A series of tweets appeared on twitter.com/Ladygaga just after 4 p.m. July 17.
"I would like to make my little monster (fans) aware of a protest being held outside the Monsterball in St. Louis tonight. Do not respond to any of their provocation. Don't waste your words, or feelings, no matter what you hear or see."
The protesters outside Missouri's Scottrade Center were none other than the radical right-wing Westboro Baptist Church, the same organization that protested the 2006 funeral of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, son of Spring Garden Township resident Albert Snyder.
Westboro's ire toward the pop diva probably doesn't involve her electronic beats. After all, Megan Phelps, a member of the Kansas-based congregation, made a YouTube parody of Lady Gaga's "Telephone" titled "Ever Burn."
The group's protest of Lady Gaga most likely involves her support of the LGBT community. Westboro has protested dozens of events and concerts during the past two decades to condemn America's acceptance of homosexuality.
Attacks on gays come from many other groups, too. And that speech is and should remain protected by the First Amendment, said Alanna Berger, executive director of Central Pennsylvania's Silent Witness Peacekeepers Alliance.
The alliance's first official event was the 2006 Pride Festival of Central Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, an event I wrote about in my last column. Organizer Jeff Clouser told me the event usually attracts protesters.
But 2006 was the first year that no one was arrested at the event, Berger said. It's remained peaceful since.
A few months later, Silent Witness attended York Suburban Senior High School's production of "The Laramie Project," a play about the 1998 murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard. Witnesses stood between Westboro members and about 160 counter-protestors to keep the peace.
Since then, Silent Witness has attended several pride festivals and unity marches, including the July 15 Unity March in York.
"We are there to protect everyone's right of free speech," Berger said.
Police often find it easier to arrest a small group of protestors for exceeding decibel limits or infringing on permitted or private property, Berger said. The protestors' messages offend some people, but they are technically not doing anything wrong.
Picketers can attend any event and are allowed to protest outside, though sometimes at a distance, as is the case with funerals. But if they go inside and stand in the way of someone who paid to see a concert, for example, police can remove them.
In a ruling that stemmed from Repent America's use of loud horns to drown out speakers during Philadelphia's 2004 OutFest, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that police can prevent protesters from interfering with the message of a permit-holder during a free event.
Margie Phelps, the Phelpses' lead counsel and the Rev. Fred Phelps' daughter, said Westboro's only tool is their words. Their protests almost never provoke violence.
"We do a lot of presenting," she said. "Some groups go out and want confrontation and want to engage in civil disobedience. That is not our modus operandi."
She said that she doesn't recall Silent Witness specifically, but she said it's useful to have people who believe in the right of free speech at demonstrations.
"We're always grateful for anybody who encourages or enables lawful or peaceful discourse," Phelps said. But she added that she doesn't think mediators will help Westboro get its message across.
"Our experience tells us there is not really any room left in this country for people to discuss the . . . sins of America," she said.
Berger said that even though Silent Witness doesn't prevent protesters from speaking, they see fewer and fewer at each event.
In 2006, about 40 people picketed Harrisburg's pride fest. This year, that number dwindled to six.
Berger said that the message can extend beyond LGBT events to help alleviate racial tensions and other hot-button issues.
"We see a lot of angry people," she said. "You don't have to yell back."
POPeye is a bi-weekly column focusing on the ever-changing landscape of popular culture. To reach writer Erin McCracken, call 771-2051 or send an e-mail to emccracken@ydr.com.
Silent Witness Peacekeepers Alliance training
Discussion of protest tactics used in the past
Mental preparation
Familiarization with the demonstration site
Using a buddy system for protection
Rotating shifts so people don't work too long
Encouraging people to detox after an event, i.e. meditate, pray or talk to loved ones
- Silent Witness Executive Director Alanna Berger
Preparing young people for protests
I believe that we should be carefully critical of all public figures, Lady Gaga included, in a way that we don't blindly accept or reject the messages and methods they represent and advocate. She is certainly a popular and influential figure in (LGBT) spaces.
Over the summer, we have made it a goal at Common Roads to educate young LGBT people and their allies about interacting with protesters during pride events, specifically. We invite representatives from Silent Witness Peacekeepers Alliance to visit our groups in Harrisburg and Lancaster to talk about their commitments toward nonviolence. We want youth to know that if they attend an LGBT event . . . the possibility exists of encountering a protest group, and it is important to us that they are prepared to experience that, and are equipped to respond appropriately.
- e-mail message from Louie Marven, Common Roads, a program of the LGBT Community Center Coalition of Central Pennsylvania
Snyder v. Phelps
This fall, Albert Snyder and members of the Westboro Baptist Church will appear before the U.S. Supreme Court to argue a case that could change our nation's understanding of the rights of speech, religion, assembly and privacy.
Snyder, a Spring Garden Township man, wants the justices to restore a U.S. District Court's verdict that the Kansas-based church invaded his privacy and defamed his son when it protested Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder's 2006 military funeral.
Westboro, led by the Rev. Fred Phelps and populated mostly by members of his family, is asking the justices to uphold the decision of the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which overturned the District Court's verdict and said Westboro's anti-gay speech was protected under the First Amendment.
Snyder has said he cannot separate the memory of his son from signs he saw Westboro members carrying on news reports about the funeral. He has argued that mourners are in a vulnerable condition and should receive special protection from the law. First Amendment scholars have said Westboro's speech is protected by law, reprehensible as it might be. If the court sides with Snyder, they said, it would have a wide-reaching effect on protest in American life.
Online
Read more about the Snyder v. Phelps case: www.ydr.com/westboro
Have you ever been part of a protest or counter protest at a concert, festival or other public event? Sound off under the faith, values and religion discussion at www.ydr.com/exchange.
Learn more about Silent Witness Peacekeepers Alliance: www.silentwitnesspa.org
Email
Font Resize
