Massachusetts city returns religious bricks to park sidewalk

By The Associated Press

05.08.01

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BOSTON — The city of Newburyport has reinstalled two commemorative bricks it removed because they contained religious messages, following a settlement with a conservative law group.

As part of an agreement signed yesterday, city officials have posted a sign nearby that reads: "The inscriptions on the bricks on this walkway were paid for through private donations. The inscriptions do not represent the views of the city of Newburyport or its officials."

The bricks, which were placed in a sidewalk in the city's Woodman Park as part of a fund-raising effort, were inscribed with the messages "Jesus Loves You" and "For All the Unborn Children."

The city, about 30 miles north of Boston, removed the bricks last September following complaints from some residents.

But the two residents who paid for the bricks contended that the city violated their constitutional rights to freedom of religion and speech by removing them. With help from the American Center for Law and Justice, they sued in U.S. District Court in Boston in January.

The city replaced the two brick pavers on May 4, said Newburyport Mayor Lisa Mead.

"My goal has been from the beginning, when I had the bricks removed, was that I had to protect the interests of the city and prevent the entanglement of religion and political speech permanently affixed on public property," Mead said. "In this instance, the sign should take care of that.

She said the city was developing a policy to prevent similar disputes in the future.

"From the very beginning, we did not believe that it was proper for the city to remove the brick pavers and effectively censor the religious messages of our clients," said Ben Bull, a senior attorney with ACLJ.

The brick inscribed "Jesus Loves You," sponsored by Thomas Savastano, was obviously taken to be a religious comment, Mead has said previously. The other brick, which read "For All the Unborn Children," was taken to be a political message opposing abortion.

The sponsor of that brick said it was placed in memory of a child she lost in the late stages of pregnancy two years ago, and was not intended as a political statement.