lakewood >> The Westboro Baptist Church — infamous for picketing funerals of dead soldiers and using slurs against the gay community — has added five Lakewood locations to its upcoming picket schedule.

The group says it will be picketing four churches March 2, according to its website.

The churches include St. Timothy Lutheran, 4645 Woodruff Ave.; Lakewood First United Methodist, 4300 Bellflower Blvd.; West Lakewood Baptist, 5121 Hayter Ave.; and St. Pancratius Catholic Church, 3519 St. Pancratius Place.

Each picket is scheduled to last 30 minutes. The first one begins at 9 a.m. at St. Timothy, followed by Lakewood First United, West Lakewood Baptist and St. Pancratius.

The group also says it will picket Lakewood High School, 4400 Briercrest Ave., from 7:15 to 7:45 a.m. March 3.

The group doesn’t say why Lakewood high was selected, or why the city as a whole is being targeted.

During the afternoon of March 2, members of the Westboro Baptist Church are scheduled to picket the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, where the 86th annual Academy Awards ceremony will take place, according to the group’s website.

Headed by Fred Phelps and consisting mostly of his family, the church is monitored by the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center, which describes the church as “arguably the most obnoxious and rabid hate group in America.”

Contact Phillip Zonkel at 562-714-2098.