Put the Cross Here!
Several businesses in Evansville, Ind., have offered to display decorated crosses on their properties after the ACLU of Indiana filed a lawsuit against the city to keep the symbols from being displayed on public land.
Last month the Evansville Board of Public Works approved a request by West Side Christian Church (WSCC) to set up as many as 31 crosses in a downtown area called the Riverfront. The six-foot tall crosses, which are to be displayed for two weeks in August, will be sponsored and decorated by local churches and faith-based organizations of various denominations. The symbols will make up an artistic display called "Cross the River" and are part of an effort to raise funds for two local charities, according to the church's website.
After the city granted the church's request, the ACLU of Indiana filed a lawsuit on behalf of two Vanderburgh County residents that claims displaying the crosses on city property would be an unconstitutional government endorsement of Christianity. In response, several local business owners used their company signs to send a message: "Put the cross here."