No Decisions by City Council on Mural Issue

(JAMIE STANG ELLIS, WITH HUSBAND TIM, SPEAKS TO THE CITY COUNCIL ABOUT THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THE MURAL ON THE RANEY STREET OVERPASS THAT INCLUDES A CROSS)

Effingham city officials Tuesday said no decision has been reached on how the City will respond to a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, requesting that a cross on the mural on the Raney Street overpass be removed.

The statement from City Attorney Tracy Willenborg came at the conclusion of a City Council meeting that featured a dozen speakers in support of keeping the cross on the mural. No speakers supported the idea of removing the cross.

The statement reads as follows..."The City is of the opinion that the mural at issue does not constitute a violation of the Establishment Clause, as it constitutes purely private speech, having been placed by a private organization with a message that was not and has not been approved or adopted by the City. The City, however, is currently evaluating options relative to the use of the headwall, including the current mural, as well as evaluating the risks associated with each potential option."

(THE MURAL)

In her remarks to the Council at the meeting, the artist of the mural, Jamie Stang-Ellis, said she never spoke with anyone with the City about including a cross in the mural. She said that she was commissioned by the Effingham High School Football Moms to undertake the mural, which is designed to extend through the tunnel leading to the football field and soccer field beneath the overpass. City Administrator Steve Miller said the City authorized the painting of the mural, but did not know the mural would include a cross. Stang-Ellis said the cross is part of the view of the area if the overpass weren't there, and that includes the Cross at the Crossroads farther south in the City Business Park.

As to how things will proceed, no timetable was mentioned Tuesday night. Miller said he'd seen something that a special meeting had been called to discuss the mural issue, but that meeting is the next Plan Commission meeting, not a Council meeting, so that wasn't accurate information.

Among the dozen speakers was Jarrett Jones, an EHS graduate who is a sophomore at SIU Carbondale. Jones posted the online petition in support of the mural that has now drawn over 22,000 names. Jones said he sees the mural and the cross not as a "spiritual symbol, but a symbol of our community."

Other speakers saw the need to support Christianity's role in the lives of many Americans and argued that the Freedom from Religion Foundation's mission is to attack that role.

Local pastor Willie Love said he thinks the mural is beautiful and that the cross represents hope. Local resident Tom Klein said the nation was founded on religion and that people need to stand up "before we lose our rights altogether". Linda Spindler shared that what you see on the mural is a "beautiful depiction of what you see sitting in the football stands" just beyond. Patty Winn suggested that Art like the mural is protected under the 1st Amendment and doesn't promote religion, but is site specific and historically accurate.

Once Miller and Willenborg shared that more research will be done before the City decides how to proceed on the issue, City Commissioner Merv Gillenwater offered that "we are not taking this lightly. We are using our attorney and other attorneys. We are taking this seriously." City Commissioner Larry Micenheimer thanked those who attended and said one reason he likes living in Effingham is "our passion".