Bixby Bulletin
Don’t mess with Bixby
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| Counter-protest Don't mess with Bixby This was the prevailing sentiment Wednesday afternoon as the community expressed its support in ways both subtly and overtly to the family of a young man, Shane Reed - whose funeral on that beautiful spring day came far too soon. “It’s traditional that a church and a community will draw together in times of grief,” said Pastor Phil Sallee of New Beginnings Church, where the funeral was held. “For thousands of years, during a grief event a church and the surrounding community have pulled together for support.” And Bixby did pull together for the Reed family. The attendance at the New Beginnings service was described by Sallee as “overflow.” That Bixby would support the family of Reed is not surprising, but what made this event noteworthy was the intrusion of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church - who made known their intentions to protest at the funeral, gathering the proper permits and permissions to do so as protected by this nation’s First Amendment. Adding to the potential for chaos was the dangerous location of the protest -151st and Harvard --an intersection well known for fatality accidents-- with the Westboro group on the southeast corner and an area provided for a counter-protest on the northeast corner. The Westboro Baptist Church has the unique designation among churches of being considered and monitored as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center. They’ve made themselves infamous world-wide through a pattern of protest techniques which seem specifically designed to be as hurtful and despicable as legally possible, in order to get their message of hate and intolerance across. Why Bixby? The typical target of their vitriol is homosexuality, which they then extrapolate to apply to literally anyone they want, most notably members of the US armed forces who have fallen in combat. Their tie-in? Soldiers, they claim, fight for a country that is tolerant of homosexuals, and their death is just punishment by an angry God. According to Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of Westboro patriarch Fred Phelps, this protest was an indictment on the people of Oklahoma, because their Ford Econoline van suffered slashed tires recently at a Westboro protest in McAlester, Okla. The flimsy justification for protesting Reed’s funeral? Motorcycles. They see motorcycle clubs as their main nemesis and chief tormentors. In this instance, they referred particularly to the Patriot Guard Riders, a group whose main function is to attend funerals across the nation as invited guests to shield grieving families from interruptions created by Westboro protesters. Phelps-Roper says that bikers interrupted a Westboro protest in McAlester recently and “revved their motors until the ground shook.” She proclaimed that Reed’s motorcycle accident was God’s retribution against the “bitter bikers” as she calls them. Pressed further, Phelps-Roper offered nothing more insightful than the cliche’ hate rhetoric they are known for. The nine protesters consisted of what seemed to be a handful of adults, including Phelps-Roper and several minor children. They carried signs proclaiming, among other vulgarities, God’s hatred for Oklahoma. Phelps-Roper sang parody songs with hateful lyrics. The others seemed decidedly uninspired and eerily quiet, a far cry from the infamous troublemakers they were reputed to be. Isolated from the counter-protest group by at least 200 yards, they looked tiny and insignificant. Conversely, on the other side of the highway, things were a bit different. A counter-protest group was growing. In the hour preceding the funeral, the counter-protest (for lack of a better term) group swelled to over 200 people, dwarfing the Westboro group and changing the complexion of the entire event from one of ugly emotional terrorism to one of support and uplifting positivity. The counter-protest group was an amalgamation of community members, some of whom were friends of the Reed family and others who simply wanted to lend their support in a unified front against hate and intolerance. The mood, while not festive, was clearly one of support and resolve. When a large group of Patriot Guard Riders arrived, they were greeted like rock stars with cheers and applause - in stark contrast to the grim, isolated little group across the street. “I don’t see how they can call themselves a church,” said Tom Packer of the American Veterans Motorcycle Club. “I Just don’t see it. We don’t call em a church.” Packer said that while his club and other local chapters don’t follow the Westboro protesters around, they do try to make any regional events Westboro attends. When told that Phelps-Roper cited God’s judgement against “bitter bikers” for attending the funeral, Packer said, “They’re learning. We don’t like them either. They normally protest veteran’s funerals, and we just don’t put up with that.” While it was clear no love was lost for the Westboro protesters, the crowd of Bixby residents from all walks of life did not take the bait or lower themselves to any confrontation with Phelps-Roper. The event remained peaceful and focused on providing a presence that not only countered the protest, but defeated it with its own weapon of choice - the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. “The outpouring of love and show of support is a perfect example of a community coming together to shield and protect a family in grief,” said Pastor Sallee whose church does not charge a fee for funeral services even if the family are not members. “It’s a ministry of the church. People still look to the church when their grief is so profound and we are honored to provide comfort and hope, which is the real Christian experience.” Fortunately, the entire event remained peaceful, thanks to the Bixby Police Department presence - which was everywhere. Eight Bixby patrol cars and every officer in the department (many of whom were off duty) was on hand along with several Tulsa County Sheriff’s deputies, to ensure the safety of the protesters, the safety of the counter-protesters, the relatively unimpeded flow of highway traffic, and the peaceful transportation to and from the church by the family and friends of Shane Reed. “We are very happy with the way Bixby officials and the police officers handled things,” said Sallee, who said the funeral was not interrupted in any way by the events down the street. http://bixbybulletin.com/news/article_f51d2cac-5663-11e0-9ea6-001cc4c002e0.html |