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Westboro Baptist Church

Friday, January 18, 2013

St. Louis County Reportedly Considers Funeral Protest Ban

The ban would be similar to the those passed by other St. Louis area cities, including Clayton.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis County Councilman Steve Stenger, D-Affton, wants to pass legislation that would restrict funeral protests (Read Previous Story: Appeals Court Rules Manchester Can Restrict Funeral Protests) Stenger wants legislation that would mirror Creve Coeur's city ordinance which was passed this week by the city council, the Post reports. Creve Coeur and Clatyon have both recently passed ordinances similar to Manchester's city ordinance which prohibits protests within 300 feet of a funeral one hour before and one hour after services. Manchester's ordinance was put in place in response to protests like those by Westboro Baptist Church where members are known for anti-gay protests at the funerals of U.…

Sunday, October 28, 2012

VIDEO: 'God Bless America' at MRH Laramie Project Rally

Artistic director of the Gateway Men's Chorus, Al Fischer, led the group in singing.

Hundreds came to a rally at Maplewood Richmond Heights on Saturday, Oct. 20 to support the student play, The Laramie Project. When the Maplewood Richmond Heights drama group put on The Laramie Project, about the murder of a gay student in Wyoming, the play was picketed by six representatives of Westboro Baptist Church. Hundreds came out in a counter-rally in support of the play. As part of their protest against the group from Westboro Baptist, they sang several songs. The online publication, the Vital Voice, a 'lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender...news source' posted this YouTube video of Fischer leading the group singing God Bless America. Also on Patch:

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Superintendent Thanks Community for Support at Rally, Have a Favorite Sign?

When Westboro Baptist Church came to Maplewood Richmond Heights they were met with opposition. Superintendent Karen Hall thanked the community for the support.

Maplewood Richmond Heights superintendent Karen Hall thanked the community for coming out in the hundreds to support the high school play, The Laramie Project, on the school district website on Monday. "On behalf of the Maplewood Richmond Heights School District, I want to thank you for the tremendous amount of support you showed our district this weekend. By sending emails of encouragement, making phone calls of support, coming to our rally, and attending the play, you showed that we will not allow hate in our community, nor allow our students to be bullied." Read Hall's full message to the community. A group from Westboro Baptist Church picketed the play with signs expressing hate for Mathew Shepard, the subject of the play, and for gays…

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Westboro Baptist Church Picket Met with Counter-Rally of Hundreds at MRH

Westboro Baptist came to picket a Maplewood Richmond Heights production of The Laramie Project, and a counter-protest drew supporters from all over.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Westboro Baptist Church Picket Met with Counter-Rally of Hundreds at MRH

Westboro Baptist came to picket a Maplewood Richmond Heights production of The Laramie Project, and a counter-protest drew supporters from all over.

Westboro Baptist Church came to Maplewood to picket the Maplewood Richmond Heights theater class production of The Laramie Project on Saturday, and a much larger group, supporting the students, gathered outside the school to counter-protest. The Laramie Project is about the murder of a gay student in 1998. Understanding and tolerance are themes of the play. Westboro Baptist is known for its vehement position against gays and lesbians. When students and faculty at MRH learned Westboro Baptist was coming to picket, they started to plan a counter-protest. See more photos at Maplewood-Brentwood Patch Facebook. “Karen Hall (MRH superintendent) and Kevin Grawer (MRH principal) came to me and said we need to do something to balance the hate,” MRH…

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Jackie Adams

12:52 pm on Tuesday, October 23, 2012

YEah, Mom!! Exactly the point of the rally put in words people understand!! Love you and your "hate" for the Westboro group is normal. God will take care of that for you- dont fret!! LOL!!!   more ›

Maplewood Police Chief: Westboro Baptist Church Has Right to Peaceful Protest

Westboro Baptist will protest the Maplewood Richmond Heights production of The Laramie Project on Saturday. Maplewood police will be there to keep the peace.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Local Clergy Strongly Disagree With Westboro Baptist Message, Methods

Westboro Baptist Church members will picket on Saturday at Maplewood Richmond Heights before a 2:00 performance of 'The Laramie Project.' Local clergy of several denominations disagree with Westboro Baptist's message.

Maplewood Richmond Heights High School will have two showings of The Laramie Project on Saturday, and before the 2:00 show, a group from Westboro Baptist Church will picket the school with its message of intolerance toward gays. Westboro Baptist has conducted demonstrations opposing gays since 1991, according to its website. That viewpoint is the opposite of local clergy Patch spoke with on the subject. Pastor Steve Moseley, at the Maplewood Baptist Church commented on Patch, that the views of Westboro Baptist do “not represent views and opinions of our congregation.” He said there are different denominations of Baptists, and some call themselves independent Baptists, but still group together, but none of them are affiliated with Westboro …

Maplewood Police Chief: Westboro Baptist Church Has Right to Peaceful Protest

Westboro Baptist will protest the Maplewood Richmond Heights production of The Laramie Project on Saturday. Maplewood police will be there to keep the peace.

Maplewood Police learned about Westboro Baptist Church’s plans to picket at Maplewood Richmond Heights on Oct. 16, and will be at the planned protest on Saturday, Oct. 20. MRH High School is producing The Laramie Project, a play that promotes tolerance towards gays, and Westboro Baptist Church is know for its harsh protests against tolerance, and gays in general. Maplewood chief Steve Kruse received a letter from an attorney representing Westboro Baptist Church, notifying him they were going to protest The Laramie Project, and wanted police protection. Kruse said he was told that about six to eight protesters will protest before the Saturday, Oct. 20 matinee performance. “They stated that they plan on doing a peaceful protest, that they …

mormit

4:46 pm on Saturday, October 20, 2012

The Maplewood Police Department did an excellent job today. I am proud of the MRH students and community for keeping it positive, peaceful, and not taking the bait. "Rev" Phelps is a con-man. What the WBC does is use every inflammatory method possible, with out quite crossing the limit of what is legal, in order to bait someone into reacting. Then they sue that person, the police dept, the owner …   more ›

MRH Will Respond to Westboro Baptist Church Picket

Westboro Baptist is planning a protest of Maplewood Richmond Heights' 'The Laramie Project' on Saturday.

The Westboro Baptist Church, known for harshly protesting against homosexuality, is coming to Maplewood Richmond Heights on Saturday, October 20, and MRH will have a response. The Maplewood Richmond Heights threatre department is putting on The Laramie Project, a play about tolerance towards homosexuals, and Westboro Baptist has stated they will picket the Saturday matinee. MRH plans a peaceful rally to counter the Westboro protest, and has invited the community to attend the school’s response to Westboro Baptist’s picket. “Our interest is to have a peaceful response that supports our students participating in the The Laramie Project as well as embrace all diversity within our community,” the MRH organizers say. The MRH rally will begin at…

L Jacoby

12:18 pm on Friday, October 19, 2012

Times have really changed for the better since I went there, and now I could not be prouder to be a graduate of MRH.   more ›

Laramie Project Opens at MRH, Westboro Baptist to Picket on Saturday

Students in the show are unconcerned that Westboro Baptist Church is coming to picket the Saturday, Oct. 20 matinee show.

Maplewood Richmond Heights students opened The Laramie Project Thursday night to more than a hundred in the MRH Auditorium. The actors found out that morning that members of the Westboro Baptist Church are coming to picket in front of the school before the Saturday matinee. The play looks into the events around the murder of Mathew Shepard, a gay student in Laramie, Wyoming. Director, Holly Potthoff called it surreal that there’s Rev. Fred Phelps on stage and the real Phelps is planning on picketing outside. “To me it just makes it more relevant for our students,” she said. See more photos from opening night at Maplewood-Brentwood Patch Facebook. Natalie Mitten said she thought a lot of the cast was thrilled when they learned Westboro …

Susie Dietz McGaughey

9:45 pm on Friday, October 19, 2012

Students of MRH, I am applauding you before ever stepping foot in your theater. As a fellow human being who believes in standing up for the lives and rights of all people and as a mother of a young boy in the MRH schools, I proudly stand with you in spirit and, if I can manage it, in body tomorrow. You should be so proud to be a part of such an important production and stance for human rights. …   more ›

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