Scientology has a permit in Austin for this Saturday, but the ‘Ideal Org’ looks unready

What is going on, Dave?

Scientology leader David Miscavige boasted more than a year ago that he was going to open up four new “Ideal Orgs” in the first quarter of 2023, and nothing happened. Then, in November (at the IAS gala) and December (at the New Year’s event) he bragged that the four were definitely going to open in “January and February,” and he made big presentations about where they were: Paris, Mexico City, Chicago, and Austin.

All four of those facilities have had their grand openings delayed for years because of the pandemic, but this time Miscavige really made it sound like he was going to get it done.

So far, however, the only permit we’ve found in online records is one that Scientology paid the city of Austin $328.87 (with a remaining balance of $704.38) so that it could have its big party this Saturday, January 13.

But one of our readers went by the org yesterday, and it looks the same as ever, and not close to being opened…

Scientology has canceled its Austin permit in the past, so we’ll see if this one gets moved again, but that is not an org that’s about to have its David Miscavige closeup.

Here’s Scientology’s own rendering of what the place is going to look like…

Alex Barnes-Ross spotted some Scientology social media posts which suggest the Austin org is still only in staffing mode, which suggests it’s far from ready to open…

Chicago, meanwhile, is the same story. This week, another of our readers went by and it looks the same as always. Also, no filming permit is on file.

It’s the same ugly plastic wrap on the signage, and no sign of life inside.

Here’s Scientology’s version of how it’s going to look…

Alex told us that he’d heard the Paris org might open up as soon as this Saturday. And Miscavige himself made it sound like Paris would go first. But so far neither of us has managed to get confirmation of it, and now Alex think it won’t happen this weekend after all.

“So 66 staff have been recruited already to get to the target of 80 before they can open,” he says. “They're doing an all-hands on Saturday to blast through the last of the filing project.”

Could one of our French friends help us out by giving the place a look? If it’s having its grand opening soon, it might show some signs of it. Here’s Scientology’s idealized version of it…

As for the “Del Valle” org in Mexico City, we’d love to hear from someone there who could also go by and check on it for us occasionally. This is how Scientology is portraying it…

We really don’t know what shape that building is in presently. We hope someone can let us know.

If Dave’s throwing a party (and he keeps insisting that he is) we don’t want to miss it!

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Andreas Heldal-Lund laid to rest in Norway

We want to thank Jon Atack for sending along this remembrance of Andreas, whom we recently memorialized with a story and a podcast.

Andreas Heldal-Lund was nothing short of a legend. I first met him at the Toronto Getting Clear of Scientology seminar in 2015. He was over-sized, eccentric and self-effacing. He would not accept the remarkable impact his meticulous work had on the Scientology community.

Every now and then, people with no axe to grind stand up to Scientology. Tilman Hausherr in Germany and Karin Spaink in Holland both stood up because they saw wrongdoing, not because of any involvement with Scientology. This is also true for our proprietor here at the Bunker. It was the same for Andreas. When he found that websites were being closed down, and hard drives seized through an abuse of law, he set about mirroring every site that pierced the veil of Scientology’s pretence at goodness. And he did an amazing job, ending David Miscavige’s attempt to silence freedom of speech.

Norwegian law extends the virtue of free speech to all or her citizens, and made Andreas’s work invulnerable to litigation. This was a significant turning point. With the anonymity of the Web, it became possible to speak out without fear of reprisal. Xenu.net gave a focus for the growing community of critics who wanted the truth to be known about this rapacious, life-denying group.

I met Andreas again at the ICSA conference in Bordeaux in 2017. He had driven all the way from Norway – about 1500 miles – and was showing off his new bodycam which took a picture every 30 seconds. I wonder if he ever had time to review the journey.

Andreas was one of the most important contributors in the quest to publish the truth about Ron Hubbard and Scientology. He will be sorely missed.

— Jon Atack

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Source Code: Actual things founder L. Ron Hubbard said on this date in history

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