Critics gather at conference
A week long conference, called “Flag Down 2014,” hosts several critics of the Church, including the great-grandson of founder L. Ron Hubbard. The activities include a protest in downtown Clearwater that the Church has taken steps to at least partially restrict. An invitation to the conference was sent to Clearwater’s mayor, George Cretekos. He declined but added:
I would hope any demonstration follows our guidelines and gives them an opportunity to express their free speech rights, without any problems.