Anti-gay church cancels protest at Powell boys' funeral
TACOMA, Wash. - A rabidly anti-gay church has canceled its plans to picket Saturday's funeral for the two sons of missing mom Susan Powell, who died in a raging house fire Sunday.
Fred Phelps Jr., founder of the Topeka, Kan.-based Westboro Baptist Church, sent out a tweet Friday morning saying the hate group had canceled the protest after getting an interview on a syndicated radio show.
"Just finished interview with @BobbyDshow. Bobby D. was a real gentleman. Washington trip now cancelled," Phelps' tweet said. Margie Phelps of the Westboro church group later sent out another tweet confirming the cancellation.
Phelps originally said Thursday that the hate group was planning to attend the Powell boys' memorial service as a protest against the pending legalization of gay marriage in Washington state.
That led to a backlash among hundreds of people, including a biker group and Occupy Seattle, who vowed that they would block the Westboro protesters if they showed up. Altogether, more than 1,000 people said they would oppose the anti-gay group's efforts.
But Westboro spokesperson Steve Drain said that backlash had nothing to do with the group's decision not to picket the funeral.
"A thousand people is a pittance," he said. "We've had tens of thousands of people come against us. No, that doesn't matter."
He dismissed the biker group as a "little sissy motorcycle club."
Alina Powell, Josh Powell's sister, called the planned protest "a horrible, disdainful act that serves no purpose other than to continue the years-long objectification of those little boys."
Fred Phelps Jr. later said the group would not protest if the group was granted an interview with the Bobby D. Show. After the interview, Phelps tweeted that the protest was canceled.
Bobby D. later explained to KOMO Newsradio how the interview came about.
"I talked to them and said, 'Would you be willing to talk to me instead of showing up - and letting the family have their peace?' And they said, 'Yeah, we can think about that.'"
Bobby D. said he disagrees with the group "100 percent," and will not air the interview until Monday, when he's sure they didn't show up for the memorial service.
The two boys, Charlie and Braden Powell, were killed Sunday in a gasoline-fueled house fire set by their father Josh Powell after they arrived for a supervised visit. Powell himself also died in the inferno.
The memorial service for the two Powell boys, aged 5 and 7, is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Life Center Church in Tacoma.
Family members said the purpose of the service is to honor the memory of the boys, and anyone who comes with some other purpose in mind is not welcome.
The boys' tragic deaths were the latest in a dizzying series of twists in the case of missing mom Susan Powell, who disappeared in December 2009.
Josh Powell, her husband and the boys' father, was the only publicly named person of interest in her disappearance, and had earlier lost custody of his two sons.
Fred Phelps Jr., founder of the Topeka, Kan.-based Westboro Baptist Church, sent out a tweet Friday morning saying the hate group had canceled the protest after getting an interview on a syndicated radio show.
"Just finished interview with @BobbyDshow. Bobby D. was a real gentleman. Washington trip now cancelled," Phelps' tweet said. Margie Phelps of the Westboro church group later sent out another tweet confirming the cancellation.
Phelps originally said Thursday that the hate group was planning to attend the Powell boys' memorial service as a protest against the pending legalization of gay marriage in Washington state.
That led to a backlash among hundreds of people, including a biker group and Occupy Seattle, who vowed that they would block the Westboro protesters if they showed up. Altogether, more than 1,000 people said they would oppose the anti-gay group's efforts.
But Westboro spokesperson Steve Drain said that backlash had nothing to do with the group's decision not to picket the funeral.
"A thousand people is a pittance," he said. "We've had tens of thousands of people come against us. No, that doesn't matter."
He dismissed the biker group as a "little sissy motorcycle club."
Alina Powell, Josh Powell's sister, called the planned protest "a horrible, disdainful act that serves no purpose other than to continue the years-long objectification of those little boys."
Fred Phelps Jr. later said the group would not protest if the group was granted an interview with the Bobby D. Show. After the interview, Phelps tweeted that the protest was canceled.
Bobby D. later explained to KOMO Newsradio how the interview came about.
"I talked to them and said, 'Would you be willing to talk to me instead of showing up - and letting the family have their peace?' And they said, 'Yeah, we can think about that.'"
Bobby D. said he disagrees with the group "100 percent," and will not air the interview until Monday, when he's sure they didn't show up for the memorial service.
The two boys, Charlie and Braden Powell, were killed Sunday in a gasoline-fueled house fire set by their father Josh Powell after they arrived for a supervised visit. Powell himself also died in the inferno.
The memorial service for the two Powell boys, aged 5 and 7, is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Life Center Church in Tacoma.
Family members said the purpose of the service is to honor the memory of the boys, and anyone who comes with some other purpose in mind is not welcome.
The boys' tragic deaths were the latest in a dizzying series of twists in the case of missing mom Susan Powell, who disappeared in December 2009.
Josh Powell, her husband and the boys' father, was the only publicly named person of interest in her disappearance, and had earlier lost custody of his two sons.
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