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Church plans funeral protest
By Justin Willett
Staff writer
A small Kansas church that praises God for dead U.S. troops says it plans to come to Fayetteville next week to picket the funeral of a special operations soldier who was based at Fort Bragg.
A patriotic motorcycle group that attends the funerals of service members to honor the dead and shield the families from such protests says it will be there, too.
Westboro Baptist Church, of Topeka, Kan., faxed a flier to the the Observer saying it would picket the Tuesday funeral of 26-year-old Staff Sgt. Michael A. Dickinson II, who died July 17 in Ramadi, Iraq.
Dickinson, of Battle Creek, Mich., was assigned to the 9th Psychological Operations Battalion, 4th Psychological Operations Group at Fort Bragg.
He was shot by snipers while on patrol with a Marine Corps unit.
The Rev. Fred Phelps and his Westboro congregation — which consists mainly of his extended family — picket funerals of U.S. service members, claiming the deaths are divine retribution for the nation’s acceptance of homosexuality.
In May 2003, members of the church came to Fayetteville to picket several churches and Fort Bragg.
As of April, 26 states had introduced legislation to either ban or curtail funeral protests, mainly as a result of Westboro.
The N.C. General Assembly passed a bill that prohibits disorderly conduct at a military funeral or memorial service or any other funeral or memorial service.
The bill would make it a Class 2 misdemeanor for a first offense, a Class 1 misdemeanor for a second offense and a Class I felony for third and subsequent offenses. It is awaiting the governor’s signature, according to the General Assembly’s Web site. If signed into law, it would go into effect Dec. 1.
Patriot Guard Riders
Michael Haluski, a member of the Patriot Guard Riders, said he will monitor Westboro’s Web site in the days leading up to Dickinson’s funeral.
The riders had planned to be at Dickinson’s funeral before the Westboro announcement, Haluski said. Dickinson’s family invited the motorcycle group to attend.
“Our sole purpose is to shield the family and to honor the soldier,” Haluski said.
The Patriot Guard Riders formed in October to carry out two missions: to honor and respect fallen service members and their families and to shield mourning families from funeral protests, such as the pickets conducted by Westboro.
A nationwide group, the Patriot Guard Riders include more than 24,000 members and make an effort to be present at the funeral of every U.S. combat casualty — regardless of whether protests are planned.
Haluski, who is a retired Army sergeant first class, said he has heard from more than 20 people who want to participate in Tuesday’s “ride.”
The group’s Web site — patriotguard.org — had about 100 messages about Dickinson’s funeral. Most offered condolences to Dickinson’s family and pledges to participate in Tuesday’s ride.
The motorcycle riders come from all over the country.
Haluski will be the captain of Tuesday’s ride. He said the protocol for dealing with protestors is simple: shield the family and try to drown out the protestors.
“We use the American flag and our bodies as a wall between whatever group may be protesting and the family and guests that are attending the services,” Haluski said.
“There is no confrontation, there is no conversation, there is no acknowledgement (of the protestors).”
Haluski said the riders will be prepared for protests, but he has doubts that Westboro will show.
“This particular organization often sends out (fliers) that they’re going to show up, but they don’t,” he said.
Haluski said publicity generated by the mere suggestion that Westboro might picket a funeral often seems to satisfy the church.
Staff writer Justin Willett can be reached at
willettj@fayettevillenc.com or 323-4848, ext. 370.
