Mayor refuses to remove cross from city hall despite objection from atheist group

The mayor of Longwood city in Florida has refused to remove a cross memorial from the city hall despite objections from a prominent atheist organization, which described the display as exclusionary and unconstitutional.

On March 10, the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) sent a letter to Longwood Mayor Joe Durso, asking him to remove a three-foot-tall wooden cross from the city hall.

The FFRF was first alerted about the display by David Williamson, chapter director of the Central Florida Freethought Community.

Williamson, who served in the Navy in the early 1990s, argued that displaying a cross to honor veterans sends a message that the city is only honoring Christian veterans.

The cross, emblazoned with the words, "We Will Never Forget Their Sacrifices," was part of a Vietnam War Traveling Memorial Wall that visited the city last June. It was built by Lt. Col. Johnnie Richardson who donated it to Longwood after the memorial left the city, according to News13.

FFRF staff attorney Rebecca Markert argued in the letter that displaying a religious symbol in a public room where city officials create policies and pass ordinances sends a message that Longwood is endorsing religion.

"The government's display of a Latin cross on public land is unconstitutional," said Markert. "The cross [display] unabashedly creates the perception of government endorsement of Christianity. ... The cross has an exclusionary effect, making non-Christian and non-believing residents of Longwood political outsiders," she continued.

Upon receiving the FFRF letter, Durso defended the display and said that the city has "no intention" of removing the cross. He noted that the city hall had displayed a Christmas tree and Jewish menorah every December for years, but he never received a complaint about those displays.

"It was donated to us as a nice honor in paying homage to those men and women who served," Durso told the Orlando Sentinel. "How is having a cross an endorsement? ... They are trying to create a fire where there is no fire," he added.

Richardson maintained that the cross was part of a traditional military observance of lives lost in battle, not a form of religious expression.

"This purpose of that cross was to honor our men and women in uniform who gave the ultimate sacrifice, nothing more and nothing less," he said.