Military Funerals Draw Fury
The Westboro Baptist Church tours the country and protests at
Published March 7, 2006
ANDERSON, Mo. — There wasn't an open parking space in sight along the three-block stretch of Main Street in downtown Anderson. The event sparking interest in the town was the funeral of 19-year-old Army Pfc. Christopher Marion, who was killed in action in Iraq on Feb. 22.
"This is the busiest I've ever seen downtown," Anderson resident Todd Peltzer said. "It's usually real quiet around here."
The increase in activity surrounding the funeral was supplemented not only by Anderson's sense of community but also by the threat of protest by Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church and a new law prohibiting such a protest.
The group tours the country and protests at military funerals about the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy regarding homosexual soldiers. A law passed by the Missouri legislature this session prohibits protesting an hour before and after funerals. The passage of the law, and the possible actions of protestors put the community on edge.
Phelps' said his group is opposed to gay rights and thinks the advancement of those rights has led directly to the deaths of soldiers in Iraq.
"In short, you turn the country over to the fags, and now those soldiers are coming home in body bags," said Shirley Phelps-Roper, a member of and an attorney for the WBC. "Now, God is using the dead soldier to punish this nation. If God is killing those soldiers, using weapons of war as weapons of choice to punish this nation, then our forum of choice to connect those dots is the soldiers' funerals. Our job is to show America her abominations."
Local residents and the media began arriving around 11 a.m. for the 1 p.m. funeral in anticipation of the WBC members' arrival.
"These are good, friendly folk around here," Peltzer said. "They don't want any problems. People from around here are here to support the family. When something happens, the community comes together to help. I know this area, and to be honest, I'm a little worried for the protestors."
Soon after, veterans riding motorcycles came down Main Street and parked in a lot near the Ozark Funeral Home, where the funeral was held.
One group of bikers that gathered in Anderson, the American Legion of Southeast Kansas, already had faced WBC protestors at four military funerals.
"We don't want them here, and they have no right to be here," said Bob Peternell, director of the veterans group. "They have the right to protest, but not at a funeral. Our boys are dying over there to keep the right for these people to do things like this."
By the time the funeral began, about 100 bikers wearing leather jackets, chaps, bandanas and numerous patches lined Main Street facing the funeral home holding American flags. McDonald County Chief Deputy Gregg Sweeten and Anderson police Chief Randy Wilson said they were taking appropriate precautions to keep protestors from disturbing the funeral.
"We've got our people lined up," Sweeten said. "Each street corner around here has been blocked off, which our legal advisers have told us is what 'around the funeral' means in the law. We have to follow these statutes. We're not going to do anything differently than we do with anyone else who breaks the law."
The Missouri Senate unanimously passed the statute on Feb. 21, and it was signed into law immediately. Senate President Pro Tem Mike Gibbons said the bill contained emergency clauses to put into effect immediately instead of on Aug. 28 like regular bills.
The funeral of Specialist Edward Myers from St. Joseph sparked the bill by Sen. Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph, Gibbons said.
"That is an extraordinarily private time to mourn and grieve for the loss of a loved one, and it's very upsetting for a family who is already racked with grief to have to deal with these people exploiting the funeral for political purposes," Gibbons said. "Courts have always said that we can regulate the time, place and manner of demonstrations. With this bill, we've put reasonable restrictions on the time, place and manner of these protests."
In the end, the protestors did not show up at any portion of the funeral. Phelps-Roger said it's because the group was worried about being arrested.
"Our right to free speech is under the First Amendment and so is our right to exercise our religion," Phelps-Roper said. "The Missouri Taliban is trying to take away those rights. That thing that they passed, it's impotent; it's not going to stop squat. It's not going to stop us from delivering our message. If it gets in our way, we'll sue them, and we'll win."
The group received a letter from the local prosecuting attorney. According to his interpretation of the law, the protesters were prohibited from gathering in "any place reasonably established as a parking area for the attendees," as well as the route of the funeral procession. Phelps-Roper said the rules were too stringent.
"Where are we supposed to stand? Kansas City? New York?" Phelps-Roper said. "Our goal is to deliver a message, and they've obviously gotten the message. Showing our signs would just be gravy at that point."