US city held hostage by hate
( 2002-04-23 10:52 ) (7 )

For the past 11 years, the Rev. Fred Phelps and his family have held the city of Topeka hostage to his message of hatred against homosexuality.

Every day, rain or shine, Phelps, 72, dispatches congregants of the Westboro Baptist Church, including his own infant grandchildren, to picket other churches, businesses and individuals who oppose him. The church is aligned with the "Primitive Baptist Religion," which holds that a small, predetermined number of people have been chosen for redemption on Judgment Day while the rest of humanity will burn in hell.

They conduct around 40 pickets a week at sites in the Kansas state capital alone, while also spreading their message around the country. They appear carrying huge placards bearing slogans like "God Hates Fags" and "Gays Deserve to Die," as well as images of stick figures engaged in anal intercourse.

Suzanne James, who worked in the county prosecutor's office as head of victims' services for eight years, noted that most of those targeted by Phelps were not in fact homosexual.

"The vast majority of his targets have been heterosexuals, corporations and businesses owned and operated by heterosexuals, the courts, prosecutors, the media, entertainers, elected officials, police, mainstream Christian churches, Jews and African-Americans," she said.

"He and his family are actively engaged in anti-Semitism and white supremacy and are part of the violent anti-abortion movement," she said.

The church congregation consists almost entirely of Phelps' extended family. Nine of his 13 children and some 40 grandchildren live in a compound that includes the church and several adjacent houses. An upside down US flag flies over the compound and a huge banner hangs from the church advertising its Web site, http" LISTED AS HATE GROUP BY SOME

The church, which is listed as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center, also campaigns against Jews, blacks and mainstream Christians. Phelps hailed the attack last year's attack on the World Trade Center as a sign of God's retribution.

On its Web site, the sect posts its own versions of patriotic songs. Its lyrics of "America the Beautiful" begin: "Oh wicked land of sodomites/Your World Trade Center's gone./With crashing planes and burning flames/To hell your souls have flown."

"He is a negative influence on the image of this community that we cannot escape no matter what we do. He's like a stink that gets on you and doesn't go away," said Joan Wagnon, who was mayor of the city of 125,000 from 1997 until last year.

The current mayor, Butch Felker, who prefers not to discuss Phelps, initially scheduled an interview to discuss the matter but then said he did not have time. Phelps himself did not show up for a prearranged meeting and interview.

Visitors to Topeka who catch sight of a Phelps demonstration are often appalled. At least six conventions opted for other sites. Several companies considering locating in Topeka decided against it, a serious blow for a city which has been fighting economic stagnation for years.

"The economic impact is real. I can document any number of things that have happened. We have had chief executives who can't hire people to move here, firms that prospected us as a possible site and decided they would have nothing to do with us," said Wagnon.

In 1997, her choice for city planning officer publicly turned down the job after seeing a Phelps picket, saying he could not work in a place where homosexuals lived in fear and the city tolerated a climate of oppression.

Poet Maya Angelou was so shaken by her reception at the Topeka Performing Arts Center in 1994, when Phelps jumped up on the stage and delivered a diatribe, that she canceled other scheduled appearances in Kansas.

BLIZZARD OF LAWSUITS

When people do try to confront Phelps, they usually run into a blizzard of lawsuits. Phelps is himself a disbarred lawyer; at least nine of his children are lawyers and the church is also registered as a law firm.

"People here are intimidated by his style of threatening lawsuits. His lawsuits cost time and money to fight. He can tie up your assets for years," said Roy Menninger, chairman of Concerned Citizens of Topeka, a group formed to oppose Phelps.

Menninger said Phelps was able to operate in a conservative Bible-belt city like Topeka because many citizens secretly agreed with his message, if not his methods.

CCT now offers to pay the legal costs of any citizen sued by Phelps. In response, the preacher and some of his followers burst into a church in the middle of Menninger's mother's funeral a few years ago, waving abusive signs, embarrassing and angering mourners and adding to their grief.

Topeka police chief Ed Klumpp said there was nothing law enforcement could do to stop Phelps and his followers since they rarely violated the law.

"They are all attorneys and know where the line is. The run right up to the edge but they rarely cross it. People think we should make them go away but we can't do that under the US Constitution," he said.

Phelps' legal actions have been remarkably successful. When the city passed an ordnance banning any pickets within 90 feet of a building, Phelps managed to get the limit reduced to 50 feet and then charged the city $40,000 for his legal expenses. The city paid up.

But some Phelps opponents believe the city could do a lot more. They believe that the police have been instructed not to arrest Phelps' followers even when they violate the law. One former police chief was forced to resign after officers alleged they had been ordered not to arrest Phelps family members.

"Topeka is getting exactly what it deserves. Our institutions and organizations have failed miserably to protect us," said James.