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Central High students oppose Westboro protest
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Drita Dogjani
Issue date: 1/9/09 Section: News
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The Westboro Baptist Church released a statement Jan. 1 of their intention to hold a religious protest against the employment of homosexual faculty members at the high school.
Andrew Jardel, a 2007 graduate of Central High School, organized an anti-protest against the church and gathered picketers through a Facebook event.
Jardel stated that his goal was not to change the mindset of the protestors from the church.
"What we're here to do is support Central students, support gay students and staff. We don't want the students to come off these buses and walk up these hills, and see their signs without seeing our signs and knowing that we're there to support them. That's why we're here, we're here to support them," Jardel said.
High school senior Camillia McKay organized a way for students to react to the protests without acting against school principal Sheldon Pavel's orders in an earlier statement on the school web site requesting students to remain uninvolved. McKay gathered a group of students a block away from the school for a "walk of silence."
"They can do what they want, but we're going to just go to school together just to show that we stand strong together and that they don't phase us," McKay said.
The protestors from the church consisted of a group of four, including members Shirley Phelps-Rover and Jacob Phelps. Signs such as "God Hates You" and "America is doomed" were featured in the protest.
According to Phelps-Rover, members of the church had traveled to other schools, usually those affiliated with the Leremy Project. Phelps-Rover said Central was chosen because it is one of the largest schools in the reason and has an active GLSBA club. Phelps-Rover said she did not expect to cause any change with the group's protest.
"We're just here informing these people because it is our duty to God," Phelps-Rover said.
Jacob Phelps said the belief of his church was that all members of Central High School and places like it were condemned.
"We might all be going to hell in the end. It might end up being that just one person from our entire church makes it to heaven. In the end, it is all God's judgment that decides," Phelps added. "In the end, we all are a people of sinners. It is all up to God's judgment."
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