Big backlash against Westboro protesters

Three protesters from the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church kept their promise and picketed Beau Biden's funeral Saturday, only to run into a counter-protest by several hundred mourners protesting the group's presence.

The trio from the Topeka, Kansas, sect started their protest about 9:20 a.m. at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and North DuPont Street – two blocks from St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church where Biden's funeral Mass began just before 11 a.m.

The group was soon outnumbered about 100-to-1 by mourners who drowned out the Westboro members, known for picketing soldiers' funerals. Counter protesters sang "Amazing Grace," held their own signs and displayed American flags.

Among the opposition were Adam Conard and a man who went by Gibby, who carried an American flag between them.

"There's not a whole lot we can do but hold the flag," said Conard, adding that he served with Biden in the Delaware Army National Guard. "He's a good guy. He definitely doesn't deserve this kind of trash."

Conard was an example of the overwhelming support for Biden, who died of brain cancer May 30 at the age of 46. It also was a rejection of tactics used by members of the unaffiliated Baptist congregation.

Westboro is known for its harsh anti-homosexual beliefs and the crude signs its members carry at their frequent protests, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that tracks hate groups and advocates for civil rights. The center describes Westboro as "a family-based cult" led by Pastor Fred Waldron Phelps, nine of his 13 children, their children and spouses and a small number of other families and individuals.

Shirley Phelps-Roper, a Westboro member, said they came to Delaware because this is where the "eyes and ears of the nation are today."

She said she welcomed the counter protesters.

"I say 'Yay. Thank God.' They are our target audience," she said. "The best way to get the words to them is for them to come out and lay their eyes on them."

Their message, however, fell on deaf ears, like those of Randy Roberts, who drove up from Millsboro on Saturday to show his support for the Bidens. Roberts, who carried a sign reading "GOD ♥'S US ALL GAY, BLACK & BEAU," was part of a counter protest group that held large pink signs and walked in front of the three Westboro members, briefly blocking their demonstration from view.

"Nobody is going to do this to Joe, Jill, Hallie and especially Beau," he said referring to Biden's father, Vice President Joe Biden, Joe's wife and his widow. "They have their right to free speech, but what they have to realize is that people died to give them that right and that's what I'm here to protect."

Opposing sides of the Delaware political spectrum arrived for the counter protest.

Jason Melrath, a past president of Progressive Democrats for Delaware and contributor to the political blog Delaware Liberal, showed up with John Fluharty, the executive director of the Delaware Republican Party and Rob Keesler, a Republican candidate who lost a bid for office in 2014.

"It's important for us to come out and show that Delaware is not about hate," Melrath said.

Fluharty said it is sad that Westboro protests men and women who have given their lives and service to the nation.

"In some sense I feel bad for the Westboro folks," he said. "It must be very painful to wake up every morning and be filled with that much hatred. It is a lonely way to lead one's life."

Keesler said compassion does not have political boundaries.

"It's good to see that our community can band together and oppose something like that," he said.

This marked the fourth time Westboro members have demonstrated in Delaware.

In 2006, Westboro protested the funeral of Marine Cpl. Cory L. Palmer in Seaford. Palmer died of wounds when his Humvee was hit by explosives near Fallujah in Iraq.

The group protested during the 2010 funeral in Brandywine Hundred of Jean Finnegan Biden, Joe Biden's mother.

In 2013, seven members held signs proclaiming "America is Doomed" and "Fags are Beasts" during the state's first same-sex marriage ceremonies in Wilmington.

Saturday's picket by the group peacefully ended shortly after 10 a.m., after the presidential motorcade passed by.

But as Westboro members were escorted to their car parked in the 1200 block of North DuPont Street, a man holding a cup of McDonald's coffee walked up to the women. The man thanked the women who were placing their signs into their car.

As one of the women turned toward him, the man tossed the coffee on the woman.

Police quickly rushed the man and arrested the man as the women got in the car and left after police cleared a path. Officers charged Richard Pierce, 64, of the Wilmington area, with disorderly conduct.

Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299, eparra@delawareonline.com or Twitter @eparra3.Contact senior investigative reporter Cris Barrish at (302) 324-2785, cbarrish@delawareonline.com, on Facebook or Twitter @crisbarrish.