Gated Community Bars Religious Statues In Garden Areas

Yesterday's Newsday reports that a homeowners' association board in a gated community in Medford, New York has created controversy by banning religious statues, bird feeders and birdbaths from all common areas, including gardens outside individual condominiums. This has forced Gloria Gamarano to remove a statue of the Virgin Mary from her garden. Another resident was told to remove from her garden a decorative statute of St. Francis of Assisi that contained a small birdbath. The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has criticized the rule as discriminatory against people of faith. Arlene Crandall, president of the homeowners' board, says the goal was to eliminate from commons areas statues that appeal only to one segment of the community's population.