Equal rights groups protest Christian conference

Stefanie Frith

With signs like “Liberty, Justice For All” in hand, about 75 people

from equal rights groups protested a Christian conference Saturday at the

Sutton Place Hotel on MacArthur Boulevard in Newport Beach, police said.

The protest against the Reclaiming America For Christ 2001 Conference

took place from about 10 a.m. to the early afternoon, Newport Beach

police Sgt. Ron Rogers said.

Rogers said the groups were from the Stonewall Initiative for Equal

Rights Group and a Christian Coalition group, and they walked with signs

on MacArthur Boulevard, Jamboree Road and Von Karman Avenue. Four

officers were on hand to keep the groups under control.

“The Stonewall group was relatively vocal but not disruptive and the

Christian Coalition group was virtually quiet,” Roger said. “There was no

violence, they were just exercising their First Amendment rights.”

About 540 people attended the Reclaiming America conference to talk

about restoring faith to schools, reestablishing honor and integrity of

the traditional family, reversing Roe vs. Wade and renewing the nation’s

moral and spiritual heritage, according to the conference guide.

Lois Sunderman, who attended the two-day conference that ended

Saturday, said an announcement was made in the morning to warn guests

about the protesters.

“They told us to be kind and that it would be best to stay inside,”

Sunderman said. “They said it would be best to let them do their thing

and just ignore them.”