Human rights activists declare 'victory' at rally
COEUR d'ALENE - Throngs of students, local residents and community leaders filled the main room and hall of the Human Rights Education Institute Friday.
They gathered for a unity rally following early morning protests staged in Coeur d'Alene by members of Westboro Baptist Church, a Kansas-based church that regularly pickets military funerals denouncing the U.S. and its troops for tolerance of homosexuality.
"We have always rejected hate in our state. Those who came today to peddle hate have left in defeat. We declare victory today," said local human rights activist Tony Stewart.
The crowd responded with cheers and applause.
The Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, which Stewart helped found in 1981, sponsored the rally featuring nearly 20 speakers representing various community groups.
Racine Balough, the student president of NIC's Gay/Straight Alliance Club, expressed gratitude for the Westboro Baptist Church's visit to the region.
"It gave us a chance to think about what values are important to us, and to realize something very important in the community. It doesn't matter who you are, who your neighbors are, how they pray, or who they love," Balough said.
She said the church members did not succeed in what they came to accomplish, because the community members would not let the church group hurt their friends, neighbors and loved ones.
"Ladies and gentlemen, with this incident behind us, and with the dignity and poise that we handled them with, we won," Balough said.
Other speakers included Sen. John Goedde, long-time labor leader Barbara Harris, St. Pius X Catholic Church leader Father Roger LaChance, Unity Church Rev. Marilyn Muehlbach, NIC President Priscilla Bell, Lewis-State College Coeur d'Alene Director Cyndie Hammond, Coeur d'Alene School District administrator Pam Pratt, Press columnist and Post Falls City Council member Kerri Thoreson, and several other students active in student government, human rights and gay rights groups.
Albert Wilkerson, a marine and Vietnam veteran, said, "There is no room for hate in a foxhole."
"My people, and the Coeur d'Alene people, and people that look like us, we've known hate all our lives. Hate is hate," said Wilkerson, who is black.
He urged the young people in the room to stand up to hate, and told them it was their time to stand up for what America stands for, human rights for all.
"You've got to get out and fight hate with love," Wilkerson said. "You cannot do it any other way. That's the only way you can overcome this disease, and it's a disease."