No Protesting For Westboro

By: Arthur Mondale/Eyewitness News 9 | WNCT
Published: January 19, 2008

"If you're protesting what do you want to achieve from your protest other than you're just upset,” said Bilal Coombs
What this ex-Marine is referring to is a planned protest by the members of Westboro
Baptist Church.
The buzz was going around that the protest was going to happen on Saturday.
According to their website, the church planned to hold a rally in front of Camp Lejeune's Main Gate.
But, everything is quiet--the protest never happened.
“The damage is done I would just question what is the protest for, and what do you expect. Do you have a plan,” said Coombs.
This morning, I spoke with Jacksonville police who say the rally was postponed because the -- well-known confrontational members--didn't make the deadline for the city ordinance.
"I think the public should decide if there should be a protest or anything like that because we're talking about the people that defend our country,” said Jacksonville resident Alice Tate.
And had members of Westboro Baptist Church shown up anyway, they would of faced legal action because their 10-day waiting period for public assembly wasn't waived.
Jacksonville resident Dave Rangel has a different perspective, “It's there constitutional right to protest the military and whatever it is they believe in. But it's kind of inane to do it at a military base I guess you could say. It would be like the Ku Klux Klan going to a Synagogue,” said Rangel.
According to the Jacksonville’s Police Department, Westboro Baptist Church has filed for a permit to protest, but it's for January 26^th.
At this point, the police department hasn't said whether the permit is approved or not.