There are Youtube videos up as well.LONG BEACH - Members of a Kansas church best known for its strong anti-gay rhetoric was greeted by mild weather and overwhelming opposition when they stopped off at Wilson High School Friday afternoon during their weekend tour of the Southland.
Seven members of the family of Fred Phelps, founder of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., are expected to attend a variety of events in and around Long Beach this weekend to spread their message.
Carrying placards proffering their opposition to Israel, Jews and gays, often with incendiary slogans, the group was quickly drowned out after it set up shop at the northwest corner of Ximeno Avenue and 10th Street, across from Wilson High.
Even before school let out at 2:45 p.m. more than 1,000 students and opponents of the church group crowded onto sidewalks snarled traffic at the intersection. And when the school bells rang, students emerged and engulfed the church group.
Reaction to the fundamentalist group ranged from dismissal, to anger, to mockery. Attempts at reasoned discourse were usually short-lived.
Within 15 minutes of the final bell at school, the church group had retreated to a nearby parking lot, where they were surrounded by a boisterous but peaceful crowd. At 3:13 p.m., the Kansas contingent climbed into a Ford F-350 passenger van and drove away west down 10th Street to booming chants of "go home, go home."
Despite the inciting language and rhetoric of the church group, they were greeted by festival-like opposition.
Students and counter-protestors waved Jewish, American and rainbow flags, and showed placards with signs such as "Stop the Waves," "God Hates Shrimp" and "God Loves Tamales." Two younger kids had complementary signs that read "Rock Hates Scissors" and "Scissors Hate Paper."
Wilson student Chris Jones said, "I don't know why they are here. If they had something positive to say ... but this is just negative. Why are they bringing a negative vibe into Long Beach?"
Senior Dana Preedeedilok said, "They don't believe in anything. No one takes them seriously."
He said the best way to deal with the church protesters was through mockery.
Erik Larson, a Poly senior, had a more serious take.
"I just wanted to come here and show who I am and support my friends, some of whom are gay," Larson said. "It's obvious to me they are just here to preach hate and this makes it feel a little less shameless (for them)."
Larson said the church members' philosophy was self-contradictory and attempts at reasoned discourse was futile.
"They have three points they say and then they sing their songs," Larson said.
Several city leaders and politicians were at the event and gave the students high marks both for being engaged and nonviolent.
"I am just so proud of the Wilson students," said First District Councilman Robert Garcia. "I think this is a good message that Long Beach is about love, equality and respect."
Rev. Gregory Thompson of Christ Chapel echoed Garcia's message.
"I have never been prouder of today's youth," Thompson said. "These kids are more passionate about equal rights and even God than we give them credit."
The Westboro group, all relatives of Fred Phelps, whom they said would not accompany them, began their day near the Alpert Jewish Community Center, which is playing host to the annual Jewlicious Festival, a musical and cultural celebration for teens and young adults this weekend.
The Westboro group set up at the northeast corner of Willow Street and Redondo Avenue.
Rebekah Phelps-Davis said she came from her Kansas home "Because this state (California) is getting its backside kicked by the Lord our God."
She rebuffed the legions of critics by saying that Noah was similarly dismissed and said people need to repent or "they will be destroyed in the end that is coming very soon."
Within the Jewish community there were two very different responses.
Deborah Goldfarb, executive director of the Jewish Federation, said she would simply ignore the Westboro group.
"We're trying to make it a nonevent," Goldfarb said.
A spokesman from the Jewish Defense League, Ari Rubin, screamed curses at the church group.
Rubin said that passivity among Jews paved the way for the Holocaust.
"(The Jewish Federation) think they can ignore or appease (opponents); we disagree," Rubin said.
During the demonstration at Willow and Redondo, about 40 counterprotestors carried signs mocking the church group. One counterprotestor dressed in a bunny costume had a sign that said, "Welcome to Long Beach, now go homo." Another man in shorts and a T-shirt danced between and next to the church members who while playing "Jackson Five" music on a boom box.
Another local, Mark Hawkins who owns inkspace.com in Bixby, expressed his view of the church group with a blank sign.
"I'm not against protest or First Amendment free speech, but I'm very against hate," Hawkins said.
The Topeka, Kan.-based church has drawn national attention for protesting funerals of American soldiers among its activities. The group also operates the Web site http://www.godhatesfags.com. According to the church's Web site, Westboro is dedicated to "opposing the homosexual life-style of soul-damning, nation-destroying filth."
The church also plans to protest a number of events in town during the weekend including the Ragga Muffins Festival at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center.
I found this really cool. So many times people like the crazies at Westboro are just ignored and allowed to spew their shit all over the place. Instead, this time they were drowned out by overwhelming opposition in a non-violent way that really spoke volumes about the community.
I don't think this is particularly news worthy, just wanted to share.