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October 21, 2010 in City
Spokane unites against Westboro’s message of hate
Counter-protesters shout their position to members of the Westboro Baptist Church picketers on Thursday, October 21, 2010 at the corner of 37th and Regal near Ferris High School in Spokane, Wash.
(Full-size photo)(All photos)
There’s nothing like an extremist hate group to bring out the best in Spokane residents.
Hundreds arrived to counterprotest today and advocate for peace, love and inclusion in the face of bigotry preached by Westboro Baptist Church, the Topeka, Kan., organization that has gained national notoriety for its brash denunciations of gays, soldiers, Jews, the United States, and private and public colleges and schools.
About 600 people met eight Westboro pickets at Gonzaga University and dominated a stunning October morning with a raucous yet respectful demonstration of hugs and laughter, cheers and music.
Another 200 students staged a sit-in across campus, bringing a rainbow of balloons.
Within an hour the activity spread to nearby Moody Bible Institute, along East Indiana Avenue
Although Moody students were told by administrators to avoid the pickets, about 300 people did their best to drown out the Westboro message.
To some the event was tragic.
“The fact that they have their children holding those kinds of messages – at that age – is troubling,” said Adam Pospychala, at the Moody counterdemonstration. “It leaves you wondering just what sort of life those children are going to have. It’s sad.”
Westboro member Megan Phelps-Roper said that her family chose the Inland Northwest because North Idaho College, in Coeur d’Alene, is presenting “The Laramie Project,” a play about the aftermath of the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, in 1998.
The Westboro members, all of them relatives of independent Baptist church’s founder Fred Phelps, also picketed at Whitworth University, Ferris High School and Eastern Washington University. The group plans to picket at both Coeur d’Alene public high schools and at NIC on Friday.
Westboro pickets have gained national attention by shouting anti-Semitic and anti-homosexual remarks and for carrying insulting signs at funerals for victims of violent homophobia and U.S. military casualties of war.
“Sometimes you just can’t be quiet,” said Linda Kobe-Smith of the Logan Neighborhood, who said she came to support Moody, who she said “has been a good neighbor.”
After the picket at Moody, the Phelpses loaded their signs into a gold-painted minivan and drove to Whitworth University.
Beck Taylor, Whitworth’s newly inaugurated president, said he doesn’t know why Westboro members targeted the university, but said students and faculty showed up in force to “celebrate our values and proclaim God’s love.”
Nearby, at the intersection of North Waikiki Road and West Hawthorne Road, a traveling band of counterprotesters were joined by Whitworth students, including Nicole Conner, of Spokane, who said she “had too see it to believe it.
“I’m surprised there is still that much ignorance in the world,” Conner said of the Westboro group.
Ferris High School students were released from school before the Westboro members arrived to avoid congestion from all of the protesters, said Terren Roloff, Spokane Public Schools spokeswoman. Administrators also did not want students to have to be exposed to the church’s hateful and offensive messages as they left, she said.
Most of the high school students went straight home and did not participate in the counterprotest, Roloff said. However about 400 people – mostly university students – did show up to voice their disgust with the church’s messages.
Westboro’s last stop was Chavurat HaMashiach, a Messianic Jewish synagogue. About 150 counterprotesters gathered outside, but inside, people ignored the noisy gathering. The synagogue held “Love of Israel Night,” which included prayers, singing and dancing. Elders wanted the night to be about “the things God loves,” not about protesting Westboro, said Elder William Burnam. People of all faiths were invited to the gathering.
“We’re not here to confront them,” said Elder Gary D’Angelo. “Confrontation doesn’t do anything but cause more confrontation. In His words, He says ‘overcome evil with good.’ ”
Several people donated $1 for every minute Westboro was outside. The donations will go to Rescue Israel, an organization in Tel Aviv that aims to reduce drug and alcohol abuse and homelessness.
Westboro was met by the largest crowd of counterprotesters at EWU, where at least 1,000 people heckled the Phelpses and carried signs with messages such as “Bigotry Is a Lifestyle Choice” and “I’m for Separation of Church and Hate.”
Sandy Williams, coordinator at the EWU Pride Center, said the “celebration of diversity and dance party for love” along Washington Street was an appropriate “response to hate.”
At each stop, the Phelpses were greeted by the “Traveling Pride Festival,” comprised largely of members of the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane and the Inland Northwest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Center.
“The Inland Northwest LGBT Center respectfully acknowledges Westboro Baptist Church’s constitutional rights and wishes to thank them for raising awareness within the Inland Northwest, bringing us together and making us stronger,” said Carol Ehrhart, LGBT Center board president.
The traveling counterdemonstration was organized largely through the Facebook skills of Taylor Malone, 21, an Eastern Washington University student.
Malone said it was important show that “we are willing to unite as a community with our different backgrounds and support all different lifestyles.”
Doc Kinney, one of a dozen Combat Vet Riders from Spokane Valley, said he came to the counterdemonstration at Gonzaga to show his displeasure with Westboro’s tactics.
“All they want to do is tear down our country, not build it up,” Kinney said.
Kyle Richardson, 24, of Spokane, said, “I’m here to send the world a memo: there is hatred in this town, but there is way more love.” Richardson is with the Spokane AIDS Network.
On the GU campus, some students wanted none of the street-side theatrics and staged a “sit-in for justice.”
Westboro Baptist recently defended its tactics before the U.S. Supreme Court, but the high court has not yet issued a ruling in that case. Shirley Phelps Roper, who represented Westboro before that court, was in Spokane today.
Roper said her group targeted the educational institutions because they teach “adultery, fornication and to worship idols.”Someone in the crowd shouted at one of the Westboro pickets who was standing on the U.S. flag, “Hey, that flag you’re standing on gives you the right to hold those signs.”
Dozens of sheriff’s deputies, Spokane police, state patrol or Cheney police were stationed at each event. Dozens of sheriff’s deputies, Spokane police, state patrol and or Cheney police were stationed at the each events. Spokane Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer DeRuwe said SPD spent $9,000 to $10,000 for overtime today. No citations were issued or arrests made, she added.
PJALS founders Rusty and Nancy Nelson said they were pleased that Spokane had grown so much on the issue of gay rights since the early 1990s when their headquarters windows were blown out because of the organization’s support for the cause.
“Now we’re in the mainstream,” Rusty Nelson said.
Replay of video livestream from Eastern Washington University
Replay of video livestream from Gonzaga University
Replay from Whitworth University
Map: Planned pickets and counterprotests
Planned Westboro pickets are marked with red pins. Counterprotests are marked with blue pins.
View Westboro Baptist Church counterprotests in a larger map
Staff writers John Stucke and Chelsea Bannach contributed to this report.
Rights panel poorly understood 
Albert on October 21 at 11:24 a.m.
8 knuckle dragging, sub-prime species with a combined IQ of 5…interesting. It’s amazing that they could even find their way downtown from the airport. When the leader of the Westboro group was asked if the group knew what day of the week it was, their combined reply was “Tuesday, anybody knows that!” It was reported by the local motel where the group is staying that the bathrooms were spotless because they were never used…same with the beds…however the dog and cat food was difficult to scrub out of the carpet. Can someone please advise the motel to leave food and water bowls on their personally inscribed mats?
jdodgion on October 21 at 11:34 a.m.
These Westboro protestors need to “get a life” and stop these insane pickets. They are “Bozos on the Bus”, for sure.
Scoutster on October 21 at 11:56 a.m.
Dodgion…nice Firesign Theatre reference..those were the days!
Where do these people get their funding? does anyone know?
ericdx on October 21 at 12:01 p.m.
They sue police departments on trumped up harassment charges, and the cities settle out of court, or they sue individuals that attack them. The whole group is mostly related to the leader by blood or marriage. (or maybe it is blood and marriage, have you seen pictures of some of them. A couple of good hard generations of inbreeding there…)
This “church” is a true example that there are times that there needs to be chlorene put in the gene pool…
tsack on October 21 at 12:05 p.m.
They get their funding from lawsuits. They are very careful to stay just within their rights of free speech. Their lawyers are experts in the art of first amendment lawsuits. So be careful what you do and say.
They consider themselves successful if they are persecuted and hated. So I encourage everyone to just realize that they are wrong but are still children of God and deserve His love which they are so clearly missing. They deserve our sympathy more than anything else.
kneedrager on October 21 at 12:26 p.m.
As much as I dislike them and their tactics, there is one positive out of this.
They stir up enough emotion to get people up in arms and to stand up for their own beliefs, instead of sitting behind a keyboard (like I am right now unfortunately) people are actually getting up, getting out there and making a stand, in this day and age, that’s something.
We look at the riots in France right now, and some of us think that they are insane…..no, they are passionate enough about their future that they will fight tooth and nail for what they believe. Say what you will about France, they’ve deserved a lot of it, but you can’t say they just sit around and bitch.
Maybe we need groups like this to just piss people off enough to get off their arses.
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on October 21 at 12:56 p.m.
I will say that I was on the fence about whether to actually get out & join any of these counter-protests, and reading the comments particularly on [http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/oct/20/westboro-plans-pickets-thursday-friday/#c208267] decided me. I’m heading out to Cheney this afternoon.
liarsinnews on October 21 at 1:07 p.m.
If ever there were a gang of wackos they just hit town. Moronic logic as well.
saveyourtatas on October 21 at 1:58 p.m.
They are going to my school? What a shameful group of miscreants. I suppose this is the bottom of the barrel. But they do have rights. I probably should not say this, but our cops are known to taser and brutalize people. Just this once, maybe they could live up to their reputation? I am kidding, of course, but of all the people in desperate need of a good jolt, this would be them. I say take the leash off of the rabid Dan Torok and Karl Thompson. They can take direct orders from Rocky Treppeidi and, of course, Tucker will NEVER PROSECUTE his fellow officers. He never does. Plenty of evidence for that.
deacon46 on October 21 at 2:57 p.m.
These folks are the USA Taliban. We direct our anger at Muslims but we produce these luantics. We need to clean up our own house…..
DeCaYeD on October 21 at 3:54 p.m.
Yank Yank
west on October 21 at 5:07 p.m.
Why do they target Spokane and Idaho?? A lot of hate groups live here?
Albert on October 21 at 5:41 p.m.
I read an account at KXLY on this entire matter and how well Spokane residents responded. We all have our various opinions, however when these folks displayed their civility in this matter, one can only say that I’m proud to live in this city. The knuckle draggers received no satisfaction from their anti-social hate filled speak from these residents. Great job and well done.
DeCaYeD on October 21 at 5:57 p.m.
I would say that all the media attention they received was all the satisfaction they wanted. They got just that.
Shadedmuse on October 21 at 7:01 p.m.
The media needs to stop covering these Glen Beck Following flat earther birther tea-baggers.
My message to you all Obama won by a landslide two years ago and inherited eight years of mess, and it will take eaqual the amount of time to get of the mess Republicans got us into.
Bob_Knows on October 21 at 7:40 p.m.
The working definition of “hate” seems to be “anything that disagrees with our PC opinion.” Judging by the animosity displayed, there seems to be a lot more real hate spewing from Spokane TV news teams than from the radical church group.
Cougardave on October 21 at 8:19 p.m.
The Tea Party and Glenn Beck have absolutely nothing in common with these wack jobs.
maria on October 21 at 8:28 p.m.
Fred Phelps is gay….not that there’s anything wrong with that.
misjustice on October 21 at 8:31 p.m.
Maria; girl, you’re bad! Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
; )
maria on October 21 at 8:32 p.m.
Oh, I love you, too, Miss J. Lol!
armywife21 on October 21 at 8:41 p.m.
im a baptist and im sorry to say but these people.. are not baptist or dont even come close to be one and it makes me angry that they use god to fight against what they think is wrong.. i feel they are led in the wrong way and its sad that there children dont even know what there doing … some of them said they were told to just hold their signs… its sad what is happening now these days.. and what is the irony of this all is that they should be thanking those soliders they are (damning to hell for a enternity; shuddering even thinking bout that) cause if not for those soliders then they wouldnt have the right to there free speech!!!
elcee1987 on October 21 at 8:44 p.m.
I can’t help but think true victory would have been the Westboro protesters standing around with no audience, no attention, no cameras, no news coverage. Even though it’s nice so many people showed up to counterprotest, perhaps ignoring them would send the greater message. Obviously they don’t care what people think, but if people think nothing at all? hmm.
maria on October 21 at 8:52 p.m.
@Lindsey Carpenter: Whut?
http://americansfortruth.com/uploads/2010/04/fred_phelps.bmp
armywife21 on October 21 at 8:53 p.m.
i think that would be a wonderful idea i mean they get there money to travel around to protest from sueing ppl right…. well how would they do that if no one was there at there protest… so i think everyone like you said the media and ppl would just ignore them then they will have to give up cause no one is paying attention to them..
Spokane_Citizen on October 21 at 9:25 p.m.
IF, at every town they show up at (after considerable fanfare about their potential arrival) everybody, INCLUDING the MEDIA, decided to ignore their presence, they’d soon shrivel-up and crawl back under whatever rocks they slithered out of…(no offense intended to the decent and moral critters that derive an honest livelihood living under rocks).
This press coverage is fueling their very existence. Media coverage provides a no-cost advertisement, a pointless attraction for protestors (who quite justifiably detest an impotent and insignificant bunch of Westboro dingbats), and the unnecessary public expense of police protection.
saveyourtatas on October 23 at 6:56 a.m.
I was talking with an officer at Ferris High School, where I graduated from(1985), and I asked him how much trouble a person would get into if they sprayed the Westboro group with water. Or say, water with red food coloring to look like blood. You know, a supersoaker driveby? He laughed and said he would have to arrest me for assault. Not all the cops here are bad. As a matter of fact, officer Sperling was rather handsome. Even my husband had to admit the officers were doing a great job. Not all cops are Hirzel and Thompson and Torok. Most of them are great guys with courage and bravery. I just wish one of them would have the guts to speak out about “our problem” here in Spokane. Just one honest cop to “break ranks”.