FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 5th, 2006

Church Picket of Brokeback Mountain Tumultuous
Driver Attempts to Run Over Protester

Placerville- In the first-known church picket of “Brokeback Mountain” protesters were greeted with a counter-demonstration, vulgarities, objects thrown from vehicles and even an attempt at running over a church member.

Dick Otterstad, a Christian Activist with Church of the Divide filed a police report with the Placerville Police Department after having a “run-in” with a crazed woman who tried to run him over. Two other Church members and another bystander witnessed the incident. The woman, driving a silver Dodge Caravan drove in the opposite lane of traffic while entering Placerville’s Regal Cinema parking lot and then proceeded to drive up onto the curb where Otterstad, dressed in a devil costume, was holding a sign reading “Placerville Theatre Welcomes Gay Porn.”

Otterstad stated “When I saw the vehicle aiming straight at me I quickly jumped out of the way.” He stated that if he had not moved off of the sidewalk and out of the way of the oncoming vehicle, he would have been hit. The woman was caught on video while she was up on the curb and was shown driving off.

Otterstad commented that he chose to wear a devil costume because “cowboy sodomy is something only the devil would like.” Mocking the film, Otterstad (dressed as the devil) was seen motioning for passers-by to come watch the film.

Saturday’s showing was the second day that Brokeback Mountain was shown in the rural town of Placerville. Church members held signs reading “Cowboy Sodomy Destroys Marriage”, “Christians: Boycott This Theatre”, “Sodomy is Sin” and “Brokeback Mountain? - Not In Our Town!” Church of the Divide is opposed to the film showing in Placerville due to it’s “promotion of the sin of sodomy.”

Church of the Divide has called for a boycott of the theatre and has planned for future protests of the film.