Facing ACLU Complaint, City to Drop Seal’s Cross

For nearly 40 years, a shimmering cross hovering over a church steeple has been emblazoned on the city seal of Redlands, a former citrus town just south of the San Bernardino Mountains.

But as of Friday, the cross will disappear from logos on every city vehicle, firetruck and library door -- even police badges.

In response to a threatened lawsuit by the ACLU, the city is removing the cross and designing a new logo that will be free of religious symbols.

The move prompted a protest Wednesday at City Hall by about 100 Christian students and residents, who chanted and waved signs reading “Don’t Toss the Cross” and “Honk for the Cross.” The demonstrators said the symbol had become part of the city’s history and urged city leaders to fight to keep it.

During the demonstration, Mayor Susan Peppler walked among the protesters, thanking them for expressing their opinion. But she told them the council had already decided to remove the cross rather than enter a legal battle that the city probably wouldn’t win.

“We cannot afford to engage in a fight that we will lose,” she told a group of protesters, some waving crucifixes at passing cars.

For the past several weeks, city employees have used blue tape to obscure the cross on the logos affixed to city buildings. The city flag bearing the seal has been removed, and new city stationery is on order.

The Redlands police chief has ordered officers to remove a patch from their uniforms that shows the city seal, or use a marker to black out the cross. The city also plans to hire jewelers to modify the badges worn by police and firefighters, turning the cross into a glimmering star.

Redlands officials have already designed a new seal that will replace the image of the cross and church with a tall tree next to a home.

It will be unveiled at a council meeting Tuesday. So far, it has cost the city between $5,000 and $8,000 to make the changes, officials said.

The dispute was sparked in February when two Redlands residents separately contacted the American Civil Liberties Union to complain about the seal.

The ACLU declined to identify the residents.

ACLU attorney Ben Wizner wrote to City Atty. Daniel McHugh on March 11, pointing out that the U.S. Supreme Court had declared such religious symbols on government logos and seals a violation of the 1st Amendment.

Wizner urged the city to remove the cross by April 30 or face a lawsuit. In 1989, the ACLU won a similar dispute with Stow, Ohio.

Realizing that the city would probably lose a legal battle, the City Council voted unanimously last month to remove the cross, City Manager John Davidson said.

“The law is what it is, regardless of our opinion,” Mayor Peppler said.

Wizner argued that the seal was clearly unconstitutional and gave the impression that Redlands endorsed a particular religion. “To have a glowing cross hovering over a church is about as religious a symbol as anything,” he said.

But many of the protesters, including dozens of students from local Christian schools, said keeping the symbol would not impinge on the religious freedom of any resident.

Others said Christian churches had played a big role in the history of the community and should be represented in the city seal. Redlands, with about 66,000 residents, is home to nearly 60 churches.

“It’s a part of Redlands,” said Arrowhead Christian Academy senior Erin Cooke, who joined the protest with dozens of classmates as part of a school assignment. “It’s what we are about.”

Some protesters favored fighting the ACLU in court, even if it meant losing.