Multifaith group sues Quincy, Mass., to stop religious statues at public building

QUINCY, MASS. – A multifaith group of Quincy, Massachusetts, residents and taxpayers filed a lawsuit today in Norfolk Superior Court to halt the planned installation of two large religious statues of Catholic saints at the entrance of the city’s new public safety building. The plaintiffs are residents of diverse faiths who do not want their government officials and publicly-owned property to promote specific religious beliefs. Their lawsuit explains that the plan — conceived and spearheaded by Mayor Thomas Koch — promotes one religion over others, and religion over nonreligion, violating the Massachusetts Constitution.

The plaintiffs are seeking a preliminary injunction that would prevent the City from proceeding with its unconstitutional plan during the pendency of the lawsuit. They are represented by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, the ACLU, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

No one should have to pass religious statues to access a public safety building

“This isn’t about opposing anyone’s faith — it’s about keeping government neutral so that everyone, regardless of what they believe, feels equally welcome and protected,” said plaintiff Gilly Rosenthol. “No one should have to walk past giant religious monuments just to access a public safety building. That sends the wrong message about who our city serves — and who it doesn’t.”

In early February, the Patriot Ledger published the first report about Mayor Koch’s plan to display two ten-foot-tall bronze statues of Catholic saints, which would flank the entrance of the Quincy Police Department’s new headquarters. According to the lawsuit, the mayor had already commissioned the statues — with a cost to taxpayers of at least $850,000 — by the time the plans were uncovered by local media.

Although the City Council voted numerous times to approve funding for the new public safety building, Mayor Koch’s plan was never presented or discussed at those meetings, and the public was never given an opportunity to weigh in on it. At a council meeting later that month, the mayor’s staff dismissed all concerns about the cost, transparency, and legality of his plan.

In the weeks following news of the religious statues, multiple groups wrote letters to the mayor and City Council — including Americans United, the ACLU of Massachusetts, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation — raising serious constitutional concerns. In addition, a group of local faith leaders from the Quincy Interfaith Network issued a statement objecting to the plan.  

‘Mayor Koch is abusing the power of his office to impose religion on all Quincy residents’

“Mayor Koch is abusing the power of his government office to impose religious beliefs on all Quincy residents,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. “The core principles of church-state separation and religious freedom promised in the Massachusetts Constitution require government buildings and other public spaces to be inclusive of people of all religions and none. By installing religious statues in front of the government building dedicated to public safety, Koch and the City are violating that promise and sending a message to all who rely on city police and fire services that one faith is favored over all others.”

“Mayor Koch has made the costly decision to proceed with the unlawful plan to install two larger-than-life statues of Catholic saints at the entrance to a public building in Quincy,” said Rachel Davidson, staff attorney at the ACLU of Massachusetts. “This plan was conceived and implemented without public input and with total disregard for the concerns raised by constituents and local faith leaders. The statues send a message that the Quincy government favors one faith above all others. This flagrantly violates our state constitution.”

“The City has abandoned its constitutional duty  to remain neutral on matters of faith,” said Heather L. Weaver, Senior Counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. “The new public safety building will be home to many critical government services, but the moment they walk in the door, Quincy residents who do not share the City’s favored religious beliefs will get the message that they are not welcome.”

“This is a clear breach of the constitutional wall of separation,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Quincy taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for an ostentatiously specific religious display.” 

Religious statues violate Massachusetts Constitution

The lawsuit alleges that the planned religious statues violate Article 3 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights by imposing religious symbols upon all who work in, visit, or pass by the public safety building; by conveying the message that Quincy is exclusively a Catholic community and that non-Catholics do not belong or are less valued; and by excessively entangling the City with religion.

More information about the lawsuit is available here.