ACLU Protests "Sectarian" Prayers at City Council

May 5, 2004

Source: Sign On San Diego

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20040505-1551-aclu.html

On May 5, 2004 Sign On San Diego reported, "The American Civil Liberties Union sent a warning letter to the La Mesa City Council today, urging the panel to discontinue invocations that include specific references to Christianity. The letter asks Mayor Art Madrid and members of the council to adopt a policy ensuring that future invocations are non-sectarian, according to the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties. 'A person's religious beliefs should not be a barrier to participating in government activities,'said ACLU attorney Watson Branch. 'When the council sends the clear message that Christianity is the preferred religion in La Mesa, it also sends the message that non-believers and people of other faiths are unwelcome outsiders.'"