Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed an executive order that allows police to arrest any Westboro Baptist Church members who attempt to protest at the funerals of two victims of the Lafayette movie theater shootings.
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“Let me be very clear”.
“If they try to disrupt this funeral, we’re going to lock’em up”, Jindal told CBS’ Face the Nation. “We’re going to arrest them”, Jindal said.
Last week, 21-year-old Mayci Breaux and 33-year-old Jillian Johnson were gunned down by John Russell Houser. They shouldn’t try that in Louisiana. “We won’t abide by that here”, Jindal said. Reports said Houser had earlier expressed support for Kansas-based Westboro Baptist, which has a history of protesting the funerals of military personnel and high-profile individuals. Westboro Baptist members have in the past successfully argued that their actions are protected by the First Amendment.
Jindal’s executive order also calls for flags to be flown at half-staff until the end of the month to honor the shooting victims.
Some Lafayette residents have promised to form a human wall around the funerals to prevent any protests. The protestors must stay 300 to 500 feet away from funeral proceedings for two hours prior to the event until two hours after it concludes. Let them celebrate their daughters, their children, their spouses, their loved ones’ lives in peace.
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“They better not try that nonsense here”, Jindal added.
