Fred Phelps’ Westboro Church expected to picket today at Atlanta high schools, Jewish sites

Grady High School students organize demonstration against anti-gay church

Hundreds of Grady High School students as well as supporters are expected to line up at Piedmont Park near the school on Charles Allen Drive today as part of the Grady A.T.L. (Acceptance, Tolerance, Love) Demonstration to counter the expected picketing of the school by the Fred Phelps’ anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church. The demonstration is set to begin at 3:15 p.m.

The students say they plan to collect donations for AID Atlanta and the Human Rights Campaign during the counter protest. Becca Daniels, a student at Grady who is organizing the WBC counter protest at her school, wrote in a blog for GA Voice that, “The students of Grady High School finally agreed with me 100% that something had to be done. We did not want a hate group coming into our community preaching their twisted, hateful words.

“We knew their protest to love would do damage to the residents of our neighborhood, which has a large LGBT community. It became unanimous that whatever we did was to be completely separate from Westboro. This was no longer just about Westboro, it became something much bigger and better. Our focus was spreading our message of love and acceptance.”

The Atlanta Pride Committee is asking through Facebook to also counter protest Phelps’ church by making a donation through their website to the Georgia Safe Schools Coalition.

“In response to Fred’s detention worthy behavior, we are asking you to make a donation to GSSC. Every $10 you donate allows the organization to provide an educational binder to school personnel, giving them the tools to provide a safe environment for LGBTQ students. Because GSSC doesn’t currently have a way to collect online donations, Atlanta Pride will be collecting donations for them for a period of one week (through May 11th),” said JP Sheffield, executive director of Pride, in the note.

On May 5, CNN posted on its website the story, “‘Most-hated,’ anti-gay preacher once fought for civil rights,” which details Fred Phelps past as a civil rights attorney in the 1960s.

From the story:

He fought for the rights of blacks, they say, with the same passion he now reserves for the condemnation of gays.

“I don’t know him anymore,” says Joe Douglas Jr., an African-American activist in Topeka who became the city’s first minority fire department chief.

“I see him out there, and I hear the venom that comes out of his mouth. If you had asked me in the ’60s if he would do this, I would have said never.”

The Rev. Ben Scott, president of the NAACP’s Topeka branch, says he never heard Phelps talk about homosexuals during his work as a civil rights attorney.

“I didn’t even know he was a preacher,” Scott says.

WBC was in Atlanta yesterday protesting at several Jewish sites as well as a high school. Today the church plans to picket the following sites, as reported on their website www.godhatesfags.com:

05/06/2010
07:40 AM – 08:10 AM
Atlanta, GA – Druid Hills High School, 1798 Haygood Dr. NE WBC to picket all 1276 students whose parents and teachers have ensured they are good for absolutely nothing! (Jer 13:10 This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.) Rather than teach them to read and write, they have taught them to fornicate their lives away with whatever sex they choose, and to change sex partners more often than they change their sinky undergarments. The illiteracy of Doomed america’s youth is at an all time high, and the people love to have it so. Anti-Christ Obama is counting on it so he can convince you to take his mark and serve him by promising you “change” — what the heck does that even mean?! You don’t know and you don’t care as long as he lets you serve your lusts in peace. Oh, he will, because he hates you. Well, you have met some people at WBC who do not hate you and will tell you the truth pursuant to Lev. 19:17-18 – Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD. We will rebuke you for your sins TODAY!! That’s just who we are!

05/06/2010
08:15 AM – 08:45 AM
Atlanta, GA – Emory University Hillel, 735 Gatewood Rd. NE (Marcus Hillel Center) WBC to picket this Hillel that — like all Hillels — promotes every manner of filth imaginable found in Doomed america’s Universities. You say you are God’s chosen people, yet you do not even show a pretense of obeying. The commandment is to flee worldly lusts that war against your soul; yet, you run to and sponsor every form of lust. You weary God with your nonsense – Mal. 2:17 – Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? Do you really believe God does not see what you do? Anti-Christ Obama believes that, and he is counting on you believing that so he can make you take his mark and worship and serve him instead of God. He hates you, and will bring your final destruction which is imminent! The time is short — you are not kids anymore. You can read! Get a Bible, READ IT, and OBEY GOD!!

05/06/2010
3:10 PM – 3:40 PM
Atlanta, GA – Grady High School, 929 Charles Allen Dr. NE WBC to picket the 1338 worthless students to warn them to flee the wrath that is coming shortly on this nation. Your parents have broken your moral compass by telling you God loves everyone and it’s okay to be gay — two lies from the pit of hell. Obama agrees with your parents because he hates you. You have nothing — no jobs, no money, no homes; the only thing you are good for is the killing fields of Iraq, Afghanistan, or where ever else Anti-Christ Obama starts another war and sends you to die. Doomed america has made God her #1 Enemy, and he now fights against you! Jer 21:5 And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. That is not a God you want to mess with, boys and girls. Our hope is that you will listen to this warning! You likely will not listen to your own condemnation. No matter – you will know that the prophets of God have been in your land.

05/06/2010
5:15 PM – 6:00 PM
Atlanta, GA – The Selig Center (Jewish Federation of Atlanta), 1440 Spring St. WBC will picket the “Israel As a Demoncracy” Symposium Series (Israel Democracy Institute) to warn you that the Anti-Christ Beast Obama is not your friend. He is your arch enemy! He will lead the nations to march on Israel very soon now as part of the wrapping up of the affairs of this world and the fulfillment of the promises of our faithful God. Obama knows you are covenant breakers (Isa 24:5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.), and he is counting on that to bring on your final destruction. While you are experiencing the worse assault of your lives, God will call out from you his remnant – 144,000 (Rev. 7:4) — to pour out a spirit of supplication upon and save. You will look upon him whom ye pierced and mourn like one mourns for their only child. We will be there to help you. Come out from among them TODAY!! That will make us so happy!!