Controversial Westboro Coming to Woodbridge

Fred Phelps' extremist Westboro Baptist Church from Topeka, KS, plans to picket outside of and the in Woodbridge on Monday, Nov. 17.

According to the church's website, the two locations are on the church's picketing schedule for 7 to 7:30 a.m at WSHS and from 8 to 8:30 a.m. at the recruiting center Monday morning before moving onto a law enforcement facility in Delaware later in the afternoon.

The church was unavailable for comment, but claims on its website that they are protesting at the school because of "the students, parents and teachers at Woodbridge High School who live in rebellion against their creator every minute." The church also claims that the recruiting center—the site of a  in a string of four others—encourages "young men and women to fight for a nation who has made God her #1 Enemy!"

A secretary at Woodbridge Senior High School said that the school is asking people to "just ignore them" come Monday morning.

First Sgt. Ruben Castilla of the Prince William County police told Woodbridge Patch that both locations are private properties and that the protesters will not be allowed to cross onto school property. As for the shopping center where the Coast Guard Recruiting Center is, near Potomac Mills, that is also private property, but it is up to the owners to make a decision on the protesters.

Erin Middlebrooks, a parent of a Woodbridge Senior High School student, said she was contemplating bringing her daughter into school later in the morning just to avoid the scene altogether. "It is just ridiculous and if I keep my daughter home it will be because I don't want to take the chance of putting her in the middle of something that could turn ugly and get violent," she said via email.

Middlebrooks said when she called WSHS on Tuesday, a school official said they anticipate that Principal David Huckestein will send home an informative letter addressing Monday's protest.

"I am just blown away that they have chosen a public school as their choice of places to protest," Middlebrooks said. "It is ridiculous to think they will get very far in this forum."

Westboro Baptist Church was established in 1955 and is known for carrying signs stating "God Hates Fags," "Thank God for AIDS" and "God Is Not Mocked."

Woodbridge Senior High alumni will be holding a counter-protest, at the same day and time, according to the Facebook group "Fight Back Against Westboro Baptist Church" and is apparently being planned by WSHS alumnus Rachel Goad.

Recently the church faced a Supreme Court Case in Snyder v. Phelps after members of Westboro Baptist Church protested at the funeral of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder. Snyder's family pressed charges against the church claiming invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.