See the video! It’s awesome!
As you have probably heard, Phelps and his crazy hatemongers are descending on Charleston April 8-10 to spread their hatefilled nonsense. Covenant House wants to take the opportunity to “celebrate the inclusiveness of our community,” said Amy Weintraub, the executive director. “There are a lot of people who really do celebrate the diversity of Charleston and are willing to do so publicly.” They are going to have a choreographed flash mob dance with signs to counter the Westboro Baptists’ hate.
The dance is meant to show the city’s acceptance of all races and religions in contradiction to Westboro’s message.
And the WV Atheists have offered to join them. Covenant House has accepted. Here is their Facebook Event.
UPDATE: See below for Charleston and Wheeling protest schedule.
UPDATE 2: They will picket the mine disaster! See below.
The controversial church, led by pastor Fred Phelps, is known for rallying against gays, Jews, Catholics and Mennonites. It plans to also protest outside the Temple Israel, the B’nai Jacob Synagogue and the Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral in Charleston, the capital of West Virginia.
The group is also scheduled to picket outside Charleston Catholic High School, but Principal Debora Sullivan said it would be pointless because the students will be on their Easter break.
Westboro, which travels across North America holding these protests, is not affiliated with any other Baptist church.
To counter Westboro’s picket signs that read “God Hates Obama” or “God Hates the USA,” 22-year-old student Mona Mayes is planning a secondary protest with such satirical signs as “God Hates Twitter.” More than 100 people have joined her Facebook group.
The West Virginia Chamber of Commerce is also making signs and distributing them freely to people who object to Westboro’s presence in Charleston. They are encouraged to display the signs in their front yard or window to show support for the local community.
So let’s support our Charleston compatriots! Have fun and be safe.
The Westboro Baptists’ schedule for Charleston and Wheeling:
April 8, Charleston, WV
- 10:00 am: Raleigh County worship of mining disaster, specific location not specified.
- 4:20 – 4:50 pm: West Virginia Capitol Complex 1900 Kanawha Blvd. E
- 5:00 – 5:30 pm: University of Charleston 2300 MacCorkle Ave. SE
April 9, Charleston, WV
- 7:15 – 7:45 am: Charleston Catholic High School 1033 Virginia St. East
- 8:45 – 9:15 am: West Virginia Department of Education 1900 Kanawha Blvd. East
- April 10, Charleston, WV
- 8:30 – 9:00 am: Congregation B’nai Jacob 1599 Virginia St. E
- 10:00 – 10:30 am: Temple Israel 2312 Kanawha Blvd. E
April 9, Whitesville, WV
- 9:30 – 10:00 am: Performance Coal Company Coal River Road WBC to picket the Performance Coal Company, sight of the mine explosion
April 10, Wheeling, WV
- 4:00 – 4:30 pm: St. Michael’s Church 1225 National Rd.
- 5:00 – 5:30 pm: St. Alphonsus Church 2111 Market St.
- 5:40 – 6:00 pm: St. Joseph’s Cathedral 1300 E off St.
- 6:15 – 6:45 pm: Wheeling Jesuit University 316 Washington Ave.
April 11, Charleston, WV
- 8:30 – 9:00 am: Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart 1032 Virginia St. E
- 10:00 – 10:30 am: Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart 1032 Virginia St. E
Resources:
- NowPublic Report
- Covenant House Event
- A fabulous flier idea to counter godhatesfags (shown above)
- WBOY
- WV Atheists Group
Word has it that even though these idiots do stage actual pickets, their main objective is to make headlines and file lawsuits for the purpose of lining their pockets. I think they’re best left ignored.
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Neece Reply:
April 8th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
I’ve heard that rumor too. But I think it’s important to go out there and counter protest against their hate, but to make sure not to touch them in any way.
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