Fred Phelps and WBC...

[Counciltucky]

Just curious here: Has anyone had any experiences dealing with the Phelps clan? I'm fascinated by this group of clowns and the shit they pull. If you have any stories to share, please share them with me.

Thanks!

[JeremyWestenn]

1. I saw a church protest.

A few years back here in Leavenworth. They protested a string of churches because this is the hometown of Melissa Etheridge and all. They were rather wiped out there as they were very placid and from what I heard from a friends father at a previous church they protested at that day they were screaming obscenities, insults, and yelling at people. The protest I saw was the last one that they did.

The good thing about living in this great state is that houses have a higher chance of falling on people like them.

[Mabus]

2. They actually came in useful once

Back in 2003, when the Dole Institute for Politics had its dedication, a number of national figures came through town for the dedication - Jimmy Carter, Rudy Giuliani, Condi Rice and, of course, Bob Dole among them. There were basically two areas where protests occurred, the Holidome and the Institute itself. The Phelps Klan showed up at both events. Thanks to them, we had no "free speech zone." I think it is because even the local cops don't want to tangle with the Phelps Phamily.

At the first protest the Phelps Klan got on the same side of the street as the Holidome itself. A few of the early arriving protesters were also allowed to stay on the Holidome grounds but the rest of us (because of the numbers) were relegated across the street. Luckily for us, we were able to position the protest at the entrance to the Holidome, so all the limos had to drive by us on their way to the Dole Institute on KU's West Campus.

At the second protest, the police told us that our "free speech zone" was at 15th and Crestline. Across a huge parking lot, around the corner and down a steep hill from the Dole Institute. There was a lot of foot traffic but most of the people were parking on the other side of the hill and would never see us. My husband suggested that we take our protest closer to the Institute. Not everyone agreed and about five of us brave souls walked up the hill, around the corner and were heading across the parking lot to the Dole Institute when we were stopped by a cop. He reminded us that the "protest zone" was at the bottom of the hill. Just then we noticed the Phelps Phamily protesting across the parking lot. My husband told the cop that we go back to the bottom of the hill if they made the Phelps Klan go. We stayed and one of our group went down the hill and told others. So, we got closer than we would have gotten thanks to the Phelpses.