't tried to get rid of the bus terminal.. even the ppl at the terminal know the scientology is crazy bad news
Born and raised in Clearwater. That's accurate about locals avoiding downtown, my parents has avoided and told my siblings and I to not go there because of the scientologists. And it's downtown they've primarily taken over, the main city is still mostly untouched, for now. There's an apartment complex near the middle school I went to, purely filled with scientologists. I would see buses with Flag on them and I didn't realize they were scientologists until later. Then, a while ago, they built this huge, creepy, windowless warehouse type building. I might have seen maybe one door, if that. It's really sad. The city almost had a win, though, over 10 years ago. They took their sweet time with renovating the hotel and the city was about to slap a huge fine on them, but they started renovating at the last moment. I was really upset with that. I would have loved to stay at the hotel in its hayday. Overall, it sucks with what's happened and honestly I don't think there's much the citizens can really do now. They're too deep in the pockets of the higher ups.
Oh, and I meant to mention before. When Valerian came out in 2017, I was working in a movie theater and a huge group of scientologists came to see it opening weekend. We had to keep an eye on them because they did bring cameras, but I think they were just filming themselves. It was weird, and all I thought was that this was their version of Passion of the Christ. I've seen some celebrities, there, too. I've seen John Travolta in passing and served his wife a couple of times at the theater and when I worked at a party store I would see Kristie Alley once a year there. It's just a weird city in general.
yeah I live in Clearwater, and there are whole blocks that have NO ONE OUTSIDE. just blank walls on buildings with no signs, but yeah if you live here you might see tom cruise or john travolta.
I worked at a flooring company back in the late 80s-early 90s and we did business with the church. They were weird! We were in Tampa and would get calls for stuff like they wanted a bucket of glue or a few boxes of vinyl floor tiles. We would tell them how much and a van would show up in like 10 minutes with a check. They wouldn't be billed for anything so they always paid up front. Might not sound weird to you but Tampa is not 10 minutes away from the HQ at the Ft Harrison. I went to measure a place for recarpeting in downtown Clearwater and it was a windowless place with a plaque by the door that said Flagship one as the only marking. It was a radio room full of people on two way radios tracking and directing every vehicle they owned 24/7. This was pre cell phone days. That's just some of the weird stuff I saw personally.
I’ve been to Clearwater a bunch of times and it is creepy as fuuuuuck. Came down for Blue Jays spring training and wandered around Clearwater a bunch. It’s insane. The only business that seemed to be doing ok was the Starbucks. School buses would pull up to what looked like abandoned store fronts and people would get out and go in. All in matching colour coordinated uniforms. Wild.
The sad thing is, They've expanded farther from Downtown. Delhi Academy is located about two miles east of downtown and is an example of indoctrinating children into Scientology. I used to live a few blocks away from the FLAG bus station.
Eh you need to go to other parts of Clearwater, shi always busy , and you probably were in Dunedin FL, it gets busy there now , especially now these days, it’s busy down here now, bunch of snowbirds moving here
You want a weird town to go to? Try “Odd, West Virginia.” It’s a town straight out of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I’ve driven through there 3 times, once in daylight, and twice at night. During the day, I had rocks thrown at my car, and people were standing in their yards like zombies while staring at me. The times I drove through at night around 2am, I saw an occupied house with a lamp knocked over against a window (like there had been a struggle), a random person walking in pitch black darkness while jerking and dancing, and a guy in the back of his truck just jumping up and down like it was a trampoline. I went up one back road that eventually dead ends, and on my way back porch lights were flipping on as we passed and people were stepping out onto their porches. It’s a horrifically creepy place, and the locals DO NOT LIKE people from outside coming in there.
Fun fact about Tom cruise his wife at the time Mimi rogers introduced him to Scientology in 1986 then became a outspoken advocate for Scientology in the 2000s. Mimi rogers left Scientology after being forced out by the church for questioning the whereabouts of the churches leaders wife.
PLS COME TO CLEARWATER downtown is legit the creepiest place ever, once drove through there around like 8PM and saw just like hundreds of them flocking out of the buildings all in the same outfits to the same damn buses, this shit is creepy as hell fr... never have felt a sense of dread like i do when i drive through that place
I would watch them walk in circles. For years I thought they were just business people but never saw them go anywhere. I learned later who they were. They would walk Around like pre patch npcs in cyberpunk
@@sanderssimmons9908 i wish, but no i haven’t!! i used to have a bus stop right near an apartment complex they all lived in though and it was super creepy. also had some scientologist lady try to convince my sister to go get her tattoos removed somewhere there, but to not give out any of her like real info or something just super creepy stuff like that
I live in St. Pete and have had to make routine trips out to Clearwater so my mom can see her doctor in order to get shots or just check ups on her growing arthritic pains. Since it was early and we already made plans that day to also get coffee we figured to just make it a trip and find some local coffee place. Driving a little further we found a spot and it became more and more obvious that clearwater had become a ghost town. Every street corner had one or two people with black pants and white shirts and a lot of the buildings were wide with dusty glass and chipped paint making up their faceless fronts. Feeling more claustrophobic we decided to get our coffee and get off the street. I felt as if we had both walked straight into a horror movie as soon as we crossed the threshold of the doorway. As soon as we entered more than 80% of the people inside quickly glanced up at us for an uncomfortable second and then back to their jobs like they were wooden little soldiers. The people were very nice and chatty and never stopped smiling the moment we came in. As we ordered coffee it became abundantly clear this was that start of it all. Seeing the wide open wooden floor with several couches in each corner and excessive pillows and the combination of shades that obscured far to much of the light coming in the building. My head began to race. I noticed among other things signs about community meetings, not church meetings but community, and other non specific lingo for (this is were we get you). After the coffee was done being made they asked if it was for here or not. We took the coffee as soon as we could and left that creepy ghost town. Despite a good amount of traveling in state, in north america or to even other countries like mexico, canada, and Japan I have never felt more watched disturbed than in a small town in my own backyard of this county.
i grew up in the next town over. my friend and i in our late teens/early 20s would frequently hang around clearwater beach at night but would avoid downtown at all costs. i vividly remember driving under the sky bridges to get to the beach. it’s exactly how you described, you see them everywhere. crazy just how normal it was to see them out & their fake business fronts. i was always terrified of them.
I live near clearwater, and I pretty regularly make the commute through it. That place is always super weird. Cult members are always wearing dress shirts, vests, and ties even in super hot weather. I once went to a public event nearby and unknowingly went into the "community center," where they tried to recruit me. Super weird experience
I grew up 15 minutes from Clearwater and spent my summers at Clearwater Beach with my friends every day and I can confirm that everything in this video is 💯 and not 🧢 in any way. The city has been fighting for years in court so that people can come back and open businesses and it's useless. Really sad because when I was young, Clearwater was a really cool fun place to hang out.
As a resident of Florida not too far from Clearwater, the only reason we visit is because of the beach. But passing through the town gives strange vibes. Also, seeing billboards encouraging people to visit Clearwater now has a very different interpretation.
I've always vacationed and done extended stays in florida due to having so many family members that live there. One lived in clearwater because of how affordable it was, and it definitely is a very strange place. It's like half normal people and half scientologists. Many of the lifelong floridians describe this period as almost like invasion of the body snatchers. Like you're saying in this video the scientologists used their financial resources to buy out so many people and it just felt like overnight these strange cultists were everywhere. The worst part was they are very preachy and try and convert everyone (until you say the wrong thing and get straight up listed as an undesirable in their literal cultist caste system). Very strange times indeed.
@@lupusk9productions They will NEVER leave you alone, it only gets worse if they identify you as a problem person. They literally creat dossiers on people like an intelligence agency and use PIs to get blackmail on you if it comes to that. You typically get labeled as such by speaking badly of the church, “harassing” (in their eyes) members, trying to talk people out of the church, or are actively working against the churches interests in any way.
I live here. I grew up in Dunedin and we would always skateboard downtown Clearwater. The Scientologist own downtown. I remember them basically putting small shops out of business so they could take over. But I will say there’s still a lot of Clearwater untouched by them. Lately it seems like the city might be annoyed with there presence but they have such a stronghold in downtown idk if they could do anything. One time one of the hotels they own where a lot of them reside was being raided by only what I could assume was a higher up. They had them in the parking lot lined up like prisoners. Some of them still wearing boxers like they were woke up in the middle of sleeping taking outside while there rooms were raided. It was wild.
Yeah their creepy apartments on Keene are always filled with their busses..Transporting them all over Clearwater. As a fellow Dunedin resident they just piss me off, they've totally ruined Clearwater.
I was going to say I'm in central FL and go to Clearwater beaches often. I've only heard of them being there, never saw the people or saw any creepy parts of town. Maybe by-chance I just stick to the outer areas. However, I do remember noticing last time, it goes from super nice looking to slummy looking within a few streets in some places there.
@@donbusu Ok I brought up maps, I'm clearly oblivious, because I've been through that area many times. I usually just hit up Sand Key when I go though.
I’m actually in Florida rn in Hudson visiting my grandma. Was suppose to leave today… but hurricane Debby came so maybe tomorrow I shall go visit Clearwater again with a new view point
If you're looking for "creepy town" material, look up Centralia PA. A mine fire started in the 60's and swallowed up half the town; In the 90's the government basically bought the whole thing and condemned it. Really bizarre stuff. I think the movie "Nothing but Trouble" drew some of it's inspiration from Centralia.
I visited there maybe 10ish years ago, there were still some residents, but not many. Could see the vapors of the smouldering fire and a very atmospheric scent in the air. Graveyard had some lovely stones too, 10/10 would visit again.
@@basementofmars1963 should be specified: the movie version, not the game. Masahiro Ito has been very vocal how annoying he finds it that everyone presents that as the inspiration for the game
Gary Indiana is a literal ghost town with all the abandoned buildings. i live 25 minutes from there. Ive explored and encountered absolutely haunting buildings ranging from highschools all the way to churches and theaters. Once beautiful town with such a huge workforce for steel is now in shambles
I used to work in the SunTrust building on the 5th floor across from the Ft Harrison Hotel. I was talking to a friend of mine at the watercooler by the window facing it one morning. We saw a person walk out onto the balcony of the hotel and just jump off. It's one of the most jarring things I've seen to this day.
@@lex5198 holy hell my bday is also the 13th! Honestly 80 hours is respectable, i have an unhealthy amount since i got it a month after it dropped (then again when ds2scotfs dropped) i ball park like 2000 maybe more hours (im still bad lol)
@@cthulhurage4580 ya I haven’t played anywhere near that amount (found out abt dark souls after bloodborne came out) I went for the platinum but I haven’t replayed ds2 in a while (I remember it took me a solid few days to beat fume knight but it felt so good after)
My friend and I drove through Clearwater late at night, it was a complete ghost town, such an eery feeling, absolutely no activity going on and this is during the holidays mind you.
I remember driving through downtown Clearwater on a trip not knowing what was up and finding it strange that their wasn’t any businesses at all or barely any people walking around, then years later I learned about this and now I’m terrified of this place.
I live in Clearwater currently, i used to work at a surf shop right on the beach. When i tell you NO ONE is walking at night downtown but weirdos or bar hoppers i mean it. My dad used to tell me about scientology people when driving through from the beach to where we live. Crazy shit man
I grew up in Tampa and when I was growing up I fished at Clearwater pier every saturday with my grandparents. I moved out of state in 2017 and I am in tears right now. My inner child is devastated.
I’m a born and raised Floridian. Everyone knows where Clearwater is and how gorgeous the beaches are, but you never hear about ppl really vacationing there. Growing up in the 70-80’s we would vacation in Longboat Key which is near Clearwater. The beaches around it were always so packed and busy. Always knew there was a community there but never knew they turned it into a ghost town. Thanks!
LOL! Longboat Key is an HOUR AWAY, ya ass-hat. Clearwater Beach is ALWAYS packed during tourist season. Clearwater Beach is one of the most heavily visited beaches in the COUNTRY. EVEN NOW. DOWNTOWN is NOT Clearwater Beach. And the Cultists are never seen on the beach. You CLEARLY are not familiar with Clearwater. Drop back 5 and punt. Get bent.
Nobody vacations in Clearwater? Clearwater beach is absolutely packed most of the year with out of state tourists. Downtown is definitely eerily controlled by scientologist and while relatively small is mostly empty otherwise
I'm glad you made a video about this. I just in the last few months became more familiar with most of the stuff in this video, and it's crazy. I starting watching the channel 'Growing Up in Scientology', and man was it illuminating. Scientology is really the most prolific cult around, so I'm glad every time I see videos exposing them for what they really are. Also, love the Tom Cruise creepy laughing outro. 😂That sums it up right there.
Living in Clearwater is odd because you have to second guess whether your landlord or boss will just up n sell so ya gotta keep contingency plans for everything
they will also go on the streets of other downtown areas. my weirdest experience was being at downtown tampa during the late night walking back to my friend’s car and offered a business card. when i just kept walking, she grabbed my wrist, put the card in my hand, and told me to “think about it”. i was petrified and waited till i was a good ways away to throw it out
I live near downtown Clearwater and it's exactly like he describes. It's so clean downtown because of the scarcity of real businesses it's at first attractive... But then it really seems creepy when you realize scientology owns so much of the property that they just prefer it empty. The city has dumped millions into the waterfront renovations and it looks amazing but it's a ghost town. Also across from my neighborhood about a mile away they own multiple properties converted into housing and there's literally surveillance cameras in the trees in front aiming at the neighborhood. I will say this, every property they own literally sparkles it's so clean. I have to give them that but it's an eerie look.
I live in an South Fl apartment complex purchased by Cardone Capitol (owned by Grant Cardone, Scientologist) and there's 4 all over our county that all belong to him now. The rates go up and drive ppl out, but they don't fix anything anymore. Even pool cleaning service is gone, and our lease payment changed companies. It's all so shady and the amount of articles saying it's all MLM tactics is wild, they want to own florida
That's what I was thinking when they redid the waterfront the past year. ... Thinking to myself who is going to go "walking" down there?.. . .Maybe I'd got if there was a really good concert or something or there were not other 4th of july places to go to see fireworks. You know ... events where there's LotS of other normal People around.
a former co-worker of mine once told me she fell into their "trap" when she was younger. when they told her she had to break of contact with all her friends and family (because they wheren't part of the cult) and expected loads of money from her, she left (or tried to). they spent years on stalking and harrassing her (as well as her close ones). at one point it ended but it still left her paranoid to this day. that all happened here in Austria and they basically stand all around in vienna, trying to lure people in, and most of the time they use any other name instead of scientology. at one point they even told us at school about how to spot them and to never engage with them. it makes me sick
That explains some of the bizarre obsession with alien cults among various people I've seen on social media from Austria. It always gave me a scientology vibe, but I never saw the name "Scientology", so I didn't make the connection. I wonder if they're funding other "gurus" to lure people in with Scientology ideology in countries where Scientology can't be promoted out in the open.
I work on the 8th floor of the building across the street from Flag. And their “retreat “. My office has a window facing their building directly. I can confirm. Their activities are indeed “creepy and unusual.” Almost always in groups. And always in their vests. You can recognize all of the buildings and shop fronts instantly. There are a lot of good businesses and parks and restaurants around there, that aren’t a part of them. It’s not as lively as it should be. But it’s coming up more!
I lived there for years, 2013-2017 and never even interacted with a scientologist. I did pretty much only go to the beach and then went to Tampa for bars and stuff
@winningsince1992 I literally just replied this. Lived there from 2012-2013...never came across any of that....however where I lived was oddly quiet and I barely ever saw kids or anything like that.
The editing is top tier on this one. When hunter said they want people to already be brainwashed and it was just like rows of clones marching lmao I don't know why but that made me laugh 11:15
I LITERALLY lived this. The Sci-No's truly destroyed my childhood hometown. Clearwater, due to the Sci-No's and their partner investors, has now been reduced to an expensive, traffic-congested tourist trap, including loss of the once pristine beachfronts, as well as destruction of wildlife and natural habitats for our native animal species. What he didn't mention in this video, but I clearly remember when I was growing up: They bought out many neighborhood apartment complexes, local motels, etc. for their Sci-No cult-followers aka employees to live in. EVERY SINGLE window's curtains were ALWAYS closed. I walked past them multiple times a DAY, as I walked to school, played with my friends, etc. They would NEVER speak to anyone not wearing one of their uniforms when they would be walking to and from buildings (ALWAYS IN GROUPS)- which is the ONLY place you'd ever see them... back and forth, like swarms, to and from all the connected buildings in downtown Clearwater. I used to think they were so creepy. I do apologize to that one group that was walking the night me and my friends were driving back from the beach. What can I say? I was a teenager and what we did and said was our way of telling them to GTFO of our city. Sorry not sorry. The other fact that wasn't mentioned was their imprisoning, torturing (she wanted out) and subsequent murder of Lisa McPherson, whose body was found inside one of the rooms of the Ft. Harrison Hotel (with much other evidence) back in the 90s. I'm sure that case was never brought to justice... for her and her family. Money talk$. Their true M.O. actually IS world domination. This dude's video is 💯💯💯 FACTS. #FUTomCruise #FULRonHubBub
My house is technically a Clearwater address (like, my mailing address is under Clearwater), but my utilities are under another 😐 when I questioned this, I was told it was due to the scientologists buying up land back in the day 🙃
I was born in Clearwater 26 years ago and still live here, sadly I lost my sister to the sea org and rarely get to see/talk to her. Downtown used to be so different and actually had businesses but they’ve taken over everywhere
I have a cousin who lives in Clearwater and went to visit him three years ago. It was pretty nice during the day and the beaches are beautiful with true blue water but apparently you don't want to be in the downtown area after dark. He knows where the late Kirsty Alley lived and we drove by her house where she apparently had a pet chimpanze and a cage full of birds in her yard.
0:20 Appreciate this one Papi Carne. Working from home since moving here & haven’t traveled much outside of hitting spots for food. (Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grille has the goods if you like it southern & spicy - I had the chicken, grits & collards ftw 🙌🏾)
I never thought that my city would be ever a topic of conversation as I've always lived on the "good" side of Clearwater most of my life, but yep it's the scientology that just shakes the foundation a bit. That's why I've always treaded lightly. Like for instance, when Hurricane Irma hit back in 2017, my mother needed ice to preserve some of the perishables but because no local corner stores or gas stations had any, she had to reluctantly resort to getting ice from scientologists and OF COURSE they couldn't let her leave without giving her a informational folder and DVD all about their practices 😂 like you couldn't just give us the ice? You had to bait us into joining you too?
I live in New Port Richey about an hour or 2 away from Clearwater. This is crazy thank you for making this. I always know something was strange about out there.
Is NPR two hours from Clearwater? NPR is like 40 minutes away from me and Clearwater is only about 20. I think I'm going to go kayaking over at Ben T Davis beach this weekend now.
I once stayed a few nights in Clearwater many years ago. In fact the place I was staying in was being bought out by Scientology while I was staying there. It was like day 1 - totally fine, normal place and having a great time. Day 2 onwards - constantly being monitored by cultists weirdos
I live in Palm Harbor. It is literally right next to Clearwater. The major bus hub of the county is planted right there next to the Scientology building so since i had to ride you really could not avoid them.
I had to ride the bus from Palm Harbor/Dunedin to SPC for years. So yeah, you run into them all of the time. Never had an issue with them, though. As a resident, don't you feel this video is a bit overblown? It's just the downtown areas that they own that are odd; the rest of Clearwater is a just a nice beach city/retirement type city. I feel like this video makes a big issue out of what is (honestly) just one area of a city of over 100,000. And a lot of downtown isn't even theirs: bus terminal, public library, aquarium, etc is all city stuff. I love Pinellas, and portraying the ENTIRE CITY of Clearwater to be creepy is a bit much.
Yes, thank you! It’s literally just the downtown hub of the town. There’s a lot more to Clearwater than the downtown area by the beach. I live in Dunedin and I never run into any weirdness @@endlessnameless6494
@Parenti Clearwater/Dunedin/The Harbor is one of the top destinations to move to in the US. And all of Florida. This video is clickbait, for sure. Also, just going to be honest: as a former PSTA bus rider, I would take running into a Sea Org member over most the folks I was sitting next to at the terminal. These folks keep to themselves, rather than try to bum a cigarette off you and start a fight. I would often think to myself "if anything bad happens to me downtown, at least one of these Sea Orgs will call the police if I get attacked". Just being real.
@@endlessnameless6494 I worked at Starbucks in my early 20’s and would occasionally get asked to work a shift in the downtown Clw location. The only odd thing was that they were all dressed the same, but they were never rude or scary. I agree that this video is basically clickbait. I used to be much more scared to walk around downtown Ft. Lauderdale or Miami at night than I ever would in downtown Clearwater.
I’ve lived in Clearwater my whole life and only ever known 4 Scientologists. They stick to the small downtown area and the rest of Clearwater, and Clearwater beach, are totally normal. It’s still rly fucking annoying because we have a beautiful downtown that’s unusable. That said, it’s not the booming Scientologist metropolis it was in the early 2000s. I’m hoping by the city rebuilding Coachman Park and attracting locals back to the area, it will create more demand from people to get out downtown back.
Yeah! The new park is really nice. We've gone a few times for concerts and it brought tons of people to downtown who otherwise would probably avoid it.
They definitely branch out, the person I work for used to live in a rather upscale area in Dunedin. A family moved in across from his, kids around the same age as his two. They tried recruiting this guy I know. His wife looked into the woman and discovered she'd been in legal trouble before, something to do with attempted kidnapping and something like assault by injection. Can't remember exactly how it was worded, either way bizarre stuff.
You should go to Centralia, pennsylvania, it's the town that the Silent Hill film was based on, smoke comes up from under the ground because of fires burning in the mines
Papa Meat definitely should, maybe Wendigoon could tag along But just a clarification, Silent Hill wasn't inspired by Centralia; the devs and the game directors have said this a couple of time
People live there still? Thought it was evacuated decades ago? Like it's a wasteland, right? The government knows that, while they aren't the best, the know not to have people in a deadly wasteland
@@cjodyssey not much to see there, its all been demolished by the government except for a few houses that a few people still live in. But as soon as they pass away or move out, the government will demolish those houses too, until nothing remains of centralia...
Lived near Clearwater all my life and worked there several times. Never had any trouble from Scientologists, I little ominous seeing them all walking in the building during the night shift though
I've been to Clearwater in the past, never knew any of this!! Now I gotta go back lol. Also, if you're turning this into a series ya gotta do Skidmore Missouri. Ken Rex Mcelroy, Branson Perry, Bobbie Jo Stinnett, ect.
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Scientology emoji ⚛️
erm balls?
I like this channel so much I watch the sponsors all the way through.
That's love right there not gonna lie.
oh yeah a creepy town is like the town where its severly inbred so thats fun
Not saying that I believe this, but there are a lot of people that think Danny masterson didn’t commit those crimes. I stay away from drama to the best of my ability, so obviously idk details. Ashton kinda ruined his image even by sticking up for Danny. I’m disappointed in general and hope more valid evidence comes to light. If anybody knows hard facts, please drop a dime 🙏
👇
I grew up in clearwater and slowly watched as scientology took over like a plague of white shirts and black pants.
Yeah I'm still here and its....not better....
Same here. Also lived in Dunedin & Spring Hill, which are both basically Clearwater. Never really noticed anything odd… except all the druggies, old people, and the erratic environment/wildlife
@@TheCatalystOSsounds like you are a part of the cult weirdo
Fun Fact: The Cult Awareness network that was founded after the Jonestown massacre was eventually infiltrated and acquired by the Church of Scientology.
Is there surfing at Clearwater Beach? Mr Meat mentioned surfing am I am pretty sure that is only viable during hurricanes.
As someone who lives in Clearwater, this was not on my bingo card when starting the video. Paused right at the Clearwater, and was like ohhhhh ya that makes sense, fucking scientology. Downtown is completely avoided. Luckily, they pretty much stick to their area and locals avoid it. One thing you missed is they also run for city boards and have won seats.
I live in Clearwater as well, a lot of these weird tactics the scientologists used went out the window after covid. They are stealth installing people into the city council though, by running smear campaigns that largely work on people that watchdog them. The latest mayoral race being one, as the last mayor resigned due to overspending by the city council. Now they want to install this new mayor (Kathleen Beckman) that will put the city in serious debt with an unnecessary new city hall. Which the church would love as that would restore the leverage they had to scoop up more land prior to covid.
Let’s also not forget they’re a big reason why the housing prices in that area are outrageous as they’re buying them all up. Even in Pinellas.
Same, I was confused for a second bc I completely forgot that the Scientology HQ was there.
They tried to infiltrate nearby Dunedin but the locals put up a.fight then covid hit.
They really love slowly making their way up into the government
My cousin Alyssa grew up down there, sadly her Mom was into Scientology and they moved to Clearwater when my cousin was like 8 and she ran away and got up here to her Michigan family when she was 16. Sadly, she went on to become a drug addict and then recently, at 34 years old, she moved out to California and became homeless and a few months ago was hit and killed while crossing a Highway near Hollywood. I didn’t even know she moved out there, we were really close after she got to Michigan and basically escaped Scientology and her Mom. That place really messed her head up they REALLY feed these people some bs and they become so brainwashed it’s really sad to see. She was extremely outgoing, and always happy on the outside, but deep down, she told me she knew that place did a number on her psyche. RIP Alyssa! 1989-2023! We love and miss you!
incredible story to share as a random comment. thank you for honesty! gpd rest her soul
I'm so sorry for your lose
The scientologists got her bruh
I gotta say it sounds like she jumped from the frying pan and into the fire.
hey man, why the hell would you tell us this if the last part was totally irrelevant
It makes me laugh to think that somewhere in Clearwater or LA is a file that has the words “Papa Meat” listed on it. Like, someone had to physically write “Papa meat.”
that and probably south park for their episode on scientology lol
Amazing
Somewhere, they also had to write his equally goofy to think about alias, Meat Canyon
It's heartbreaking to see a community destroyed by these lunatics. I've wished more people would shine more light on this for years so, genuinely, thank you so much.
Mormons are worse
Thankfully the local government has SOME allies trying to do something but between the power of the church and the protections for “religious organizations”, it’s a Hail Mary…
Even the athiests can see there aint nothing going on abojt science with scientology cults. And athiests often camt even tell that theres only 2 genders science clearly supports
a community within a community within a community
Living near Clearwater, there’s a very strange ominous feeling compared to like Tampa and St. Pete
Near but I hate going there, I dont like to even go to Tampa.
sure
I like Valrico Brandon area feels similar to plant city but the second I walk within eye sight of that mall right by Tampa the vib dips it's notable.
Downtown Clearwater is always dead too. Barely ever see anyone out compared to St Pete and Tampa
@@sw8ds97
Yeah, true. I've lived there for for years and a friend has never said something like "Hey, want to go to dt"
Hell, the local news barely talks about the place over Tampa or St Pete
i live near clearwater, i used to stroll scientology lane with friends late at night. stopped going because every time we went, weirder and weirder shit started happening. normally the scienos wont talk to you (in my exp) but they started directly interacting with me, my car would get followed, busses full of people going around at 3am, we would get followed by ppl on bikes, they pop out of fucking nowhere (all the doors must be oiled or some shit because theyre silent). super creepy
Facts, if they suspect you of anything, they will have agents on your ass in a heartbeat.
Well they do actually do psy-ops and Gang-stalking.
They did it on several dissenters.
Been in area for almost 40 years. In my teen years in the 90s, they were here but nothing like it is today. Knew a guy who placed wiper fluid nozzles by his headlights, meaning the water would squirt in front of the vehicle, used to blast these guys on crosswalks. They've been told for decades they're unwanted, but they've persisted.
They followed my gf in an unmarked van when she went and took pictures one day. Creepy fucking people
Same here! I used to go to clearwater to skate with my friends, but it got weirder and weirder like you said. We started having people film us, follow/chase us on foot/bike or even in a car a couple times, etc.
I don't go there anymore because it's so sketchy/creepy
Ex Scientologist here. So, I'd like to give an explanation to the whole idea of Scientology and why I left. I was born into it. My mom was an OG Scientologist from the 70s and my dad got into it in the late 80s. So, the way I saw it and what I was told was that L Ron Hubbard was this forrest gump kind of guy why basically saw all the horrible shit in society and wanted to make a difference. He was a top tier boy scout, a pilot, a captain in the navy and a philosopher and an artist. And a pulp fiction writter. Basically too good to be true. His mother was a teacher and his father was a captain in the navy, at least that's why I remember. Hubbard was very brilliant and basically read every book he could in philosophy, and religion and tried to put the pieces together to understand why humans act the way they do. He then later studied psychology and learned a lot about the human mind. When he was a kid he went to asia with his father and saw the horrible shit that was going on. He learned some really mind blowing stuff from a bhuddist monk and saw what the mind could do, like some matrix type stuff with the spoon and what not. So hubbard found out that something in our cells has a track record. Something he could decode and basically found out we have past lives. He went deeper and found out people have been around for trillions of years. And at one point we were the creators of our existence. To sum this up. He basically found the answer to life and death and what happens when we die afterwards. Now, this is what the xenu thing is supposed to be. Basically, at one point, we were god. A Hitler type person didn't like this and wanted to take control of our abilities and trap us here. We had these implants that keep us trapped and the only way to get out of this and become how we used to be is to get auditing. Regression therapy. Now, the big selling point, is that the more auditing you get, the better your life becomes, and basically have a nirvana moment, when you don't need to be in this physical universe and decide to play another game. We are addicted to sensations and that is why we are stuck here. The psychiatrist thing is like mr smith. It's a very matrix type of idea. But the drugs prevent us from acurratley do the auditing and they push psychiatry as a leading reason society is fucked up. Because the elites behind everything are supressives. Any body who does psychiatry is PTS, which means they can cause issues in your life. Any body connected to anybody who is against Scientology is PTS and needs to be handled (re educated or disconnected). So you can see how bad this can get. The big selling pull of Scientology is that it makes you take responsibility for your own life and not rely on a god to do it for you. L Ron Hubbard has a lot of good concepts on paper until you look deeper. One of my favorites is how you need to look up every word you don't understand. Their education books and all their books and tapes are fucking expensive. A book that teaches you how to learn costs up to 60 dollars, with really basic shit, like look up misunderstood words, demo with clay to get a bettter idea of what you learned. But it is basically mind control. If you don't look up a word you will have a bunch of physical ailments like: feeling tired, dizzy, yawning, etc. If you don't look up a word, you can become a criminal in the future. As you can see, there is truth and lies. Its so well constructed, i've seen Harvard grads become Scientologists, doctors, lawyers, you name it. Because a lot of it makes sense. Oh yeah and that book I told you about was made in the 90s, very out dated. I left because they were always pushing me to do staff, and if I didn't I was seen as something lower. I couldn't do what I loved, which was music and they also did shit that I saw as red flags. None of the shit they did was helping me, it just cost lots of money and time. The people were kind, but you an see a lot of manipulation. I could go on, but this is a really long post. But yeah, it ruined my family life, my parents are fucked up from it. The church doesn't care about its members, they care about real estate and making money and if you say anything against them, they will destroy you. It's like a mix of mafia and cult basically. It has been banned in many countries like Germany and france. It is not a religion, it is not a cult. It is a dangerous organization that needs to be investigated and shut down. It's not a joke. They are north korea in america basically.
Thank you for sharing that, it really puts into perspective how a rational person could get pulled into scientology.
It would be great if you shared your story in a video or series (if it's safe for you to do so). Seems like you can get the message across without coming off as bitter or dramatic.
Even if you don't decide to make anything else out of it, thank you for sharing.
Wow... Just.... Wow.... 😳
I can understand why someone might be pulled in out of curiosity and stay because they are looking for something bigger than them or some sort of answers.
This is why schools teaching critical thinking is so important. Not to get political but lots of Florida schools discourage critical thinking and just want you to obey.
Thanks for more insight into this major issue. Why anyone would listen to the teachings from a mad man from the middle of nowhere i.e. Nebraska is beyond me. There’s being out to help people with self discover and then there’s creating a small dictatorship that looks to take peoples money and brainwash lost souls into preaching toxic and putrid methodology.
Yup. Just how I imagined it to be like :) and, at the end- it's all about money and control of that constant, steady money flow. Even if they maybe started with good, dff intentions, over time it gets to hoarding money, connections, organized crime. Like with everything else.
@@phantom_pixelyeah, certainly no need to get political because some of the dumbest people on earth are in liberal controlled areas in the US.
I went to Clearwater High, and had a few friends whose families were Scientologists. One was shipped off not long after graduating to go work on a yacht for the org and when I saw her a few years later at a GameStop at Clearwater Mall, her friends closed ranks around her and pretended I wasn't even there- mid conversation. She looked at me with a worried expression and I regret not confronting the folks she was with. It broke my heart. It's not great optics to have members interface with non members in that manner, it just validates what's out there further.
Damn dude that's sad :/
that’s really disturbing
Went to Dunedin High and seen the same shit
Back in 2008 We had a QB on our football team who was incredible (D1 offers) but then he disappeared because his Family joined the church of Scientology and 5 years later I ran into him at the Clearwater mall and he was clearly brainwashed. 😢
i think she wanted out bro
The fact that they just had a scientology ad during the super bowl somehow makes this so much more real to me
@nathanielross285
They use to have commercials nightly on late night television. This was back in the 80’s and 90’s.
@@thecluelessoutdoorsman916but that is late night television, not the Super bowl
They’ve had one every superbowl for like 15 years. They’re legally required to spend their massive amounts of money on their parishioners or else lose their tax exempt status. Hence why they own SO much real estate
What ad was that?
@@BarbellThor ua-cam.com/video/lkK-I4utC_Y/v-deo.htmlsi=JMHK9RWQf8A48eL3
I coach football and one guy I work with mentioned the Scientology aspect of Clearwater Academy International since he coached a lot of kids who went down their to play on their football team. Once he saw it for himself, he refused to send anyone else down there.
What did he see?
@@RollingCalfto give context, he went down with his son since his son was being recruited by them. The campus itself is smaller than a daycare centre and most of the events were held in that hotel Papa showed in his video. Said the vibes were very off the entire time and the whole city felt like a ghost town but the ocean views were excellent
@@SomeGuyNamedMack I get it. Bunch of kids. Weird adults. Too many places to lose them.
@@SomeGuyNamedMackI actually deliver pizza to the academy every Friday, they’re nice people but you can tell things are a little off
@@austins.2495literally a plant
I used to live near Tampa when i was 17. There was one day where my boyfriend at the time were walking around Ybor City. This lady was standing on a corner (normal looking middle aged lady) and she was like "hey you guys wanna take a personality test?" So off we go, because we were dumb. We follow this lady a couple blocks through town and then i see the scientology building approaching. Red flags are going off in my head, but my bf is just having a great time. They bring us into the church, and put us in this room to take the personality test. We were left alone so I'm trying to figure out the best way out but there was someone right outside the door. After doing this test, they bring us into the lobby to watch some weird inspirational scientology video, and we cant leave here because there were 5 different people standing in front of the front entrance blocking the doors. After the video, we were brought back into these little cubicle things and they talked to us separately. The lady talking to me had the same paper plane tattoo behind her ear as every other woman I saw there, and said "i know what people say but this ISN'T a cult" and im like yeah okay. She was trying to sell me a whole bunch of the dianetics books and was trying to get my information. I thankfully was able to be like "i dont know, I'll think about it, im not comfortable giving my information currently". At this point i was worried my bf would give out everything because he wasnt the brightest. He walks out and we leave, and I'm like "please tell me you didnt give them your information, they are crazy". This man gave them my bitchy cousins phone number instead 🤣 she was getting calls for weeks and had no idea how they got her number
That's great. Love to hear it.
H. P. Lovecraft made stories more believable than Scientology lmao 💀
His cat also has a great name
The amazing h p lovecraft
its the only cat from history whose name I know. so I guess it is pretty good.@@redbaron5308
@@redbaron5308n word man
Clearwater is literally a real life Innsmouth
Had briefly dated a guy from Clearwater in 2014. One night we randomly went walking downtown, wondering why the streets were so empty. After passing a valet booth, they explained the Scientology building was hosting a big meeting. After seeing the building up close, it was so illuminated as if it was a rocket about to launch. Such an odd and eerie place to see in person. We happened to be there when this meeting ended and stayed still watching people leaving all walking in unison, their uniforms similar to flight attendants. They had blank expressions and didn’t have any conversation among each other as those who would normally chat after being in such a place. Florida is an interesting location all around. That night in particular always stuck with me and confirmed how cult like behavior those associated with Scientology are.
Braindead husks that used to be human and care. Truly sad and pathetic
Hi, I probably was one of those they saw, lol. I was in there for almost 20 years. Staff don't want to interact with the public, just because they are so pressured into getting their jobs done, working sometimes 20 hours or more a day. They don't have any time, nor do they feel comfortable enough under the pressure they are in, to do so. They are brainwashed. well, to certain extent we are all brainwashed by all kinds of Ideologies, but this is a cult no doubt. Wasted the best years of my life, but I am so happy that I had the guts to leave. Its been about 20 years since I left and seeing the place again on video, still makes me feel uneasy.
Omg yes!!! The walking in unison , dude I went when they were doing an event and yes it was LIT the fuck up inside and like so empty, crazy
You
when you see then on their busses, (they own apartment buildings on Keene road that they live in, i see then everyday) You see them all facing each other inward toward middle of bus, they don't speak to each other.
I live in clearwater and I seen at least 20 scientology buildings and I seen clearwater turn from a peaceful nice area to a scientology infection
Just be happy it’s not rat hole like Tampa, Orlando, and Miami. Count your blessings man 🙏 I’d love to move to Clearwater
I SEENT it too.
It was a good time when I was there
And all the empty shops.. nobody goes to downtown clearwater anymore they hit st pete or ybor
Yeah no the cult people are worse@@daddy3484
I was a drifter in Florida for a few years little over 20 years ago. Living and working where ever I felt like going. The construction business was booming in Florida at that time. Lots of cash, cold beer, beaches and girls in bikinis.. Perfect for a guy in his mid twenties. I stopped in Clearwater and lived there for a time. I used to talk to the homeless people around the downtown main bus stop and they would tell me that the homeless disappear and the cops do nothing. A few would tell me that scientologists were taking people underground. They even had these building that were built into the side of a hill. Like a bunker. And the way it was constructed was weird. It's a weird place with a dark demonic vibe. I remember seeing these cult member children in groups all wearing the same tropical shirts to mark their age and class. Each age group had different shirts to mark what group they where in. All of them looking like hive drones. Brainwashed, with empty lifeless eyes. I felt like I was being followed and watched when I was downtown. Especially at night. Something sinister in the air. Even the cops where corrupt. I felt it best to get out of there. Something felt off and there was more work over in the Jacksonville and St. Augustine area so I got out of there as soon as the opportunity arose.. Glad I did. My life sent me on another path that I never would have thought would have happened to me.
I was born and raised in Clearwater and everyone knew to never walk in downtown Clearwater unless you wanted to be recruited by scientologists. When I was living on my own (nowhere near downtown Clearwater), I had scientologists come to my house and claim that they were my relatives and I needed to come with them to the headquarters. They knew me by name. It was a terrifying experience and I wonder what would've happened to me if I went with them.
What the frick did they want? I know there’ve been kidnappings but I thought they only kidnapped members/ex members. They probably wanted to corner you and pressure you into getting scanned by those machines but would have let you leave if you threw up a fuss hopefully
I grew up in Clearwater and the aquarium you mentioned is top notch and helped give a backbone to a lot of businesses there to stand up to them…a few years ago what we called it when I ran a music store there was “the looney bin”…everyone just needed a stepping stone and the aquarium gave them that. I used to call driving down Ft Harrison “the March of the Penguins” because it was all people in the same uniform walking to random locations in downtown…I would be headed to a gig I was playing on the beach sitting in traffic at that time blasting Sublime’s music from my SUV and get the looks from every one going “I miss that!” Lol that little aquarium on the beach helped out vets with their amputee research (look it up pretty cool…whole movie about it…) but kept the city from folding to the organization that has moved in.
I went to high school across the state in Melbourne & then went to college at USFSP and worked at that Clearwater aquarium taking photos of guests at the same time. I loved working at the main aquarium on the beach bc it would get more business & schools would have field trips there. Everyone hated working at the smaller downtown location. Being from another part of FL, I had no idea why, the dt was like a ghost town. Sometimes we had 1-2 customers a day IF that. It absolutely blew my mind at the time how a downtown area could be a COMPLETE dead zone. I’d always heard that Clearwater was the Scientology city but had NO CLUE they had overrun the dt area to this extent until this video. Now it all makes sense. The empty shops, creepy feeling in the downtown area…the feeling of being watched…This is wild. At certain times it did feel like the Truman show, not gonna lie. I’m glad the aquarium helps breathe much needed life back into the area. I would also be blasting my Sublime & Slightly Stoopid through the windows! Let’s take back Clearwater!
sounds like an amusing hobby, pulling up to the HQ with a group of koud stereo cars & blasting Sublime for them.
Dude where at ? I grew up in spring Hill 😂😂
so much papa meat videos lately i love it
balls
*so many
My taco can only handle so much meat
Much meat, many balls
Same!
It’s actually pretty fun living in Clearwater and driving around downtown trolling them all the time. Free entertainment is just a few minutes away!
You're clearly part of them
I live right next door and every time I drive through it’s just eerie. People walking around with seemingly no destination, plots of land in prime locations that remain empty lots. It’s a shame because it could really be a beautiful city
Me too, so sad to drive thru it. Gorgeous downtown, absolutely picturesque-and like 3 entire people walking around outside in the sunshine. Feels eerie.
They've got a gated community off of CR-1where they bus their pupils. Yellow buildings, unless they've been painted over the past couple years.
I didn’t realize cults also used the *D.E.N.N.I.S.* system.
2:33 - _Separate Entirely_
I personally would start with a Demonstration of my Value....
@@ehrichsmiddy4663I myself start with Engaging Physically
Unironically cult recruitment is a lot like the DENNIS system
What about the implication
I thought you meant _._.N.I.S
I used to drive from washington state to el paso growing up, did it about 7 times. We followed a sign for a gas station in rural montana because my mom really had to use the bathroom. We came across this tiny little town with about 20 houses that all looked like lincoln logs but not a single car in any of the driveways. The gas station was gone and the only thing left was really old and worn out pumps so we drove through the small town to leave and as we went past every house we only saw fingers peaking through the blinds, it freaked us out and we drove back until we found the highway again. Ever since ive never been able to find it on Google maps and i think about it from time to time
Makes me wonder what's really going on in small super isolated towns like that. Being so isolated from society and probably no internet, what they consider as normal could be really really strange. They could be perfectly normal, but I'd be too scared to walk around a place like that. Sounds like the stage of a psychological thriller/horror movie
Y'all are so funny. I was raised and currently live in a creepy town and I don't feel at home unless I'm around us fellow creeps. We love to scare outsiders by talking about ominous yet vague things in earshot and peeking through blinds. Its just a way of life guys.
Why do people kept talking about abandoned cities with whole bunch of Karen people from this racist church.
@@jackelewish1568prolly not kid
Small town Montanan's are actually incredible and kind folk even if very odd at times. You probably could have knocked and asked to use their bathroom and they would have made you dinner.
Poor John Travolta. He was THE Hollywood scientologist and then he was sidelined by Tom Cruise. He even made a movie that was basically the cult´s mythology and failed miserably with that too.
Holy shit, this explains why we get so many flyers advertising Clearwater here in my hometown in the UK as we have a Scientology recruitment centre in our town, right by a church no less XD
Wait we have Scientology here in the UK?
@@georjiep4338they are in every major country I believe
@Megametalwolf there's also one in Edinburgh too
@@georjiep4338sadly
@@georjiep4338here in Manchester to
Hey man, I'm 74 and I have nothing to do all day except sit here in my batchelor apt. with my little grey and white shih-tsu female dog and watch youtube channels. Probably a thou a week. I gotta' say, yours gets 2, TWO thumbs up from me. you are talented and often funny. I feels good to laugh. You have a great channel, loaded with the best YT has to offer. Keep 'em comin'!
Rock on man
Hell yeah
Hell yeah 🤙🏽 I appreciate your life and your experiences that led you to this video, keep on rocking man
If I'm lucky I'll make it to 74 chillin'. Best wishes bud!
Many blessings and more. Your dog is rad awesome cool.
I think HSN is in Clearwater too.
TL:DR - Seen my first Scientology church in Cali, they tried to aggressively persuade us to buy a $50 book on Dianetics by reeling us in with the promise of a free movie, then they basically lost to a game of My Dad’s humor.
My first ever experience with Scientology was in Los Angelo’s when I ran into a group of people outside in similar dress shirts and ties that were handing out flyers for a “free movie”. I should’ve picked up on what was going on when my dad instinctively saw the sign then ran off, literally leaving me in the dust before he realized and came back for his child and my other cousins (but in my defense I couldn’t have been more than 13-14 y/o and sheltered to the point that saying “devil’s dandruff” would’ve made my mom faint)
So me being a curious sheltered child I was who had no idea what Scientology was, I took the offer of seeing a free movie, thinking it was some special premiere or something movie related that ppl did in Cali Idk. Long story short, it was just a 20 minute film about dianetics then as soon as it was over they sat us down told us word for word “This is the book on Dianetics it’s $50 cash or credit.” We tried at first to decline but the weren’t taking no for an answer and insisted we needed it until they tried to use my dad as an example by asking what did he want to improve about himself with him answering “being more happy” then they asked what is he like when he’s not happy and he said “less happy” and they went back and forth like that until they finally gave up and gave us a free dvd that my cousin proceeded to throw away as soon as we were out of view, crazy times😂
Imagine Ron snorfing a big ass heap of coke and going "XEEENUUUU" to a room full of people.
As someone who was born in Clearwater and lives here. I hate what they’ve done to my home. I don’t know how they managed to buy my beautiful city but they have. I wish people knew that this place is still a beautiful place to live and by no means do they represent us. Here people will help you if you’re on the side of the road, you can go to the beach and people will watch over your stuff so no one else steals it. The people here are good but yes unfortunately the scientologists run downtown, the police jump at their every command. At the beach we used to have street performers work and make the beach enjoyable and I remember the day that the scientologists started advocating for “control” of the streets so what ended up happening is that it became almost illegal for those performers to be at the beach. They have a lot of “out reach help programs” but they target drug addicts, single moms, the homeless and they “help” them by giving them housing and jobs within the organization and basically enslave them because they’ll never be able to pay back the “help”. My dads old job a few years ago was contracted to build a floor to one of their “exercise rooms” where it was painted completely black and they were supposed to turn off the lights and walk on a ramp going upwards in a spiral and it was supposed to “train” them to not be afraid of the dark while walking. Almost like if you’re trusting their instructions then you won’t fall, being subservient and in the middle of that spiral was going to be a ufo spaceship. Honestly I still don’t understand why people gave up on fighting them.
I grew up in Palm Harbor but live in SC now. An old friend of mine, who did the Lisa McPerson case against them successfully, told me stories about them following him to dinner, smashing out his tail lights, then calling the police when he left to pull him alleging DUI. What they have done to Clearwater is horrid but their organized tactics of making everyone fear for their future is, unsurprisingly, effective. I went to law school and wanted to take them on but got stuck fighting other crazies in SC. I can’t tell you the anger this post reignited in me.
@@suzannecoe4347 Just put a strong Witch in the middle of that town and let that Witch put a curse on it which will only be removed when the last Scientologist is gone. Give it about 6 months to a year,and that town will be cleared out. This is a cult run by fear,so give them some of their own medicine. ...If this sounds crazy,just remember that sometimes you have to fight crazy with a different kind of crazy.I should know,I am a Witch and have to help ppl w all kinds of bs...And since this is not a real religion,they will have no "God" to turn to for help.
They’re positioned themselves politically in the area in a way that makes them too powerful to fight all though there is growing opposition against the church in general. They’ve ruined downtown just as the hotels, Condominiums and developers cannibalized the authentic beach area. Condos filled with boomers whom have the lights out at 8pm and barely level their habitat. Setting where cool little shops, bars and restaurants once sat.
Money. There's ridiculous amounts of it propping them up.
I live near Clearwater and I remember being 14 years old and taking photos by their building for a project for my architecture class with my friends and us getting chased away by the Scientologists. They actually started following us on bikes and we were able to get away from them. The fact that a lot of downtown Clearwater is controlled by them is scary
Went there once on a work trip. The crazy thing is how beautiful the city is, but we took a cab ride there and he warned us about how much it was controlled by them. Told us a story about a mom and pop business that had been open for like 20 years. Scientologists tried to get them to do something and they declined. Said they were shut down in about 3 weeks!
Man this explains SO much!! I am not from Florida, but went on vacation to Tampa last year with my girlfriend. We drive to Clearwater for some sunset cruise and decided to get dinner in town afterwards. It was dark when we got into town and we tried to find a place to park. It was weird because there was NO cars anywhere, but for some reason we still couldn’t find a place to park legally. Finally we found a place to park on the street, but we had to download an app for some digital parking meter. I remember getting out of the car to scan the QR code on the sign and just feeling this fear come over me. Something about those empty streets is SO EERIE it’s unexplainable unless you experience it yourself. Anyways, we ate dinner and it was delicious and a very nice staff at the restaurant.. but we couldn’t get out of that town fast enough
Downloading the app lets them track you
Surprised they didn’t hook you up to an e-meter while you were waiting for your food
Did y’all have key lime pie for dessert?
Thats any major beach in Florida, you could have parked on the beach or parked at the restaurant you’re eating at they have their own parking. Seems like y’all were just lost in the cult 😂😂
There's a reason why the place is a ghost town after dark. Us locals avoid the place like the plague.
Great video. You might do a video on Gibsonton Florida, the last remaining Freak Show town. Also, witch town Cassadega, Florida.
Do Dudleytown in Connecticut. It was abandoned but they have a weird corporation that keeps people from even asking questions about it and it’s technically private property and there’s a lot of myths about the place. I’ve been to the outskirts and it felt heavy af man.
The corporation is Dark Entry Forest, Incorporated. And it was the radio station 99.1 I think that tried talking about it and emailing them and they sketchily told him to drop it. Why not just say there’s nothing going on here. It’s always just been myths. But we wanna keep teens from wrecking it. But no. They act alll freaking weird about it
and there are paranormal entities there that drive people crazy
@@-jank-willson lol I mean maybe. Or maybe it’s the melon heads
Well that sounds like a rabbit hole I need to dive right down into 🕳️🐇
All it is, is a bunch of neighbors that banded together to keep people from trespassing. Dudleytown was a town that existed early in the settlement of this country and was eventually abandoned. There is a lot of cool real history and legend. But the legend and stories of ghosts draw a lot of people and somewhat understandably neighbors don’t want that. All that is left of the town is a few stone foundations.
yep just looked into it, and while odd that the company hasn't developed land like they said they were going to 100 years ago, nothing odd sticks out after reading the cornwall's historical society's article on it.
The craziest thing about them picking where they did to build their base, is that they chose the dead center of the city. City Hall is one block west of their building. The Pinellas Trail, a popular biking and walking trail, is one block east. A bus terminal for several wide reaching lines is literally across the street. The main artery road to and from Clearwater beach (which is routinely deemed by many to be one of the best and most popular beaches in the world) is just south of their parking lot. They are the heart of the city.
Yeah but they are so silent and like non abrasive it’s literally like wind passing by. They mind their own business and won’t even talk to you so it rly could be worse
@@EricaWagner-s9c True.
Don't forget the hospital down there as well.. I was born there..lol.. I'm surprised they haven't tried to get rid of the bus terminal.. even the ppl at the terminal know the scientology is crazy bad news
@@EricaWagner-s9cand they stay in downtown. Stay out of the beach, out of countryside, and anywhere else.
Born and raised in Clearwater. That's accurate about locals avoiding downtown, my parents has avoided and told my siblings and I to not go there because of the scientologists. And it's downtown they've primarily taken over, the main city is still mostly untouched, for now. There's an apartment complex near the middle school I went to, purely filled with scientologists. I would see buses with Flag on them and I didn't realize they were scientologists until later. Then, a while ago, they built this huge, creepy, windowless warehouse type building. I might have seen maybe one door, if that. It's really sad. The city almost had a win, though, over 10 years ago. They took their sweet time with renovating the hotel and the city was about to slap a huge fine on them, but they started renovating at the last moment. I was really upset with that. I would have loved to stay at the hotel in its hayday. Overall, it sucks with what's happened and honestly I don't think there's much the citizens can really do now. They're too deep in the pockets of the higher ups.
That is probably their film studio that they built to make scientology videos.
Oh, and I meant to mention before. When Valerian came out in 2017, I was working in a movie theater and a huge group of scientologists came to see it opening weekend. We had to keep an eye on them because they did bring cameras, but I think they were just filming themselves. It was weird, and all I thought was that this was their version of Passion of the Christ. I've seen some celebrities, there, too. I've seen John Travolta in passing and served his wife a couple of times at the theater and when I worked at a party store I would see Kristie Alley once a year there. It's just a weird city in general.
@@King_Flippy_Nips Or they are hiding children there to train them and use mind control tactics on them to create little robot sex slaves.
That hotel is where The Rolling Stones wrote I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.
yeah I live in Clearwater, and there are whole blocks that have NO ONE OUTSIDE. just blank walls on buildings with no signs, but yeah if you live here you might see tom cruise or john travolta.
I worked at a flooring company back in the late 80s-early 90s and we did business with the church. They were weird! We were in Tampa and would get calls for stuff like they wanted a bucket of glue or a few boxes of vinyl floor tiles. We would tell them how much and a van would show up in like 10 minutes with a check. They wouldn't be billed for anything so they always paid up front. Might not sound weird to you but Tampa is not 10 minutes away from the HQ at the Ft Harrison. I went to measure a place for recarpeting in downtown Clearwater and it was a windowless place with a plaque by the door that said Flagship one as the only marking. It was a radio room full of people on two way radios tracking and directing every vehicle they owned 24/7. This was pre cell phone days. That's just some of the weird stuff I saw personally.
That is so odd
I’ve been to Clearwater a bunch of times and it is creepy as fuuuuuck. Came down for Blue Jays spring training and wandered around Clearwater a bunch. It’s insane. The only business that seemed to be doing ok was the Starbucks.
School buses would pull up to what looked like abandoned store fronts and people would get out and go in. All in matching colour coordinated uniforms. Wild.
The sad thing is, They've expanded farther from Downtown. Delhi Academy is located about two miles east of downtown and is an example of indoctrinating children into Scientology. I used to live a few blocks away from the FLAG bus station.
Eh you need to go to other parts of Clearwater, shi always busy , and you probably were in Dunedin FL, it gets busy there now , especially now these days, it’s busy down here now, bunch of snowbirds moving here
I think I know the Starbucks you’re referring to. It’s actually owned by the Scientologist
@@SantoVacioagree, Clearwater always busy AF. And now it's so expensive to even park. I avoid that side.
Your wrong! Downtown pizza is packed theater on the corner is awesome, and the restaurant, clear sky is packed.
There’s somethin murky goin on down in Clearwater …
nice
I live here. The water is not clear.
Good tagline
Sorry lad, I think there gonna kimmy you now@@eftbfl
Nice
You want a weird town to go to? Try “Odd, West Virginia.” It’s a town straight out of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I’ve driven through there 3 times, once in daylight, and twice at night. During the day, I had rocks thrown at my car, and people were standing in their yards like zombies while staring at me. The times I drove through at night around 2am, I saw an occupied house with a lamp knocked over against a window (like there had been a struggle), a random person walking in pitch black darkness while jerking and dancing, and a guy in the back of his truck just jumping up and down like it was a trampoline. I went up one back road that eventually dead ends, and on my way back porch lights were flipping on as we passed and people were stepping out onto their porches. It’s a horrifically creepy place, and the locals DO NOT LIKE people from outside coming in there.
Fun fact about Tom cruise his wife at the time Mimi rogers introduced him to Scientology in 1986 then became a outspoken advocate for Scientology in the 2000s. Mimi rogers left Scientology after being forced out by the church for questioning the whereabouts of the churches leaders wife.
those guys said: bitch know your place lol
It's a tax shelter for celebrities, that's why they endorse it. Also connects with the Zionist mafia and CIA, who run Hollywood.
I got blocked by them on Twitter asking where Shelly is. So I'm on a cultist hitlist somewhere probably
You are getting Mimi Rogers and Leah Remini confused. Leah Remini asked about the leader's wife. Mimi Rogers left quietly.
shit tho, now i wonder where the wife is and didn't know she was missing.
PLS COME TO CLEARWATER downtown is legit the creepiest place ever, once drove through there around like 8PM and saw just like hundreds of them flocking out of the buildings all in the same outfits to the same damn buses, this shit is creepy as hell fr... never have felt a sense of dread like i do when i drive through that place
Any other information? Have you seen what’s inside?
I drive through downtown CW all the time. Ya, seeing them is strange for sure but creepiest place ever? oh please. Go checkout Kensington, PA
Is it like invasion of the body snatchers?
I would watch them walk in circles. For years I thought they were just business people but never saw them go anywhere. I learned later who they were. They would walk Around like pre patch npcs in cyberpunk
@@sanderssimmons9908 i wish, but no i haven’t!! i used to have a bus stop right near an apartment complex they all lived in though and it was super creepy. also had some scientologist lady try to convince my sister to go get her tattoos removed somewhere there, but to not give out any of her like real info or something just super creepy stuff like that
I live in St. Pete and have had to make routine trips out to Clearwater so my mom can see her doctor in order to get shots or just check ups on her growing arthritic pains. Since it was early and we already made plans that day to also get coffee we figured to just make it a trip and find some local coffee place. Driving a little further we found a spot and it became more and more obvious that clearwater had become a ghost town. Every street corner had one or two people with black pants and white shirts and a lot of the buildings were wide with dusty glass and chipped paint making up their faceless fronts. Feeling more claustrophobic we decided to get our coffee and get off the street. I felt as if we had both walked straight into a horror movie as soon as we crossed the threshold of the doorway. As soon as we entered more than 80% of the people inside quickly glanced up at us for an uncomfortable second and then back to their jobs like they were wooden little soldiers. The people were very nice and chatty and never stopped smiling the moment we came in. As we ordered coffee it became abundantly clear this was that start of it all. Seeing the wide open wooden floor with several couches in each corner and excessive pillows and the combination of shades that obscured far to much of the light coming in the building. My head began to race. I noticed among other things signs about community meetings, not church meetings but community, and other non specific lingo for (this is were we get you). After the coffee was done being made they asked if it was for here or not. We took the coffee as soon as we could and left that creepy ghost town. Despite a good amount of traveling in state, in north america or to even other countries like mexico, canada, and Japan I have never felt more watched disturbed than in a small town in my own backyard of this county.
Me and my family go to Clearwater island every year but i never noticed it being like this every time we go it just feels like a normal vacation
Down town not on barrier Island is were dead zone is.😊
i grew up in the next town over. my friend and i in our late teens/early 20s would frequently hang around clearwater beach at night but would avoid downtown at all costs. i vividly remember driving under the sky bridges to get to the beach. it’s exactly how you described, you see them everywhere. crazy just how normal it was to see them out & their fake business fronts. i was always terrified of them.
I live near clearwater, and I pretty regularly make the commute through it. That place is always super weird. Cult members are always wearing dress shirts, vests, and ties even in super hot weather. I once went to a public event nearby and unknowingly went into the "community center," where they tried to recruit me. Super weird experience
Twilight + Captain Underpants = Scientology.
Never had somebody spell it out so clearly before.
Thanks for the information and history you gave here. I wasnt aware of a lot of this because i am from northeast.
I think HSN is in Clearwater FL.
Yes HSN is down here
Leprechaun marathon and an SCP video.. and now the Clearwater Story?? I’m loving all of these recent videos on the classics ❤
Beck yeah!
I grew up 15 minutes from Clearwater and spent my summers at Clearwater Beach with my friends every day and I can confirm that everything in this video is 💯 and not 🧢 in any way. The city has been fighting for years in court so that people can come back and open businesses and it's useless. Really sad because when I was young, Clearwater was a really cool fun place to hang out.
As a resident of Florida not too far from Clearwater, the only reason we visit is because of the beach. But passing through the town gives strange vibes. Also, seeing billboards encouraging people to visit Clearwater now has a very different interpretation.
Well, stop going there for the beach, its really that easy.
Clearwater beach isnt even good and completely overtaken my tourists. St pete has far better beaches
@@RenHeng_canon You're cute. You obviously don't live in Florida. Your cute option is as useful as an empty bag of chips.
@@RenHeng_canon you're right, such a simple solution you've implied. Might as well join the Church.
@@dracotoyst Pete is worse than Clearwater for Scientology 😂😂
Clearwater florida kinda rocks. Never noticed anything weird going on tbh
“There’s so much mystery behind the eyes of a stranger when you know they’re in a cult.”
BARS
I've always vacationed and done extended stays in florida due to having so many family members that live there. One lived in clearwater because of how affordable it was, and it definitely is a very strange place. It's like half normal people and half scientologists. Many of the lifelong floridians describe this period as almost like invasion of the body snatchers. Like you're saying in this video the scientologists used their financial resources to buy out so many people and it just felt like overnight these strange cultists were everywhere. The worst part was they are very preachy and try and convert everyone (until you say the wrong thing and get straight up listed as an undesirable in their literal cultist caste system). Very strange times indeed.
lol whats the secret phrase to steer them off of you?
@@lupusk9productions They will NEVER leave you alone, it only gets worse if they identify you as a problem person. They literally creat dossiers on people like an intelligence agency and use PIs to get blackmail on you if it comes to that. You typically get labeled as such by speaking badly of the church, “harassing” (in their eyes) members, trying to talk people out of the church, or are actively working against the churches interests in any way.
@@lupusk9productions"fuck off, cultist" usually works
"Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" 😳
I live here. I grew up in Dunedin and we would always skateboard downtown Clearwater. The Scientologist own downtown. I remember them basically putting small shops out of business so they could take over. But I will say there’s still a lot of Clearwater untouched by them. Lately it seems like the city might be annoyed with there presence but they have such a stronghold in downtown idk if they could do anything.
One time one of the hotels they own where a lot of them reside was being raided by only what I could assume was a higher up. They had them in the parking lot lined up like prisoners. Some of them still wearing boxers like they were woke up in the middle of sleeping taking outside while there rooms were raided. It was wild.
I live at the Clearwater/Dunedin line. I've only ever really seen them in the DT areas.
Yeah their creepy apartments on Keene are always filled with their busses..Transporting them all over Clearwater. As a fellow Dunedin resident they just piss me off, they've totally ruined Clearwater.
I'm in Pinellas Park. I hate going to downtown Clearwater anymore. Used to have a good night life (15-20 years ago), but not so much now.
I was going to say I'm in central FL and go to Clearwater beaches often. I've only heard of them being there, never saw the people or saw any creepy parts of town. Maybe by-chance I just stick to the outer areas. However, I do remember noticing last time, it goes from super nice looking to slummy looking within a few streets in some places there.
@@donbusu Ok I brought up maps, I'm clearly oblivious, because I've been through that area many times. I usually just hit up Sand Key when I go though.
I’m actually in Florida rn in Hudson visiting my grandma. Was suppose to leave today… but hurricane Debby came so maybe tomorrow I shall go visit Clearwater again with a new view point
If you're looking for "creepy town" material, look up Centralia PA. A mine fire started in the 60's and swallowed up half the town; In the 90's the government basically bought the whole thing and condemned it. Really bizarre stuff. I think the movie "Nothing but Trouble" drew some of it's inspiration from Centralia.
I visited there maybe 10ish years ago, there were still some residents, but not many. Could see the vapors of the smouldering fire and a very atmospheric scent in the air. Graveyard had some lovely stones too, 10/10 would visit again.
Silent Hill was also inspired by Centralia.
I live about an hour and a half from Centralia. Since my last visit they've covered up the famous graffiti road, unfortunately.
It’s not even that creepy dude. It’s just some old roads now.
@@basementofmars1963 should be specified: the movie version, not the game. Masahiro Ito has been very vocal how annoying he finds it that everyone presents that as the inspiration for the game
Gary Indiana is a literal ghost town with all the abandoned buildings. i live 25 minutes from there. Ive explored and encountered absolutely haunting buildings ranging from highschools all the way to churches and theaters. Once beautiful town with such a huge workforce for steel is now in shambles
Lots of famous people from there to like the Jacksons and more recently Freddie Gibbs too.
Grew up around that area and I think literally everyone tries to avoid it😬it’s so creepy and dangerous
I heard a lot of gay sex happens there
That’s where the creepy tv show from my child hood was. eerie Indiana
😳
I used to work in the SunTrust building on the 5th floor across from the Ft Harrison Hotel. I was talking to a friend of mine at the watercooler by the window facing it one morning. We saw a person walk out onto the balcony of the hotel and just jump off. It's one of the most jarring things I've seen to this day.
0:13 Ds2 cursed pot laugh which is funny to me because 13 being my lucky number and ds2 the game ive dumped a lot of my time into.
this is surreal. 13’s my birth date and also my lucky number and I have over 80 hours into ds2
@@lex5198 holy hell my bday is also the 13th! Honestly 80 hours is respectable, i have an unhealthy amount since i got it a month after it dropped (then again when ds2scotfs dropped) i ball park like 2000 maybe more hours (im still bad lol)
@@cthulhurage4580 ya I haven’t played anywhere near that amount (found out abt dark souls after bloodborne came out) I went for the platinum but I haven’t replayed ds2 in a while (I remember it took me a solid few days to beat fume knight but it felt so good after)
@@lex5198 fumes still one of my favorite bosses in the series hands down, anywho have a good one!
My friend and I drove through Clearwater late at night, it was a complete ghost town, such an eery feeling, absolutely no activity going on and this is during the holidays mind you.
I remember driving through downtown Clearwater on a trip not knowing what was up and finding it strange that their wasn’t any businesses at all or barely any people walking around, then years later I learned about this and now I’m terrified of this place.
I live in Clearwater currently, i used to work at a surf shop right on the beach. When i tell you NO ONE is walking at night downtown but weirdos or bar hoppers i mean it. My dad used to tell me about scientology people when driving through from the beach to where we live. Crazy shit man
Was it Mandalay Surf Shop?
@@georgeburke6336 one of those, yeah
Or Surf Style,lol😂
I grew up in Tampa and when I was growing up I fished at Clearwater pier every saturday with my grandparents. I moved out of state in 2017 and I am in tears right now. My inner child is devastated.
I’m a born and raised Floridian. Everyone knows where Clearwater is and how gorgeous the beaches are, but you never hear about ppl really vacationing there. Growing up in the 70-80’s we would vacation in Longboat Key which is near Clearwater. The beaches around it were always so packed and busy. Always knew there was a community there but never knew they turned it into a ghost town. Thanks!
LOL! Longboat Key is an HOUR AWAY, ya ass-hat. Clearwater Beach is ALWAYS packed during tourist season. Clearwater Beach is one of the most heavily visited beaches in the COUNTRY. EVEN NOW. DOWNTOWN is NOT Clearwater Beach. And the Cultists are never seen on the beach. You CLEARLY are not familiar with Clearwater. Drop back 5 and punt. Get bent.
Nobody vacations in Clearwater? Clearwater beach is absolutely packed most of the year with out of state tourists. Downtown is definitely eerily controlled by scientologist and while relatively small is mostly empty otherwise
clearwater beach is overrated. way better beaches out there on both coasts.
@@Eatpinktacos27bro he meant like we from Florida don’t go there to vacation only ppl out state 😅😅
@@fathermatanube7158as a native, also, I can confirm that we avoid the crowded beaches with sunburned tourists! Lol!
I'm glad you made a video about this. I just in the last few months became more familiar with most of the stuff in this video, and it's crazy. I starting watching the channel 'Growing Up in Scientology', and man was it illuminating. Scientology is really the most prolific cult around, so I'm glad every time I see videos exposing them for what they really are. Also, love the Tom Cruise creepy laughing outro. 😂That sums it up right there.
Mormomnism is the most prolific and they both have a lot in common.
Living in Clearwater is odd because you have to second guess whether your landlord or boss will just up n sell so ya gotta keep contingency plans for everything
that sounds terrible
they will also go on the streets of other downtown areas. my weirdest experience was being at downtown tampa during the late night walking back to my friend’s car and offered a business card. when i just kept walking, she grabbed my wrist, put the card in my hand, and told me to “think about it”. i was petrified and waited till i was a good ways away to throw it out
I live near downtown Clearwater and it's exactly like he describes. It's so clean downtown because of the scarcity of real businesses it's at first attractive... But then it really seems creepy when you realize scientology owns so much of the property that they just prefer it empty. The city has dumped millions into the waterfront renovations and it looks amazing but it's a ghost town. Also across from my neighborhood about a mile away they own multiple properties converted into housing and there's literally surveillance cameras in the trees in front aiming at the neighborhood. I will say this, every property they own literally sparkles it's so clean. I have to give them that but it's an eerie look.
I live in an South Fl apartment complex purchased by Cardone Capitol (owned by Grant Cardone, Scientologist) and there's 4 all over our county that all belong to him now. The rates go up and drive ppl out, but they don't fix anything anymore. Even pool cleaning service is gone, and our lease payment changed companies. It's all so shady and the amount of articles saying it's all MLM tactics is wild, they want to own florida
Yep. It's like a mausoleum
That's what I was thinking when they redid the waterfront the past year. ... Thinking to myself who is going to go "walking" down there?.. . .Maybe I'd got if there was a really good concert or something or there were not other 4th of july places to go to see fireworks. You know ... events where there's LotS of other normal People around.
They also refuse to tell the city of Clearwater what they plan to do with the properties. It was on the news here not long ago
I was born and raised in Florida and your right Clearwater Florida used to be a fun town and now it's creepy. This video hit home for me 🤔
Papa meat MORE LIKE PAPA PEAK! Cause videos are peak comedy entertainment and they just get ol Willy excited too
Did you just tell everyone Papa meat videos turn you on???
Yk Factors one of the only youtube sponsor products i would recommend. The filet mignon is fire
a former co-worker of mine once told me she fell into their "trap" when she was younger. when they told her she had to break of contact with all her friends and family (because they wheren't part of the cult) and expected loads of money from her, she left (or tried to). they spent years on stalking and harrassing her (as well as her close ones). at one point it ended but it still left her paranoid to this day. that all happened here in Austria and they basically stand all around in vienna, trying to lure people in, and most of the time they use any other name instead of scientology. at one point they even told us at school about how to spot them and to never engage with them. it makes me sick
That explains some of the bizarre obsession with alien cults among various people I've seen on social media from Austria. It always gave me a scientology vibe, but I never saw the name "Scientology", so I didn't make the connection. I wonder if they're funding other "gurus" to lure people in with Scientology ideology in countries where Scientology can't be promoted out in the open.
I work on the 8th floor of the building across the street from Flag. And their “retreat “. My office has a window facing their building directly. I can confirm. Their activities are indeed “creepy and unusual.” Almost always in groups. And always in their vests. You can recognize all of the buildings and shop fronts instantly. There are a lot of good businesses and parks and restaurants around there, that aren’t a part of them. It’s not as lively as it should be. But it’s coming up more!
I live near Clearwater. It's weird how few people know the dark history of that place.
Is it a safe vacation spot?
@@cns881 yeah it’s fine. Most people just say to avoid downtown
Thank you for letting me know!@@morganjohnson3946
I lived there for years, 2013-2017 and never even interacted with a scientologist. I did pretty much only go to the beach and then went to Tampa for bars and stuff
@winningsince1992 I literally just replied this. Lived there from 2012-2013...never came across any of that....however where I lived was oddly quiet and I barely ever saw kids or anything like that.
The editing is top tier on this one. When hunter said they want people to already be brainwashed and it was just like rows of clones marching lmao I don't know why but that made me laugh 11:15
I LITERALLY lived this. The Sci-No's truly destroyed my childhood hometown. Clearwater, due to the Sci-No's and their partner investors, has now been reduced to an expensive, traffic-congested tourist trap, including loss of the once pristine beachfronts, as well as destruction of wildlife and natural habitats for our native animal species.
What he didn't mention in this video, but I clearly remember when I was growing up:
They bought out many neighborhood apartment complexes, local motels, etc. for their Sci-No cult-followers aka employees to live in. EVERY SINGLE window's curtains were ALWAYS closed. I walked past them multiple times a DAY, as I walked to school, played with my friends, etc.
They would NEVER speak to anyone not wearing one of their uniforms when they would be walking to and from buildings (ALWAYS IN GROUPS)- which is the ONLY place you'd ever see them... back and forth, like swarms, to and from all the connected buildings in downtown Clearwater. I used to think they were so creepy. I do apologize to that one group that was walking the night me and my friends were driving back from the beach. What can I say? I was a teenager and what we did and said was our way of telling them to GTFO of our city. Sorry not sorry.
The other fact that wasn't mentioned was their imprisoning, torturing (she wanted out) and subsequent murder of Lisa McPherson, whose body was found inside one of the rooms of the Ft. Harrison Hotel (with much other evidence) back in the 90s. I'm sure that case was never brought to justice... for her and her family. Money talk$.
Their true M.O. actually IS world domination.
This dude's video is 💯💯💯 FACTS.
#FUTomCruise
#FULRonHubBub
He does mention Lisa McPherson.
Where is L Ron Hubbard now?? 😂
My house is technically a Clearwater address (like, my mailing address is under Clearwater), but my utilities are under another 😐 when I questioned this, I was told it was due to the scientologists buying up land back in the day 🙃
Clearwater sounds like the town from H.P. Lovecraft's The Shadow over Innsmouth
And the cult itself too. Aliens and ancient truths about the human race and its place in the universe. Very lovecraftian
@logboi5854its pretty damn extreme
@logboi5854I don't know man, from what I've heard it sounds like they get pretty extreme.
@logboi5854 Hell yeah Brother!!
I was born in Clearwater 26 years ago and still live here, sadly I lost my sister to the sea org and rarely get to see/talk to her. Downtown used to be so different and actually had businesses but they’ve taken over everywhere
I'm sorry to hear that, I was born in Pinellas as well and I can't stand this cult. It truly tears families apart, how did she get sucked in?
I’m so sorry :(
I have a cousin who lives in Clearwater and went to visit him three years ago. It was pretty nice during the day and the beaches are beautiful with true blue water but apparently you don't want to be in the downtown area after dark.
He knows where the late Kirsty Alley lived and we drove by her house where she apparently had a pet chimpanze and a cage full of birds in her yard.
0:20 Appreciate this one Papi Carne.
Working from home since moving here & haven’t traveled much outside of hitting spots for food. (Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grille has the goods if you like it southern & spicy - I had the chicken, grits & collards ftw 🙌🏾)
I never thought that my city would be ever a topic of conversation as I've always lived on the "good" side of Clearwater most of my life, but yep it's the scientology that just shakes the foundation a bit. That's why I've always treaded lightly. Like for instance, when Hurricane Irma hit back in 2017, my mother needed ice to preserve some of the perishables but because no local corner stores or gas stations had any, she had to reluctantly resort to getting ice from scientologists and OF COURSE they couldn't let her leave without giving her a informational folder and DVD all about their practices 😂 like you couldn't just give us the ice? You had to bait us into joining you too?
If the Red Thread ever covers Scientology i want Papa Meat as a guest
Going Clear is another really good doc about scientology
I’m definitely interested in a creepy town series 🎉 - Centralia is a good one to cover
Dudleytown Ct.
Gary Indiana
Yes, some silent hill action
@@anyoneofus9948yeah Gary Indiana is crazy watching video of urban explorers.
So freaky in centralia. But last time I went it’s a lot less freaky since they added the windmills
Centralia isn’t really all that creepy, just your average consequence of negligent practices.
Your editing is phenomenal. I've never laughed so much at a video on something so interesting.
I live in New Port Richey about an hour or 2 away from Clearwater. This is crazy thank you for making this. I always know something was strange about out there.
Is NPR two hours from Clearwater? NPR is like 40 minutes away from me and Clearwater is only about 20. I think I'm going to go kayaking over at Ben T Davis beach this weekend now.
It’s funny I’ve lived in Clearwater for a few months and left because I couldn’t handle the heat, never noticed any of this!
I once stayed a few nights in Clearwater many years ago. In fact the place I was staying in was being bought out by Scientology while I was staying there.
It was like day 1 - totally fine, normal place and having a great time.
Day 2 onwards - constantly being monitored by cultists weirdos
That must have been tense for you
Sundown towns absolutely chill me to the bone! Do a video on those!
Safest cities around
@@the-potato-warrior big yikes, not cool
@@the-potato-warrior because the crimes are not reported
@@randomDuckTape according to whom? You? I prefer to be safe. My opinion is based on crime statistics, yours is based in feely feels and delusions
@@randomDuckTape 13% of the population committed 60% of the violent crimes and you think it’s not wise to be around safe communities?
I live in Palm Harbor. It is literally right next to Clearwater. The major bus hub of the county is planted right there next to the Scientology building so since i had to ride you really could not avoid them.
I saw Park St. Terminal in a couple shots. Including the shot with the worker ants marching down the street with some dude trying to talk to them.
I had to ride the bus from Palm Harbor/Dunedin to SPC for years. So yeah, you run into them all of the time. Never had an issue with them, though. As a resident, don't you feel this video is a bit overblown? It's just the downtown areas that they own that are odd; the rest of Clearwater is a just a nice beach city/retirement type city. I feel like this video makes a big issue out of what is (honestly) just one area of a city of over 100,000. And a lot of downtown isn't even theirs: bus terminal, public library, aquarium, etc is all city stuff. I love Pinellas, and portraying the ENTIRE CITY of Clearwater to be creepy is a bit much.
Yes, thank you! It’s literally just the downtown hub of the town. There’s a lot more to Clearwater than the downtown area by the beach. I live in Dunedin and I never run into any weirdness @@endlessnameless6494
@Parenti Clearwater/Dunedin/The Harbor is one of the top destinations to move to in the US. And all of Florida. This video is clickbait, for sure. Also, just going to be honest: as a former PSTA bus rider, I would take running into a Sea Org member over most the folks I was sitting next to at the terminal. These folks keep to themselves, rather than try to bum a cigarette off you and start a fight. I would often think to myself "if anything bad happens to me downtown, at least one of these Sea Orgs will call the police if I get attacked". Just being real.
@@endlessnameless6494 I worked at Starbucks in my early 20’s and would occasionally get asked to work a shift in the downtown Clw location. The only odd thing was that they were all dressed the same, but they were never rude or scary. I agree that this video is basically clickbait. I used to be much more scared to walk around downtown Ft. Lauderdale or Miami at night than I ever would in downtown Clearwater.
This was a great video, awesome information very tasteful with some humor. I like it very much you got my subscription.
I’ve lived in Clearwater my whole life and only ever known 4 Scientologists. They stick to the small downtown area and the rest of Clearwater, and Clearwater beach, are totally normal. It’s still rly fucking annoying because we have a beautiful downtown that’s unusable. That said, it’s not the booming Scientologist metropolis it was in the early 2000s. I’m hoping by the city rebuilding Coachman Park and attracting locals back to the area, it will create more demand from people to get out downtown back.
Yeah! The new park is really nice. We've gone a few times for concerts and it brought tons of people to downtown who otherwise would probably avoid it.
Finally a real comment from somebody who actually lives in Clearwater Scientologists is not taking over the town 🤣
They definitely branch out, the person I work for used to live in a rather upscale area in Dunedin. A family moved in across from his, kids around the same age as his two. They tried recruiting this guy I know. His wife looked into the woman and discovered she'd been in legal trouble before, something to do with attempted kidnapping and something like assault by injection. Can't remember exactly how it was worded, either way bizarre stuff.
@@beats8076 are you a friend of L. Ron?
@@nunyadambiznes675 no I’m Muslim I don’t believe blind faith with no facts or guidance
Did the advertisers tell you to stop putting the yellow line at the top so you know when to skip the ad
You should go to Centralia, pennsylvania, it's the town that the Silent Hill film was based on, smoke comes up from under the ground because of fires burning in the mines
Papa Meat definitely should, maybe Wendigoon could tag along
But just a clarification, Silent Hill wasn't inspired by Centralia; the devs and the game directors have said this a couple of time
@@thelonewolf115The original comment isn't incorrect though - Centralia IS the town the Silent Hill film was based on.
@thelonewolf115 I said the film, not the game friend
People live there still? Thought it was evacuated decades ago? Like it's a wasteland, right? The government knows that, while they aren't the best, the know not to have people in a deadly wasteland
@@cjodyssey not much to see there, its all been demolished by the government except for a few houses that a few people still live in. But as soon as they pass away or move out, the government will demolish those houses too, until nothing remains of centralia...
2:25 Hunter, you should do a cult series about Eckankar. Paul Twichell was great friend with L. Ron Hubbard.
Everything I know about scientology I learned from South Park thank you Matt and Trey.
Lived near Clearwater all my life and worked there several times. Never had any trouble from Scientologists, I little ominous seeing them all walking in the building during the night shift though
I've been to Clearwater in the past, never knew any of this!! Now I gotta go back lol. Also, if you're turning this into a series ya gotta do Skidmore Missouri. Ken Rex Mcelroy, Branson Perry, Bobbie Jo Stinnett, ect.