Suit Challenges Cross In California City Park

Yesterday's Visalia (CA) Times-Delta reports on a lawsuit filed two weeks ago by a former resident of Porterville, California challenging the constitutionality of a 20-foot high redwood cross in a Porterville city park. The cross was placed in the park in 1965 by the local Rotary Club with the city's permission. A plaque below the cross reads: "Dedicated as a Spiritual Inspiration to All." Plaintiff Patrick Greene has a history of filing Establishment Clause challenges to governmentally sponsored religious displays and activities in various cities. Porterville residents express surprise that anyone would sue over the cross that a past-president of Rotary who helped install it describes as merely an unobtrusive symbol in a quiet grassy corner. [Thanks to Scott Mange for the lead.]