24NOV06
OPREP: REV. PHELPS COUNTER DEMONSTRATION IN HUNTSVILLE, AL
Rev. Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church (Topeka, KS) arrived in Huntsville, AL to protest the funeral of Nicole Ford. Ms. Ford was one of the four students killed in a school bus crash in Huntsville earlier this week after the bus veered off the highway and plunged roughly 30 feet off the overpass.
Once local organizations found out about the WBC arriving in Huntsville the word quickly spread. Immediately, local atheists and freethinkers began to think of ways to counter Phelps’ presence.
Members of the North Alabama Freethought Association, an affiliate of American Atheists, were equally enthusiastic to become involved.
A scout team was sent ahead the night before to scope out a staging area and identify where the church was, where Phelps’ people would be, and where demonstrators could best position themselves to serve the greater good.
The purpose, as agreed upon by everyone involved, was not to protest Phelps and bring attention to him, but to show support for the grieving family and bring together the community for a good cause.
The emphasis, as was pointed out to several media personnel during the demonstration, was to put aside religious, political, philosophical, and ideological differences so that everyone could come together as a community and show that hate is not respected in Huntsville and that supporting the grief of a family is more important. Through tragedy should come love – not hate. This point was emphasized when two Christians, a Pagan, and a Buddhist joined the atheists in support of the family and in defiance of Phelps’ group.
Demonstrators arrived on scene at 10:30 AM only to find out that the road leading to their predetermined staging area had been shut down by the police. Out of all the roads available, the police chose that particular road as their staging area. Demonstrators quickly had to adapt to the change and designated a new staging area about one mile south of the funeral and agreed to shuttle everyone back and forth to avoid the mile long hike.
Before shuttling people back and forth, Blair gave a quick “training” on what to do when approached by police, press, civilians, or any of Phelps’ group. It was also important to emphasize, that while we were there as atheists, our primary concern was showing community support and not speaking out directly against Phelps, which would only have brought more attention on him. The idea of the demonstration was not to protest Phelps, per se, but to directly support the family and friends of those killed in the tragic bus accident earlier this week.
After the first group arrived on scene, Huntsville City Councilman Glen Watson (District 5) advised the atheists that they could all join in one area without fear of arrest or harassment by the police. Councilman Watson extended his appreciation for atheists showing up and did not flinch when demonstrators identified themselves as atheists. Councilman Watson welcomed atheists with open arms and a “verbal permit” was granted to counter demonstrate.
A verbal permit was important because demonstrators were unable to procure a legal permit due to time constraints. Demonstrators were planning on standing in groups of four at least thirty feet apart in order to not violate Alabama, Madison County, and City of Huntsville legal codes.
The Councilman’s support was a huge boost to the group. Two city buses were blocking Phelps’ view of the church where Ms. Ford’s funeral was taking place. The buses also prevented the media from covering Phelps’ group. Most importantly, the buses, and the presence of demonstrators, blocked those attending the funeral from seeing Phelps’ group. Councilman Watson joked that it was unfortunate that the buses ran out of gas and that gas was coming up from Birmingham and should arrive around 2 PM.
At one point the owner of the property that demonstrators were on asked everyone to leave. However, Councilman Watson was able to work out a compromise with the property owner and demonstrators only had to move approximately fifty feet south (closer to Phelps’ group).
While the atheists were clearly the largest organized group assembled, many other people showed up, including the North Alabama Peace Network, the local Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, and many concerned individuals. Everyone stood together, regardless of their differences, and showed support where it was needed and stood up to hatred and bigotry.
Phelps’ permit was from 11:15 AM to 12:00 PM. At exactly 12:00 PM the police escorted Phelps’ group away from their designated protest area. Demonstrators immediately started clapping and cheering as Phelps’ group left the scene. The police provided an escort for Phelps’ group out of the area.
In order to provide privacy to the mourners (the funeral started at noon), the demonstrators immediately began leaving after Phelps’ people departed.
Atheists gathered at a local Chinese restaurant for lunch afterward. Everyone agreed that this demonstration was both positive and rewarding. Everyone agreed that they felt really good about what they did, especially since the message we were delivering was positive.
NAFA members were interviewed by the Birmingham News, WVTM Birmingham, the Associated Press, and other news agencies.
This demonstration in support of the grieving family and friends of Ms. Ford was an outstanding success for everyone. Several family members of Ms. Ford drove by us and waved and yelled “Thank you” from their cars. Many regular citizens driving by also waved and gave demonstrators a thumbs-up. A cousin of Ms. Ford approached a NAFA member and asked for the sign so she could remember the support for her family. She was given a sign that said, “Respect the Funeral.” She thanked everyone for showing their support and then began heading toward the church where the funeral was about to begin.
Blair said, “I would like to personally thank everyone that came out and helped us support this family during their time of grief. It was important for the state of Alabama and the United States to know that the message of Phelps’ was not tolerated and that we supported our community, regardless of faith or lack thereof. We felt good knowing we let Ms. Ford’s family know they had community support.”
“We particularly owe Councilman Watson huge thanks,” continued Blair, “for his support in getting the police to allow us to stay and his compromise with the property owner. Without Councilman Watson’s support for the family and cause, the demonstration may not have been as successful as it was.”
It is estimated that forty people attended the demonstration.
Thanks again to everyone that came out and participated!
