Paving the way for controversy
By The Associated Press
10.12.02
REDMOND, Wash. — A fund-raising effort to sell engraved paving tiles outside the county library branch here was halted after it turned into a prolonged battle over the existence of God, freedom of speech and the separation of church and state.
The Friends of the Redmond Library sought to raise money by selling tiles allowing names and individual messages — a plan similar to ones used at downtown Seattle's Pike Place Market, some area churches and other institutions.
But two years ago, Matthew J. Barry of Issaquah noticed that several tiles with religious messages appeared on the steps outside the new library building.
Barry, a campaigner for the separation of church and state, said he was disturbed by the religious messages. He wrote to Bill Ptacek, director of the King County Library System.
Ptacek said the library grounds serve as a public forum and that the county cannot restrict speech there.
To protest, Barry bought four tiles, all of which now appear in front of the library. They read: "First Amendment: Keep Church & State Separate," "Jehovah, Allah, Zeus, Thor & Brahma. They're All Myths," "Evolution Is A Fact. Read About It," and "God Kills Babies. Read 1 Samuel 15:3. And God Is Love?"
Now, anti-religious messages, including one that begins "God Kills Babies," appeared adjacent to pro-Christian messages such as "God Can Change Life."
Nancy and Michael Herring of Redmond said they were upset that their six-inch by six-inch memorial to Michael's deceased father, Vietnam veteran Gen. Bernard Herring, was next to the "God Kills Babies" message.
The Herrings say they have been unable to show the memorial to Bernard's widow because they are concerned she would find the adjacent message too disturbing. "Who wants to visualize murdered babies?" Nancy Herring asked.
The Herrings said they complained to the library staff, then wrote a letter and made a phone call to Friends of the Redmond Library. They said moving the tile might be a solution.
Barry wrote about his protest in the Freethought Today newspaper published by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. In the article, Barry said he never would have dreamed of placing such inscriptions on a library's grounds under normal circumstances.
"However, if Christians (or any other religious folks) decide to shove their religion down my throat, and if the government facilitates their efforts, then I'm going to play ball, too. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em," Barry wrote.
The Friends of the Library finally abandoned the fund-raising plan last month.
"Unfortunately, it turned into a real goofy deal," Ptacek said last week. "The last thing in the world we wanted to do was offend anyone. We never anticipated this sort of thing."
What started as a fun way for people to make their mark and raise money was altered by the "really unfortunate" incident, he said.
Ptacek said his initial response to Barry was prompted by a strong feeling that a library is a gathering place for people with many and varied points of view, and that as an institution it values intellectual freedom.
"Obviously, some people have taken that to the extreme," Ptacek said.
Last year, the county sought a legal opinion on whether it was obliged to accept every message. The lawyers said the library could impose its own rules, Ptacek said.
The library won't tear out the tiles or move them, Ptacek said on Oct. 8.
"It would be very difficult to change things now," he said.
He said the Friends of the Redmond Library was considering rewriting its rules to limit the engraving on the paving tiles to possibly include only names and dates.
"There would be more stringent criteria," Ptacek said.