I was at the protest yesterday, with fairly low expectations, as the whole thing seemed very disorganized and amateurish, without even an exact time, location, or program. When my wife and I arrived, there were only two other “apostates” there, minutes before the scheduled start time. I went mostly to get some photos, survey the apostate scene and possibly network. Everyone rolled in shortly before the start and I found it amusing that most of the ringleaders are still very much JWs, albeit minus the theological belief. A few YouTube “star” apostates welcomed the creature worship they received and some soon started establishing themselves as the responsible ones. No one who thought their comments important enough to share seemed like a credible or likeable ex-JW, outside of “The Great Apostate” and another YouTube apostate who used to be an elder but whose name I can’t recall. They seemed like really good guys whose work I’m otherwise unfamiliar with. The organizers Parker and Joel struck me as reveling in the spotlight, with the former even bringing copies of his book to give away. It seemed like a lot of “apostates” were there for self-service, either for the attention or the fresh material for their channels.
Very few were dress acceptably by JW standards. As has been mentioned before, that’s an easy hurdle to reduce by just dressing the part, considering the audience. The signs were very homemade, even the printed ones. They had no common thread, besides Watchtower. There was no gameplan and the logistics of the actual protest were still being arranged until it was decided that we’d carpool and park on the road along the HQ. I know it was the first time for this protest, but for so many alleged former elders to neglect the most basic arrangements seemed a bit puzzling. Some, though out, would still humble brag about the heights they reached while still active, which I found amusing and an incredible testament to the power of the JW mind control.
We headed over and waited in the car to assess the situation and we’re quickly disappointed to see two protesters making fools of themselves by walking into the sprinklers Watchtower had clearly turned on for them. That was exactly the behavior Watchtower expected to see. It accomplished nothing besides potentially getting them sick and cementing the propaganda that apostates are crazy.
After that, I decided to just take pictures and speak to a few of the other protesters. There was a small pickup, not a large truck, parked inside the gates and the watchman that stood guard inside the booth outside the gates. The police came when a few YouTube apostates dramatically walked up to the gates, but quickly left (only to hide further up the road in case things escalated). A few people honked in support as they drove by, but that road doesn’t see much traffic and the facilities are so far from the gate, I doubt more than the handful of Bethelites that exited or were charged with security took note. Joel Martz (?) stated that the local congregations received instruction to cancel preaching activities in the area on 10/4, though I cannot confirm that.
I tried to connect with a few protesters but there was a huge JW-social-awkwardness factor or their stories took turns that seemed unlikely or exaggerated. I left after getting some photos, and they left not long after. There was a very local TV outlet there, but no one else from the community turned out. There were only about 40 protesters there, not anywhere near the 100 previously reported here.
I did make my first apostate friends with some folks who are still in and privy to documents detailing specific incidents of child sex abuse, who I’m hoping to collaborate with.
At the end of the day, these things need to be more organized and folks need to examine why they’re really doing it. If protesters can’t take their protests seriously, then neither will Watchtower or anyone else, no matter what their latest YouTube clip says. Whether it’s politically correct, or not, some apostates would help more by staying home or using different methods to advocate, as theirs are often counterproductive. The apostate movement also needs more folks that are relatable, likeable, and had enough clout within the organization to legitimize the movement and its testimonies. Instead of targeting a JW audience, which is mostly futile, I think a well-balanced, factual, and emotional approach to a secular audience would put more pressure on Watchtower. Anyway, I’ll upload pictures from the event later tonight.