Fred Phelps, arbiter of doom (Photo: Associated Press)

The Westboro Baptist Church may have canceled its highly inflammatory protests of Tucson's shooting victims, but its moderately inflammatory protest of American University is still a go. Tomorrow, WBC will picket AU for 45 minutes because "they teach the youth of this generation that there are no standards and God loves you just the way you are, ergo: it's okay to be gay and to fornicate your brains out (oh, and if you make a baby in the process, just abort it forthwith)."

American University students have planned an elaborate counter-demonstration to combat that incoherent assertion, and you're not invited. “Non-AU counter demonstrators are not allowed on campus,” Camille Lepre, AU's Senior Director of University Communications, told me over e-mail.

What's a non-AU-affiliated counter-protester to do?

While non-AU counter-protesters won't be able to participate in the school's on-campus rally (more details on that tomorrow), there should be nothing stopping them from moseying on past the Westboro Baptist Church protesters from 4 to 4:45 p.m. on the public space surrounding the university. Note the spacious sidewalks located near the planned WBC protest spot (marked with red fire graphic).

 
Non-AU folks should expect elevated police and campus security presence at the site of the WBC picket. And since non-affiliated bystanders won't have a permit for protesting on the public space, they'll be at a disadvantage to the WBC protesters, who have been communicating with American University and law enforcement officials for weeks.

More on the university's plans for the Westboro Baptist Church: "WBC understands its location will be the NW corner of Massachusetts Ave outside of AU's entrance. Their members are not to enter AU's property. We asked them to keep AU's main entrance clear at all times. We let them know we will create barricades so that people know to not enter their space," Lepre told me. "We asked them to be civil, polite and avoid confrontation. We asked them to move their proposed site from SW corner to NW corner, which they have agreed to. We asked them to not bring signs with sticks or weapons of any kind." American University counter-demonstrators have also been provided with reminders of the school's "peaceful opposition" and "freedom of expression" guidelines.

As for non-AU counterprotesters? American University will "handle non-AU demonstrators on a case by case basis,” says Lepre.