Intro: |
Funeral protesting has been a highly contested issue for both national and state lawmakers. At Missouri’s Capitol, legislators are attempting to place restrictions funeral protesting...again. |
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RunTime: | 4:56 |
OutCue: | SOC |
Wrap: While the Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of the rights of protesters, Missouri lawmakers are working to make it a crime to protest near or during a funeral.
Actuality: | FRANZ.WAV |
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Run Time: | 00:08 |
Description: "It's a simple idea, to allow families to mourn the loss of a loved one in peace and to give them a chance to have some closure in a very difficult time." |
Actuality: | SANDY2.WAV |
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Run Time: | 00:21 |
Description: "Some speech can be outrageous, it can inflict emotional distress, but the Supreme court again is balancing interests and saying that in this particular case that a jury simply could not award Mr. Snyder damages for this peacful protesting, the picketing that occurred 1,000 feet away from the funeral." |
Although groups cannot win damages for emotional distress, Davidson says this decision keeps the door open for reasonable time, place, and manner funeral protest restrictions.
Actuality: | BLACK.WAV |
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Run Time: | 00:14 |
Description: "I've had instances in my district where this has taken place and you see the grieving family members, who not only are having to lay their loved ones to rest but also have to see kind of a mockery in protests made of their loved one's funeral and I think that is wrong." |
Actuality: | MARGIE2.WAV |
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Run Time: | 00:15 |
Description: "We're an open book. So there's not any aspect of our being that hasn't been mocked and villified. And you know what? We are all good with it, 100 percent good." |
Phelps says soldier's funerals are highlighted by the media and it is Westboro's duty to spread their message when there is an available public platform.
Actuality: | MARGIE3.WAV |
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Run Time: | 00:16 |
Description: "When God is dealing with the peoople for their sins and our message is that is happening because of your sin if you want it to stop, you have to stop sinning, we've got to go to where the attention is on God dealing with the people. When it gets your attention is when we talk to you." |
University of Misouri student and aquaintence of the deceased, Chelsea Hawkins, attended a funeral that the Westboro Baptist Church protested.
Actuality: | HAWKINS3.WAV |
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Run Time: | 00:08 |
Description: "It was really great to see all these people together to support the family, so, that the family didn't even ever have to see them because they left before the funeral procession started." |
Hawkins says even with the large number of people gathered in support of Carver, she could still see their signs and hear their chanting.
Actuality: | HAWKINS4.WAV |
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Run Time: | 00:06 |
Description: "They were chanting like God hates America to the tune of 'America the Beautiful.' They had made up their whole song." |
Franz says the Westboro Baptist Church have the right to protest, but need limitations.
Actuality: | FRANZ5.WAV |
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Run Time: | 00:10 |
Description: "These men and women from Westboro Baptist Church have the right to protest,they have the right to speak, we're just putting that limitation on how close they can be and when." |
Actuality: | VIETS3.WAV |
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Run Time: | 00:05 |
Description: "The democracy cannot function unless its citizens have the freedom to speak out." |
That was ACLU's Mid-Missouri Chapter President Dan Viets (veets). Viets says restricting unpopular speech is an erosion of the First Amendment.
He says it's the government's obligation to protect this type of speech.
Actuality: | VIETS4.WAV |
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Run Time: | 00:13 |
Description: "The freedom to speak out is never an issue when the speech is popular. We're rarely, if ever going to find a case where the government has tried to restrict the ability of people to say things that are popular. It is always the unpopular speech." |