Cult metropolis? A new tour of downtown Clearwater raises ire and eyebrows

CLEARWATER — When Ted Reinhard released Cult Metropolis Excursions in February, he claimed his aim was to demystify the presence of the Church of Scientology in downtown by laughing at it.

The 90-minute strolling tour all around church landmarks eases any fears with his sarcastic studying of Scientology teachings, he claimed, but the route ends up exposing visitors to a fledgling district of bars and eating places they may perhaps have never recognized about.

“If you arrive downtown and have dinner or beverages, you’re not supporting Scientology, you are supporting unbiased small business adult men and women striving to make a residing,” Reinhard, 48, explained in the course of a Feb. 19 tour as the group crossed Cleveland Road.

Some were being by now skeptical of this new weekly prevalence downtown.

Major his teams of 10, Reinhard, who’s never been in the church, wears a faux Navy jacket and hat, a participate in on Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s exaggerated army file.

“We’re not a cult town, that’s a misrepresentation,” Mayor Frank Hibbard said. “It generates a circus-variety environment that is not really beneficial to eating places serving a lot more lunches and dinners.”

The increasing pressure around Cult City Excursions peaked in the guide up to a exclusive party on Saturday, when seven very well-regarded Scientology defectors, who have spoken in opposition to alleged abuses in the church, guest hosted a tour of 90 men and women.

In the days just before Saturday’s party, while Cult Town Excursions was hoping to guide a venue for an just after-bash, a Scientology consultant contacted multiple organization homeowners. Soon after Reinhard reported two corporations then declined to host the social gathering, he lashed out by composing a person-star opinions on Google and Tripadvisor that falsely accused them of catering only to Scientologists — a label that can be poisonous supplied the community’s suspicion of the church.

Tension builds

Reinhard mentioned he obtained the notion for the business enterprise final calendar year, when Clearwater Town Council member Mark Bunker recommended the city really should examine Scientology tourism opportunities as an alternative of pretending it is not there.

Soon after Cult Town Excursions released on Feb. 2, Scientology spokesman Ben Shaw called it “bigoted propaganda” in a statement to the Tampa Bay Situations.

Bunker explained he does not agree with Reinhard’s mocking tone, like how he recites the story of Xenu, a instructing that Scientologists learn only immediately after yrs of spiritual counseling and paying out hundreds of countless numbers of pounds. But Bunker claimed men and women taking Cult Metropolis Tours who beforehand averted downtown are now getting its bars and dining establishments.

“That was the total place of the tour, that it would get individuals over their panic of remaining in front of Scientology security cameras and that it’s all right, just come down and have fun,” Bunker said.

On Thursday, Aaron Smith-Levin, a Scientology defector who arranged Saturday’s Cult Metropolis Excursions special party, frequented Pour Yours wine bar on Cleveland Avenue to talk to the operator about web hosting the soon after-bash.

Pour Yours owner Kristian Culaj explained he initially agreed. Culaj verified that Amber Skjelset, supervisor of Scientology’s Details Centre on Cleveland Avenue, also frequented his bar the similar day.

Culaj claimed Skjelset introduced a copy of a 21-calendar year-old court docket injunction from Bunker, who in 2000 was portion of a group of church critics requested by a choose not to go within 10 toes of parishioners. Previously this month, Bunker promoted on Twitter that he would be attending the March 13 distinctive tour.

Culaj explained Skjelset “didn’t point out something about the event” when she frequented his bar. He also does not keep in mind the details of their discussion or what Skjelset said about the injunction.

But on the very same working day as Skjelset’s pay a visit to to Pour Yours, Scientology corporate secretary Glen Stilo produced a request to the metropolis for all public documents related to Cult Metropolis Excursions and 10 people today, such as Bunker, Reinhard and Smith-Levin.

Culaj reported the pursuing day he canceled Smith-Levin’s reservation for Saturday, because he did not have the team or house to deal with a crowd of practically 100.

“That’s when an individual went on Google testimonials and explained this place only welcomes Scientologists. It is not genuine,” reported Culaj, who is not a member of the church.

Shaw, the Scientology spokesman, declined to remedy why Skjelset introduced the injunction to Pour Yours or regardless of whether other representatives of the church contacted downtown corporations pertaining to Cult Town Tours.

As a substitute, in a statement, Shaw said the “desire to generate chaos in Clearwater, and in the downtown in individual, is not something new for this clan.”

Corporations focused

The negative opinions Reinhard remaining on Google and Tripadvisor falsely accuse Pour Yours and BlackBrick Tavern, which Reinhard also claimed declined to host his just after-party, of only welcoming Scientologists. But a week later, he has not eradicated them.

BlackBrick co-proprietor Jason Floyd declined to remark.

“They say they do not want to be recognised as cult town, but when Scientology places the arm on them, they are all right with it?” Reinhold mentioned, confirming he wrote the assessments underneath TravelNTed and travelnted1.

Lina Teixeira, governing administration liaison for the Downtown Clearwater Merchants Association, reported Reinhard’s actions has been disheartening, because retailers have experimented with to adjust a perception that downtown has nothing other than Scientology.

The town will before long crack floor on a $64 million renovation of the downtown waterfront. Previous year, merchants rebranded section of Cleveland Road as “The District” to boost expanded outside seating and other initiatives to endure the coronavirus pandemic.

“We modified the narrative … and then this transpires,” Teixiera, who is not a member of Scientology, said of the tour. “The retailers truly feel like after all over again they are collateral hurt.”

Final week was not the very first time Reinhard lashed out at businesses. Restoration Cafe owner Blake Ferrell claimed that in late February, an staff shut their doorway on North Fort Harrison Avenue so the sounds of Reinhard’s passing tour wouldn’t disturb clients.

Reinhard took to Fb in a now-deleted publish and said that Restoration Cafe’s “preferred customer base revenue from human trafficking,” referring to allegations towards Scientology of abuse.

“We’re doing the job actually hard to make downtown Clearwater a wonderful put to be and take pleasure in, and I do not imagine this is successful to that end,” explained Ferrell, a Christian pastor.

Here to continue to be

Bunker claimed he disagrees with Reinhard’s trashing of businesses, and has informed him so.

Before Cult Town Tours, Reinhard explained he designed travel courses abroad. He turned a whole-time social research teacher for Pinellas County Educational institutions in 2017.

The university board billed Reinhard with misconduct in 2018 right after he wrote college students passes to the journalism place that stated “Fake News HQ” and “Can’t establish it? Pretend it!” He obtained a “coaching memo” that yr soon after he said any scholar who disrupted the educational course of action to take part in a vigil for the Parkland college massacre is “no for a longer period an activist, you’re a terrorist.”

Pinellas County Educational facilities did not renew Reinhard’s contract n 2019 but retained him as a substitute, according to community data officer Isabel Mascareñas.

Reinhard claimed he stands by the feedback he built to learners as perfectly as the way he’s operate the excursions downtown. He mentioned he doesn’t intend to make any alterations.

The title of his enterprise, which the mayor calls “a misrepresentation” for example?

“It’s called promoting,” Reinhard explained. “All of the hundreds of thousands they put in on downtown, I’m a clown in a costume with a $6 domain name and I’m bringing the town down?”

Downtown Pizza Sports Bar and Grill operator Dale Robinson said Skjelset, the Scientology info supervisor, also achieved out to him prior to Saturday’s unique tour. But he said she didn’t elaborate outside of informing him it was going on. He also could not say no matter if Cult City Tours has had any effect on downtown.

“I’m not making an attempt to acquire sides,” explained Robinson, who is not a member of Scientology. “I’m just hoping to market pizza.”