The controversial church held a grand opening Sunday of its public information center, which students said caused major disruptions.
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PRINTER’S ROW — The Church of Scientology Chicago has opened in Printer’s Row and is drawing strong reactions from its neighbors: Columbia College students.
The church’s new center at 650 S. Clark St. is next door to the Dwight Lofts, a housing facility for about 700 Columbia students.
The Scientology building is home to the church’s public information center, where visitors can learn about Scientology and the church’s humanitarian programs, according to a news release. Congregational gatherings and spiritual counseling are also available.
The organization’s arrival to the neighborhood has been a “hot topic” among the student body, and debate ramped up following the center’s opening ceremony Sunday, several students told Block Club.
“Everyone’s talking about it,” said Jazlynn “Jazzy” Edwards, a sophomore majoring in journalism who lives at the Dwight Lofts. “It’s all negative. No one wants them here.”
Some students said they are concerned with the organization’s presence — and the crowds it draws — next to the place they call home, given the Church of Scientology’s controversial history and the demographics of college students.
“I do have concerns because of my proximity to them,” said sophomore Isabella “Izzy” Smith. “I feel like anytime I’m outside or on my block, I am now under surveillance.”
Other students who live at the Dwight Lofts said they were upset about the disruptions caused by the church’s opening event.
The grand opening Sunday took over the 600 block of South Clark Street, and access to the street was blocked starting Saturday.
About 2,000 people attended the event, which featured the church’s leader, David Miscavige, said Bari Berger, Church of Scientology spokesperson.
Other notable guests and supporters included Gwen Appleberry, citizen adviser to the Chicago Police Department and the Board of Education; and former Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd), who’s running as the Republican candidate for Cook County’s state attorney, according to a Scientology news release.
Police did not respond to Block Club’s request for comment on Appleberry’s relationship to the Police Department or her Scientology affiliation.
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The Church of Scientology opened its new center next to the Dwight Lofts, part of Columbia College Chicago’s on-campus student housing. Credit: Francia Garcia Hernandez/Block Club Chicago
For the opening event, the church obtained a “block party street closure” permit from the city, Dean of Students Douglas G. Eck told students in an email dated March 1 obtained by Block Club. Per the email, Clark Street would be closed 6-10 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m.-midnight Sunday.
In addition to the Dwight’s security staff, “Columbia security was also on hand during the event,” a Columbia College spokesperson said.
Student entry or access to the building should not be restricted or blocked under any circumstance, Eck said in the email. He said Columbia made it “abundantly clear” students “must always retain unimpeded access to their living space and cannot be required to show ID to access Clark Street.”
However, several students said they had trouble entering or leaving Clark Street because of the event and the crowds.
“It was awful,” Edwards said. “The whole front of the building was blocked off, and a certain part of the street was blocked off.”
A large stage, equipment, dozens of rows of chairs, barricades and speakers were installed on the driveway and parts of the sidewalk Saturday and Sunday, students said.
Students had a hard time walking on the sidewalk outside their building and navigating the crowd, with some having to push through the crowd at times to reach the Dwight’s main doors, students said.
Sophomore Zoe Perrone said some of her roommates were asked to show their IDs to be allowed access to Clark Street, while others had to walk through the alleyway to get to their building.
In an email, a church spokesperson told Block Club “it complied with the city and Chicago Police Department instructions” and went out of its way “to ensure all those with apartments or businesses on the street had access during the street closure.”
A group of about 50 protesters gathered outside the event Sunday, though they were denied entry to the ceremony, students said. Some protesters remained in the area afterward, asking students and others for their reactions while filming on their phones, students said.
Students took to social media over the weekend to complain. TikTok videos overlooking Clark Street show the extent of the street closures and the crowd gathered for the opening.
Some employees of Pat’s Pizza, located on the same block of Clark Street, also had a hard time getting to the pizzeria that day, said Moises, a store manager who declined to give his last name. They were stopped and questioned by security personnel and other people, Moises said.
A church representative was seen standing outside the new Scientology center Tuesday morning, handing out leaflets for a free film screening of “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health,” based on the text that started the Church of Scientology. Later Tuesday, two people were seen handing out the same leaflets on the next block.
Columbia College has yet to address students’ concerns, some students said.
Other than the dean’s email sent to Dwight Loft residents, students have not received information from Columbia about the organization, nor have they been notified of changes or additional campus security around the Dwight going forward, students said.
“I think the college should move in the direction of maybe providing more security in this area or guidance for the students,” Smith said.
When asked about the school’s plans to address students’ concerns, a Columbia spokesperson told Block Club via email “solicitation and harassment within our residential communities is strictly prohibited, and Columbia is committed to welfare of its students and campus community.”
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A Church of Scientology member hands out flyers to passersby outside its new South Loop center, 650 S. Clark St. Credit: Francia Garcia Hernandez/Block Club Chicago
In the meantime, students said they’re finding ways to adapt to their new neighbor.
Columbia junior Adriah Hedrick is “more aware on the streets,” she said.
“I’m just trying to be careful and mind my own business,” she said. “If they want to practice their own things, as long as they keep it in that building, I think that’s OK.”
Edwards and her roommates are walking in groups of threes, holding hands and looking busy to avoid being bothered, she said.
“It’s just very icky,” Edwards said. “To be the building next door to a college because, of course, college students, especially as freshmen, are going to be vulnerable.”
