A handful of local schools were closed Tuesday as the streets of this small town, population 4,200, near the border with West Virginia, swelled with traffic. Scores of people gathered outside the jail hours before Mr. Huckabee’s speech was scheduled to begin. Many people sat in lawn chairs they brought from their homes, while a man used a megaphone to urge people to repent. Streets were crowded as traffic slowed, and one entrepreneur offered parking spaces for $20 each.
On a street near the squat jail, demonstrators lined up along the roadway, where a sign leaned against a truck and read, “Judges Don’t Make Laws And Are Not Above The Law.”
“This is not a political campaign, and I don’t want it to be and neither would Kim,” Mr. Staver, her lawyer, said of the rally. “This is an event to honor God. It’s an event to stand with Kim and ask for Kim to be free.”
Advertisement
Continue reading the main story On the fringe of the huge crowd, a small group supporting same-sex marriage rights held their own signs: “God Loves!!!! Period!”
Sophia Nishimoto, 20, of Morehead, Ky., said that while she was not gay, she was here to support her friends who were.