City officials resist secular group's demand to remove cross from public park in Missouri

The officials of Neosho city in Missouri have refused to comply with an atheist group's request to remove a cross display from Big Spring Park.

In a letter sent to outgoing Neosho Mayor Charles Collinsworth on May 11, the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) claimed that it had received a complaint from a resident about the cross display on the side of a hill in Big Spring Park.

The atheist organization contended that the display violates the U.S. Constitution because its public location creates the perception that the government endorses Christianity.

"The government's permanent display of a Latin cross on public land is unconstitutional," the FFRF wrote, as reported by Christian News Network. "The display of this patently religious symbol on public property confers government endorsement of Christianity, a blatant violation of the Establishment Clause," it continued.

The FFRF also argued that the cross creates an "exclusionary effect, making non-Christian and non-believing residents of Neosho political outsiders."

The group asked the city to either take down the cross from the park or move it to a private property.

In a statement issued on Friday, city officials noted that the cross has been in the park since 1930.

"It is the unanimous opinion of the City Council that the city of Neosho will not remove the cross or take any other actions which in any way compromises the long-standing history of our city," the statement said.

Some Neosho residents have reportedly urged the officials not to cave in to the FFRF's demands.

"In fact, all day today I got texts and messages and e-mails and calls saying, 'Stand strong. Keep the cross,' and so that's what we're going to do," said Mayor Ben Baker.

Jeff Higgins, president of Teen Challenge, an affiliate of the Neosho Area Clergy Coalition, said he has only been in the area for the past couple of years, but he has not heard any complaints about the cross previously.

According to The Joplin Globe, the letter from FFRF did not threaten legal action, but it asked the city to notify the group of the steps it planned to take.

FFRF staff attorney Rebecca Markert said that legal action is "always an option," but she noted that the organization preferred to resolve issues outside the courtroom. She added that the group will only sue the city if the Neosho resident who complained about the cross wished to do so.

Following the city's refusal to remove the cross, the FFRF issued a statement urged the city officials to reconsider their decision to avoid a lawsuit.