Counter Protesters Out Number Westboro Baptist Church 20 to 1

Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church brought its nasty vitriol and homophobic hate to the Norfolk, Virginia area today and based on the first protests, the protesters protesting against Phelps and his band of hate mongers out number those condemning gays by a ratio of roughly 20 to 1 according to WTKR-TV 3. One of the first encounters was at Granby High School in Norfolk (at left). One Facebook page run by a friend of mine has details on the counter protests against Phelps here. Tomorrow, Phelps' crowd plan on protests in Virginia Beach nearly in Pat Robertson's backyard. Here are some highlights from Channel 3 News:
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If the goal of the Westboro Baptist Church was to convince Norfolk high school students to join its cause, the message fell on deaf ears. "I think it's wrong, God loves everybody and I think it's wrong that they are doing it," said Kwain Manley, Granby High School student. India Lynch, another Granby High School student, added, "It's horrible that people think like that."
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The Kansas-based church is known for spreading its anti-gay message by protesting near the funerals of military men and women. One of the church's leaders, Timothy Phelps, says today's counter-protests won't stop his followers.
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While Granby students say they did not want the protestors outside of their school, they say they are happy so many people showed up to the counter-protest. The ratio of Granby students to WBC protestors was about 20:1. "It's crazy. I mean, why be out here protesting crazy stuff against people who have the rights to do what ever they want?" asked one high school student.
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Norfolk school officials and Norfolk police had an increased presence outside the schools today, but the protestors on both sides were peaceful. The church will be outside Landstown High School in Virginia Beach Tuesday morning and at the funeral of Marine Lance Corporal Killin Dunn. He was killed in action in Afghanistan on February 18.
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The Richmond Times Dispatch is reporting that groups in Richmond are organizing counter protests against Phelps and the Westboro haters when they travel to Richmond later this week. Here are a few highlights:

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As the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church group pickets throughout Norfolk today, Richmonders are rallying online to counter-demonstrate when church members arrive in Richmond tomorrow. A Facebook page started last Tuesday by the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy has tallied more than 980 people who said they would demonstrate against the WBC in various places around the state.
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Another local group, started by four Richmond mothers, Pennies in Protest, has collected about $4,600 from 190 contributors in less than four days in existence. Cofounder Sarah Allen-Short said they got the idea from a New York synagogue that used the occasion of a 50-minute WBC protest to raise $10,000 by asking people to donate to the synagogue for every minute of the WBC picket.