Author: Chad Smith

Source: The Gainesville Sun

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100804/ARTICLES/8041009/1002?tc=ar

With mounting news coverage about a Gainesville church's plan to hold a Quran burning on Sept. 11, Mayor Craig Lowe released a statement Monday condemning the church, dismissing it as a "tiny fringe group and an embarrassment to our community."

"They are opposed (to) Gainesville's true character as a place that values every person," Lowe said in a news release. "We may be of different religions, sexual orientations, races, genders, national origins, or ages, but all are welcome here in our efforts to build a better community both locally and globally."