David Bloomberg Says Scientology Properties Faced Dozens of Trespasses
Dozens of people stormed a scientology building on Hollywood Boulevard on Saturday afternoon, forcing open a door in costumes and masks and clashing with security guards. The church says the crowd was part of a social-media “speed running” trend that turned two of its Hollywood properties into repeated trespass scenes.
David on Hollywood Boulevard
“These incidents are not ‘speed running.’ They are organized trespasses into religious and public information facilities for social media attention.” David, the Scientology spokesman, said in a statement after the recent Hollywood Boulevard incidents. He also said staff and visitors were endangered.
“Over recent weeks, individuals have repeatedly forced their way into Church properties on Hollywood Boulevard, disrupted religious and public facilities, damaged Church property, and endangered staff, parishioners and visitors.” He said at least one staff member sustained injuries that required medical attention after a speed run in recent weeks.
Three Properties, Five Reports
By Sunday morning, external door handles had been removed from all three of Scientology’s properties on Hollywood Boulevard. On Monday afternoon, guards were blocking the doorway to one building, a visible sign that the church had moved quickly to make the route harder to use after people had been barging in for weeks.
The Los Angeles Police Department said it had received five reports of trespassing incidents at Scientology’s Hollywood properties this year, but only two of those incidents resembled a so-called speed running attempt. The Saturday event drew the Major Crimes Division, which was tasked with investigating it as an alleged hate crime.
Video-Game Trend, Real-World Damage
The trend is called “speed running,” a term for trying to beat a video game as quickly as possible, and the Church of Scientology says that framing has no place in its buildings. One person dressed as Jesus Christ was among the crowd seen forcing the door, a detail that shows how the stunt mixed performance with trespass on the Hollywood Walk of Fame backdrop.
No arrests have been made, and the practical result for anyone approaching these properties is obvious: the entry points have already changed, security is tighter, and police are treating the Saturday incident as more than a nuisance. For the church, the response now runs through investigators and altered doors, not online bragging rights.
