This past weekend was one of unexpected photographic fulfillment. I live in Long Beach, a town which holds closest to its heart, its genuine sense of equality. It is something that the local citizens take quite seriously and guard vehemently.
This common bond of inclusive pride got put to the test this weekend, when a group titled the "Westboro Baptist Church", decided to bring their message of hate toward the Gay/Lesbian and Jewish communities. The weekend was packed with protest as the "W.B.C." set stakes at a high school, several temples, and the "Raggamuffin Festival".
You would think that such a campaign of hatred would incur anger and violence. But the town I live in is a special place, where people are much more level-headed. They are perfectly aware that the only appropriate counter-attack to hate is kindness. So a group which goes by the name of "Steal this Protest", devised their own protest with signs that were made to diffuse and confuse the poisonous message. Signs like-"cupcakes" or " we were promised donuts" were waved in front of the ones that slang slanderous debris at the citizens of a an otherwise tolerant community. The small group of soldiers in "God's" army were sent running back into the nether reaches of Kansas from which they came. Here is a photographic taste of what it looked like.
No comments:
Post a Comment