Rhode Island Town Debates Town Hall Display on Islam

March 9, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

On March 9, 2002, the Los Angeles Times reported that "an Islamic art exhibit in Town Hall [in Riverton, RI] was removed then put back on display after a dispute over whether the show violated the separation of church and state... Town Administrator James Towers ordered the posters removed [on] the first day of the exhibit's planned two-week run, after some residents and town employees complained... Three days later, Town Solicitor James Donnelly concluded the poster display was educational and didn't violate the Constitution... The 25 posters were part of a series of lectures and book discussions called 'Insights Into Islam,' organized after Sept. 11."