How does WBC fund all their trips?

[skrmom]

It can't be cheap to transport all the people and their signs. Gas, food and lodging are expensive. They do not look like affluent people. How do they pay for these trips to 'protest'?

[alysee]

I think I heard they pay for them with having jobs as well as lawsuits that they seem to always win....as well I think they said the tithing is actually 30% of their income, which is one way to make sure people don't escape.

[Black Aliss]

It would appear that they don't always travel. They just photoshop themselves and their signs into a funeral scene, and post that on their twitter feed or website. Here they are at Whitney Houston's funeral

Except they weren't there.

[finleeport]

Aren't they self-sufficient?

[lilwriter85]

I have heard heard the same things alysee mentioned about them always winning lawsuits and using the money to fund WBC activities. The WBC does back out some of the pickets they put up on their schedules and some of their last minute picket attempts such funerals for celebs or people who have died in sudden accidents or have been murdered get stopped for various reasons. They were denied entry to Canada back in 2008 when they tried to picket Tim McLean's funeral.

[Burris]

Aren't they self-sufficient?

Yes. Most of them are professionally employed, and their church tithe - an actual tenth of their gross income - is a mandatory part of membership in the WBC.

They pay for their own trips. You'll notice, also, that only a few of them are frequent travellers. The rest picket areas within driving or walking distance from homes and jobs.

And finally, of course, they don't appear all the places where they announce a picket. They say it's enough they're 'there in spirit.'

[longskirtlotsakids]

LOL@ that pic of Whitney Houston's funeral.

You *know* they would have shit their pants at being face to face with the New Jersey population. They tend to only protest nice safe white rich places. *

Edited to add:( the word nice is being used tongue in cheek)

[emmiedahl]

You'd be surprised! They have picketed twice in my town, which is neither white nor rich nor safe nor particularly nice. I am surprised they did not get killed last time; they were protesting at the funeral of a well-loved young soldier from the local reservation.

A local church has put them up both times and sponsored talks the evening before the protest. I suspect they ask for love offerings (hate offerings?).

[Sola]

I thought it hilarious when they tried to come to the UK. Wasted money on plane tickets only to be turned away at immigration. One of the awesome advantages of not having 'Free Speech'!

[MonkeyMomma]

It would appear that they don't always travel. They just photoshop themselves and their signs into a funeral scene, and post that on their twitter feed or website. Here they are at Whitney Houston's funeral

Except they weren't there.

Does this mean we can start photoshopping them into hilarious situations now? I feel like a precedent has been set.

[emmiedahl]

YES!!! That is exactly what it means!!!!

[Seven Severn]

I know half of a micron about this...

Many family members are very successful lawyers. Even though they're scum people still hire them because they're good at what they do. Also, they get donations from around the country – some of them very big donations. The latter I know via someone who recently worked at the bank that the family uses and would process their checks.

[Elle]

I think I heard they pay for them with having jobs as well as lawsuits that they seem to always win....as well I think they said the tithing is actually 30% of their income, which is one way to make sure people don't escape.

Half of the Phelps kids have run away, even with no money. Run away with nothing to their names just to get the hell away.

[GeoBQn]

I was wondering about funds when they claimed they were going to picket Heath Ledger's funeral. Good luck getting the money for several round-trip tickets to Australia.

[lilwriter85]

I was wondering about funds when they claimed they were going to picket Heath Ledger's funeral. Good luck getting the money for several round-trip tickets to Australia.

I remember thinking the same thing when Heath Ledger died. I can see why they get large donations, there are some WBC wannabes around the country that are picketing some of the same types of events that the WBC likes to picket. I think the WBC does focus on saving money here and there and that is why they sometimes back out of certain things and why some members don't travel too far.

[bananacat]

I've heard that they frequently win lawsuits too, and the way they do it is to provoke others into harming them. They know where the line is that they can't cross (from past experience, presumably) so they just go right up next to it and wait for someone to react violently. The CEO at the place I work is like this. She treats everyone horribly and then when they predictably yell back, she uses it as an excuse to fire them.

[lilwriter85]

I've heard that they frequently win lawsuits too, and the way they do it is to provoke others into harming them. They know where the line is that they can't cross (from past experience, presumably) so they just go right up next to it and wait for someone to react violently. The CEO at the place I work is like this. She treats everyone horribly and then when they predictably yell back, she uses it as an excuse to fire them.

When the Virginia Tech shootings happened and the WBC was planning to pick victim funerals, I joined a FB group related to the shootings. There was one guy who talk about the WBC filing lawsuits on people who have hit them and he was advising VT students not to get close to any of the wbc members. But the WBC backed out of picketing any VT funerals.

[finleeport]

Somethings puzzling me, if the WBC get all their money from lawsuits, what happens if they don't win a lawsuit?

I mean they can't keep always winning every single lawsuit.

[lilwriter85]

Somethings puzzling me, if the WBC get all their money from lawsuits, what happens if they don't win a lawsuit?

I mean they can't keep always winning every single lawsuit.

The WBC doesn't get all of their money from lawsuits. They probably get good amount from lawsuits, but others have mentioned they also get donations and they tithe monthly. They might lose a lawsuit one day but it might not hurt them at all financially.

[finleeport]

Where would they get their donations then?

and what is tithe?

[lilwriter85]

Where would they get their donations then?

and what is tithe?

Seven Severn said he/she knows someone who works at bank they use and that they get donations from around the country. I'm not surprised that there are some people are sending them donations. There are also WBC wannabe groups around the US who do similar things but on a smaller scale. In my state there is group that goes to various LGBT events to picket. This group only travels within the state. There are some people who do admire the WBC.

Tithing is a practice in which a people give a certain percentage of their income to a church/religious organization.

[angelsonyourbody]

The WBC doesn't get all of their money from lawsuits. They probably get good amount from lawsuits, but others have mentioned they also get donations and they tithe monthly. They might lose a lawsuit one day but it might not hurt them at all financially.

plus, aren't a few of them lawyers? so it's not like they technically lose money by hiring a lawyer and then losing.

[lilwriter85]

plus, aren't a few of them lawyers? so it's not like they technically lose money by hiring a lawyer and then losing.

The guy that I communicated with on FB a few years back said something about Shirley representing herself in court a few times.

[No Fun My Babe]

There are quite a few lawyers in the Phelps family and they've won settlements and such. Democracy at its finest. :roll:

I've been to a few WBC counter-protests, and while they're a blast and you can meet some great people at them, I realized giving any kind of attention to these people is wrong. They are the ultimate attention whores. Many times, they have canceled a protest in exchange for ol' Shirley to get some TV air time.

Nate Phelps is an awesome writer and has done a lot of really telling interviews. It's amazing that such thoughtful people can come from that and eventually escape it.

Also, while counter-protests really are counterproductive, some of them are just hilarious. See the Comi-Con on youtube.