[Phil and Willie Jones and their children Mike and Emily, before disconnection]
Earlier this year, Phil and Willie Jones came to us when they wanted to raise money for a billboard in Los Angeles that would urge Scientologists disconnected from their families to pick up the phone and call their loved ones. Our readers came through in a big way, helping to raise enough money for that “Call Me” billboard to appear in the Echo Park neighborhood, garnering a huge amount of media attention.
Phil and Willie are separated from their two grown children, Mike and Emily, who work for Scientology’s “Sea Organization” in L.A., and who have cut off all ties from their parents since Phil’s sister, another longtime Scientologist, turned the couple in for expressing doubts about the organization.
More recently, this website once again helped Phil and Willie raise money for a similar billboard in Clearwater, Florida, which is where Scientology has its spiritual headquarters. Phil explained that their campaign was about more than their own children, and they had heard from many ex-Scientologists in Florida whose families have also been ripped apart by disconnection. This week, the Tampa Bay Times wrote about Phil and Willie, and the newspaper received a letter from Emily Jones, accusing her parents of exploiting their children for monetary gain. Emily’s letter can be seen in full at the end of the Tampa Bay Times article.
One of the unusual things about this situation is that Emily has been so visible. For most former church members who have been cut off from their loved ones, it can be near to impossible to get any information about their family members still in the church, especially if they are in the Sea Org. But Emily works for Galaxy Press, Scientology’s publisher of L. Ron Hubbard’s science fiction, and she’s been active promoting the republication of Hubbard’s 1982 novel Battlefield Earth, appearing at science fiction conventions and in other ways that put her in the public eye.
“We truly believe they are exploiting our family in this way motivated solely by money,” Emily writes in her letter to the newspaper. “It is a scam, as is their fundraising efforts to finance their ‘billboard.’ And now they have decided that the course of saying and doing harmful things to us, and our reputations is their chosen course for money!”
Actually, although Phil and Willie have been successful in raising enough money to keep a billboard up in Los Angeles for several months, and to put up another one for at least a month in Florida, the money they have received just barely covered those costs — and that’s not counting the money the Las Vegas couple has spent traveling to California and Florida as part of their campaign.
If this is a money grab, as Emily charges, it’s not a very lucrative one. Emily also accuses her parents of being motivated by the money they’ll make from a television series that is filming their story. Phil assures us that the production company that has filmed them has paid them nothing for their appearance.
Phil contacted us, refuting everything in his daughter’s letter, and he sent over something else — a response from Willie.
He said that they had sent the letter to Emily via email addresses that they are not sure are valid anymore.
“Willie wrote a letter to Emily but we really have no way of reaching her. We’ll try to get an email to her, but we’re wondering if you want to post it,” he said.
We sure do want to, Phil. We sure do.
To my dearest Emily,
First and foremost if you get a chance to read this I want you to know and understand that the decisions your dad and I have made, as imperfect as they are, were made based not only on the love we have for you and Michael but also having had the ability to view this from inside and outside Scientology.
You state in your response to the Tampa Bay Times that we were the ones who disconnected from you. I am not sure exactly what you were told, but nothing is further from the truth. After we received your letter, we tried to contact both you and Michael. We tried for almost a year and a half, calling every week no fail. We tried getting into Celebrity Centre and Author Services to talk to you personally. We were stopped every single time. After one of our visits to CC, we were told our only terminal is the IJC (International Justice Chief). We both know what that means, utter and complete disconnection from any and all Scientologist. That was the nail in the coffin. We knew in that moment we were 100 percent cut off. We were never allowed the opportunity to give you another side of the story.
In the following months we learned just how many families have been torn apart. I always thought Scientology was supposed to bring people together. But sadly, I found out just how many people were affected by disconnection and it was staggering. In failing to contact you we knew we had to do something not just for us but for all the families affected.
Emily, Michael, the charge that what we are doing is motivated by money is heart-wrenchingly sad. You know us! How could you think that we would choose money over our children? Deep down, I hope you truly know this is not the case. I want you to know that even if we were offered millions of dollars to go away and be quiet forever, my answer would be “never.” Never, Emily! Money is not the motivation! A family intact is much more powerful than that.
We may have a difference of opinion, but that doesn’t mean we cannot maintain a healthy relationship. Your dad and I love and miss you both more than you know. We will never disconnect from you, our arms will always be wide open no matter what you do in life.
Love always,
Mom
Phil and Willie are holding an event to dedicate their Clearwater billboard on July 23. As soon as the billboard is up, we’ll reveal its location.
WHAT IS DISCONNECTION?
A Scientologist can have trouble making spiritual progress in his auditing or training if he is connected to someone who is suppressive or who is antagonistic to Scientology or its tenets. All spiritual advancement gained from Scientology may well be lost because one is continually invalidated by an antagonistic person who wants nothing more than to do harm to the person. In order to resolve this situation, one either “handles” the other person’s antagonism with true data about Scientology and the Church or, as a last resort, when all attempts to handle have failed, one “disconnects” from or stops communicating with the person.
--From: http://www.scientology.org/faq/scientology-attitudes-and-practices/what-is-disconnection.html
About The Underground Bunker
Tony Ortega is a journalist who was formerly the editor of The Village Voice. He has written about Scientology since 1995, and his book about Scientology’s most infamous campaign of terror — to destroy author Paulette Cooper — came out in May 2015. He continues to monitor breaking developments around the world from an undisclosed location in an underground bunker he shares with four cats and one of them wrinkly Shar Pei dogs. Despite his super-secret security protections, you can still reach him pretty easily by sending him a message at tonyo94 AT gmail.com (Drop him a line if you’d like to get an e-mail whenever a new story is posted.) Or check in at his Facebook author page. Or follow him at Twitter: @TonyOrtega94
Why is this site called “The Underground Bunker?”
When we wrote about Scientology at The Village Voice, we jokingly began referring to writing from an underground bunker. It proved to be a popular running gag, so when we left the Voice and started an independent site, we thought it would be a familiar name for our regular readers.
Why do you write about Scientology?
Because it interests us. We started writing about Scientology with our first cover story for the Phoenix New Times in November 1995, and that experience only whetted our appetite for more. Some people cover Congress, other people cover the mafia, we cover Scientology. It’s a fascinating story that is only getting more interesting with time, and we enjoy having a seat on the front row as this adventure unfolds.
--From: http://tonyortega.org/about/
