Westboro Baptists protest Moore, OK. Residents rout them and run them off.

[WilliamPitt]

The ragged remnants of the Westboro Baptist Church staged a protest at Central Junior High School in Moore, OK, to underscore their belief that the massive tornado that devastated the town last year was "God's wrath" against "phony 'Christians.'"

Pretty much the whole town showed up to counter-protest...and then started crossing the street towards the Westboro protesters in an ever-growing wave...and the Westboro people scattered like geese and ran.

Oh yeah, this.

[LeftofObama]

1. Run, you asshats! Run!

I wish I could rec this 1000 times!

[snooper2]

2. I bet the losers already have a case filed, "state failed to protect our 1st amendment rights"

[hobbit709]

8. The state doesn't have to. It only cannot restrict them

the government did nothing to restrict their right to be assholes.

[IronGate]

9. Police have no legal duty to protect citizens unless in custody,

so those asshats would have no case.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Rock_v._Gonzales

[el_bryanto]

14. That doesn't sound right - what if they witness an assault?

Don't they have an obligation to stop it? or to intervene?

Bryant

[IronGate]

19. No, they do not.

The SCOTUS has ruled that the police have no legal duty to intervene or protect individual citizens unless in custody.
http://policelink.monster.com/training/articles/2152-supreme-court-police-have-no-liability-for-failing-to-enforce-a-restraining-order-

Law Enforcement generally has no constitutional duty to protect citizens from third party harm.

Altough I can't for the life of me see any cop not intervening in a crime in progress, but cops and cities can't be sued for not intervening and protecting a citizen.

[derby378]

30. Which is another reason why the Second Amendment is on the books

If nobody else will protect you, you have the inherent right to protect yourself.

[calimary]

31. Welcome to DU, IronGate!

Good to have you with us! No comment other than - I'm glad these assholes were run outta town. They can take their hatred and bigotry and other social toxins and stuff it all. THEY are the ones who are un-American, and THOROUGHLY un-Christian, in my opinion anyway.

[msanthrope]

59. None. nt

[amb123]

3. Run Away! Run Away!

[msongs]

4. wonderful when groups of extremist fundies battle each other. it's god's will lol nt

[LordGlenconner]

20. That's exactly what this is

I live about 30 minutes from Moore (population 55,000 so the "whole town" wasn't out to protest) and it is chock full of fundie shmucks. I'd be willing to bet 90 percent of the people that appeared in that video have an extreme level of hate for the President, and Democrats in general.

Still kind of funny to see them routed, though.

[Feral Child]

5. Now that's

a Party!




REC

[oneshooter]

6. Will you look at that, a cop using a bicycle tire for self defence. At 0.56

Could he be related to a DU member?

[irisblue]

22. and it was effective too!

Go Moore!

[rrneck]

40. If they had been near a grocery store it could have taken years and cost millions of lives. nt

[Enthusiast]

7. K&R! This post should have hundreds of recommendations!

[Aristus]

10. A cousin of mine is among those who helped run those assholes out of town.

Pretty proud!...

[davidpdx]

18. Cool

Maybe he or she could provide more information as to what happened from a personal perspective and you could post it. The backstory on these types of things are as interesting as the outcome.

[Brigid]

21. Agree with davidpx.

Ask your cousin to tell us more.

[WilliamPitt]

32. Pride.

You haz it.

[RKP5637]

54. K&R !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Not Sure]

11. "I hate Illinois Nazis"

Glad to see these jackasses got run off.

[AcertainLiz]

12. These folks are jokes now

Why don't they just quit?

[Ghislaineldy]

13. Moore Strong!!!

I was in the thick of it and left just 2 mins. before they rushed Westboro.. Our town has suffered horrible losses with 23 of our precious children taken from us in the tornadoes last May..They said it was God's retribution for our godless town.. Mind you, there is a church on every other block it seems..The last time they came here, their tires were flattened and no one would help them..I am proud of my town and the people of Moore...

[OldHippieChick]

23. Thanks for posting and welcome!!!

Members of my church have actually travelled to Moore to help in rebuilding. Such a much better use of resources.

[calimary]

28. Welcome to DU, Ghislaineldy AND ALSO AcertainLiz

Glad both of you are here! Glad this is the prevailing opinion in Moore OK. Those assholes who wrap their bigotry and hatred around the Cross of Christ - they're the ones who just don't get it. Glad it's being taken directly to them and in their faces!

[WilliamPitt]

33. Tremendous first post.

Welcome to DU.

[gopiscrap]

41. Welcome to DU!

[Skittles]

47. thanks Ghislaineldy!

Moore did itself proud today

[busterbrown]

15. Looking for Lawsuits ...

Money is their God!!!

[hootinholler]

16. They have been run out of many towns accross the nation

A couple of years ago they came to Frederick Md. and the local LGBT club at the community college organized a counter protest with similar results.

[Lurks Often]

17. Sooner or later the police won't be able to stop a crowd

I'm sure that at least a couple of the police there went "Oh shit, we get to be the ones blamed for allowing Westboro Baptist get the crap kicked out of them".

And when the inevitable occurs and the police aren't able to stop the crowd, there are going to be a bunch of Westboro Baptist members in the hospital.

[Duval]

24. Another good one, WRP. n/t

[JPZenger]

25. When they showed up in Times Square, NYPD put them in a metal cage

When the Westboro Cult showed up for their protest in Times Square, the NYC Police put them in a metal cage for their own protection.

I'm surprised they still have that many followers. Usually they threaten to show up, and then don't, or only send 2 guys.

We should never refer to them as a "Church".

[xocet]

26. Imagine crowds chanting "USA! USA! USA!" and chasing off antiwar activists. How would that be? n/t

[bullwinkle428]

27. They tried. Their numbers were pathetic. They accomplished nothing.

Photos were posted at DU. More Porta-Potties than pro-war demonstrators.

[xocet]

29. That might very well be so, but that is beside the point.

However vile the Phelps Hateful Loon Convention is (I do not agree with or support anything that they stand for), they should not be routed from a public place in which they are legally staging a "peaceful protest" - if, indeed, that is what they were doing.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

34. There is nothing peaceful about hate speech

Sorry, their signs alone are the antitheses of peace.

[xocet]

37. You don't have to be sorry. However, you do have to show that what they were doing is illegal.

If it is illegal, the police should handle the problem. It should not be handled by a mob unless you favor vigilantism.

Please enlighten me as to what statute would allow for them to be removed if there is one.

Additionally, you seemed to miss the point of the quotation marks around peaceful protest; to wit, "..."peaceful protest....""

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

39. I don't have to show anything

No one in that mob touched them. They ran, like the cowards they are, when they were shouted down by people also exercising free speech. Westboro is nothing more than a bunch of bullies who use hate speech to rile people up. Challenge them, and they flee.

[xocet]

42. Remember that when others who do not share your opinion cross a police line to force you out of the

area.

Your position is very short-sighted. That being said, you are totally correct to say that the Phelps Hateful Loon Convention does use hate speech to rile people up. Yes, it feels good to see them have to leave an area, but it is wrong to advance on them and celebrate that kind of approach unless violence is the desired eventual goal.

So, when violence eventually occurs through the adoption of your allowed tactics, what will you say then?

A) That's mighty refreshing: I like seeing the old red krovvy flow and plesk.

B) Maybe, setting up conflicts between crowds is not such a good idea. It could have been me and my group.

C) WTF. Oh well, it doesn't affect me, and most people agree with my opinions.

D) None of the above: ...(fill in your own rhetoric here)....

[Desert805]

44. Blah blah blah

Leave Westboro alone!

[xocet]

49. Really. That is what you comprehend. n/t

[brett_jv]

60. I get what you're getting at ... however, there's some 'protests' that are so blatantly fucked up

and inflammatory, and just flat-out WRONG ... that nobody is going to fret about it when 'nature takes it's course' ... esp. when it's really just because the police are legitimately unable to contain the anger of the much larger throng of people who are obviously in the right.

What, were they supposed to hire a bunch of outside help to come in and 'protect' the 'right' of these Westboro fucks to roll in from out of town to 'protest' the people who live there? C'mon ...

[LiberalAndProud]

58. I think you're right in this.

The counter protesters had every right to be there too, but when physical confrontation is threatened, a line is crossed. For all that I hate what they say, protection of speech is where I'll land.

[WilliamPitt]

46. Wat?

A story in five pictures.

[xocet]

48. That is not a very intelligent story, though. You better go back for a rewrite.

If emotion is all you have, then you have no argument. If you have an argument, provide it. If you cannot, that is ok, but your form of argumentation is pathetic for someone who is to some extent a writer and possibly an intellectual.

[LanternWaste]

55. What specific laws did the counter-protesters break

What specific laws did the counter-protesters break? None? Ok...

(And when I was "chased off" from a war protest, it was due to beer-bottles and rocks rather than sentiment)

[SamKnause]

35. Oh how that made me smile !!!!

Thank you for posting !!!!

[Heddi]

36. MY UNCLE is the one crossing the street at 45 secs in

to confront them. They hauled ass after that.

Don't mess with a pissed off veteran biker nicknamed "Frenchy" hehe

[WilliamPitt]

45. Pride.

You haz it.

[Taitertots]

38. A nationalist mob threatening to attack peaceful protesters is not a good thing...

No matter how much you disagree with their opinions.

But don't let that stop the two minutes hate.

[Bluenorthwest]

57. Nationalist? Huh?

Nationalist-
noun

noun: nationalist; plural noun: nationalists 1. a person who advocates political independence for a country.

[Taitertots]

61. That is a pretty quaint defense of a nationalist mob running people out of town

Adj. 1. nationalist - devotion to the interests or culture of a particular nation including promoting the interests of one country over those of others

But don't let that stop you from hating the people who have done nothing to make your life worse and worshiping the people who have done nothing to make your life any better.

[malaise]

43. and the Westboro people scattered like geese and ran.

Getting up off the floor

[LittleGirl]

50. Awesome!

thanks for posting.

[RKP5637]

51. Too bad SCOTUS didn't have the guts to stop this type of crap. n/t

[RKP5637]

52. And OK, no less! Congratulations to Moore, OK.

[Zambero]

53. Wow, they're no longer embracing a message of hate

The new slogan: God LOVES twisters!

[TRoN33]

56. Look at these idiots

They literally packed into their black van really fast. I wonder if these Westboro idiots have practiced with that before? Americans, rise up and stand up to these most hateful group of this age.