Crime & Safety
Westboro Baptist Church Photo at Manchester Police Department Sparks Controversy
One of the top entries in a Manchester photography contest is on display at the police department and it's stirring up some controversy, according to FOX2 News.
As previously reported by Patch, in October, a handful of Wesboro Baptist Church members protested at Schroeder Park after an appeals court ruling in favor of the City of Manchester. The ruling was in regard to a lawsuit filed by Wesboro Baptist Church members challenging Manchester's funeral protest ordinance. The ordinance prohibits protests within 300 feet of a funeral one hour before and one hour after services.
FOX2 News reports that a recent Manchester city photography contest is now causing controversy after one of the top entries, portraying a Westboro Baptist Church protester from the October protest, was put on display in the city police department.
(View the FOX2 story and find out why the photo is being displayed.)
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Westboro church members are known for their anti-gay protests at the funerals of U.S. soldiers, claiming the soldiers' deaths are a result of America's tolerance for homosexuality.
Manchester Alderman Michael Clement posted a comment below in regard to the photo, what it represents to the city and why it is significant to the city's history.
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