A JW told me the reason why the protestors at the Tacoma Dome District Conventions are gone.

by AndersonsInfo 25 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  AndersonsInfo

  Recently, on JWN, someone asked what happened to the protestors at the Tacoma Dome district assemblies which generated from a JW the email that I posted. I have no idea whether the information is accurate or not. I trust the person who wrote the email, but as far as the story that was related to the Witness, the information could be inaccurate. That's why I post the kinds of material I do to mainly get input from many.

  In regards to the parking situation around the Dome, I was told that most of the free parking areas are gone, being replaced by some sort of a museum. Now JWs who attend the convention have to walk quite a distance to the Dome from where they are supposed to park. Also, an announcement was made that JWs should not park in areas that are close to the Dome which charge a fee. There is a small area of free parking for those who manage the Witness convention, but not for the average JW. Many JWs are not being obedient and are paying for parking that is close to the Dome. Any comments from those who have attended?

  For those who don't know this, but it was Bruce Baker, a long-time JW elder from Salem, Oregon, who was assistant convention overseer at conventions held at the Dome who blew the whistle on the WTS through a newspaper article about the Society selling parking tickets in the KH for parking at places like the Tacoma Dome when the contract the WTS signed with management specifically stated that parking was not to be charged for, but free parking was included in the deal. Whew, what a long sentence. Any comments?
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  Bobcat

  King Solomon:

  Interesting in that it happened when I cut-and-pasted your comment

  I didn't. But I do notice sometimes strange behaviour in the comment box. I use chrome.

  It could be just me.

  Take Care
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  Band on the Run

  Barbara,

  In all honesty, I find this story ludicrous. Anyone who is so willing to give up their First Amendment rights may not deserve them in the first place. Government can set neutral restrictions on time, manner, and place. It cannot censor, however. I am certain that you are reportiing this story the way you heard, and, indeed, he may be repeating what he heard but something is very wrong.

  It sounds as though an organizer was too lazy or had other commitments. I don't' think protesting at conventions is the best way to reach Witnesses. Some evangelicals claim to have a right to protest the Wt but I don't protest their odious practices (odious to me). Those called apostates trying to reach other apostates looks and is compelling. Religion is not a popularity contest. Showing some respect for believers is a first step to converting them.

  It even reminds me of when the civl rights movement kicked out all these white middle class workers. Allies are important but a fellow "Witness' makes much more sense.

  What makes much more sense to me is Christian educatiion in these churches so they will not believe that the Witnesses are a friendly variant. We went door to door in heavily Roman Catholic areas. The people had no CLUE what the church's basic teachings were. My gf converted from Russian Orthodox b/c he did not know their theology. No one need be a theologiian but if churches churched their own, there would be far fewer converts to the Witnesses. Also, it is less tacky than picketing a convention of a group to whom you have no ties at all.

  Indeed, I can't imagine the city's corporate counsel restricting speech in such a manner. There must be a communication problem.
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  steve2

  This report from a putative trustworthy source is at best ludicrous and at worst, kind of embarrasing in its claims. Even trustworthy sources can let their imaginations run away with them - just as readers keen for intrigue do so. There is a need for activating brain cells when reading this sort of tosh.

  Where are the protesters lining up to get arrested? Who are the specific individuals who have been ordered off the streets, if not arrested for noncompliance? Were orders in writing? Were protesters served papers? Are there any eye-witnesses to protesters being scooped off the streets and whisked to the local police station for questioning? Why haven't the named protesters gone to the press or written letters to editors?

  Even organizations that bring gazillions of dollars into a city's coffers cannot stop protesters.
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  JeffT

  I still live in the Seattle area. I drove by the Tacoma Dome and noticed some new building in the parking lot, couldn't tell what it was. I thought maybe they covered some of the parking, but I was on the freeway and couldn't look to closely.

  This has to be one of the most protest friendly areas in the country. Even people blocking streets without a permit generally get nothing more than a warning. If they move on, nothing happens. I'm with Barbara, I don't doubt the sincerity of the person relaying the story, just the actual story. I also like what BTOR said about speaking at churches and the like. I've done it several times, I think its a better way to get information out.
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  Glander

  Barb, thanks for refreshing my recollection of the Tacoma parking scam.

  I wonder if any congregations have thought of charging for parking in the KH lots?

  By the way, the new museum referred to above is supposed to be a first class automobile collection. I'll will have to check it out someday.