Protest Planned at Sueppel Funeral

By Ashley Hinson, Anchor/Reporter

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By Ashley Hinson

Story Created: Mar 27, 2008 at 2:20 AM CST

Story Updated: Mar 27, 2008 at 2:21 AM CST

It's expected hundreds will attend the funeral services for the Suepple Family, and it's likely there will be an outside presence there--for an entirely different reason.

Westboro Baptist church--a controversial group based out of Topeka Kansas-- travels state to state protesting at high-profile funerals for their own cause. Now comes word the group plans to be outside the Sueppel services, when emotions will no doubt be running high. The religious group, led by Reverend Fred Phelps-- plans to be outside The Sueppel family'funeral, simply because it's expected to be a large gathering.

"They're not dummies. They're not un-intelligent. They do this across the country," says Sgt. Troy Kelsay of the Iowa City Police Department.

These protestors have shown up at events in Iowa before, spreading their message. And police say they're well within their right to do so. The 1st Ammendment says they can-as long as they stay within the laws.

"They cannot block passage on the sidewalk. They cannot block passage to a building," Kelsay says. "They are allowed to be on any public right of way."

But what has law enforcement on standby--the fact that they're planning to spread their message while the community grieves the loss of an entire family.

"You've got somebody who's having a very difficult time keeping control. Then you have someone who is intentionally prodding them and pushing buttons," says Kelsay.

The church put out an inflammatory message, blaming the death of this family on "iowa's sins".

Iowa recently enacted a law after many of the group's protests, and now they're required to stay at least 500 feet away.

St. Mary's Church which is handling the funeral tells KCRG TV-9 they hope people simply come to grieve, be with the family, and act as if the protestors aren't even there.

The Iowa City Police Department tells us they will have a visible presence at the funeral, not just for the family, but also because this group has asked for law enforcement to be there. The ICPD's goal is to intervene *before anything should get out of hand.

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