Atheists of Florida Sue City of Lakeland

[Rob Curry]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, July 12, 2010

Atheists File Lawsuit to Stop City Prayer Rituals

LAKELAND, Fla.– Atheists of Florida filed a lawsuit today against the City of Lakeland in United States District Court in Tampa, Florida, demanding an end to the practice of government sponsored prayer rituals held at the start of city commission meetings and to replace the practice with an observed moment of seated silence.

The named plaintiffs are Atheists of Florida, Inc. and EllenBeth Wachs, the Lakeland chapter director for Atheists of Florida. Defendants are the City of Lakeland and Mayor Gow Fields in his official capacity as Chairman of the Lakeland City Commission.

The complaint states that plaintiffs seek to “protect individual civil and Constitutional rights, including the right to be free from government intrusion into, entanglement with, and endorsement of religious matters.”

The legal action follows an official letter from the atheist group and repeated in person requests by several of its members, including Wachs, which occurred over a several month period beginning in March 2010. During the public comments portion of the city commission meetings, members of Atheists of Florida asked the mayor and city commissioners to replace the prayer ritual, identified as “Invocation” on the meeting agenda, with a moment of silence. According to the group’s members, this alternative would be more inclusive of the diverse religious worldviews held by meeting attendees and participants, including the minority views held by Wachs and others. To date, Fields has disregarded these requests and, in a letter to the group, wrote that the practice has a “long history and will continue unless the City Commission decides it should be changed.”

John Kieffer, the group's president, stated, “The prayer ritual conducted as part of city meetings unconstitutionally forces us to convey symbolic speech about our religious orientation, something that is none of the government’s business." Kieffer explained, "The mayor gives us only two choices: we can either stand like all the others and pretend to pray, which symbolically expresses a falsehood about our religious views; or be true to our beliefs and remain seated, which, when contrasted with those standing, symbolically shouts to everyone that we are religious outsiders.”

Plaintiff EllenBeth Wachs and the group’s attorney, Eric Husby, Esq., will hold a press conference Tuesday, July 13, at 11am in front of the Atheists of Florida “ONE NATION INDIVISIBLE” billboard located in the vicinity of 1824 S. Combee Road in Lakeland.



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About Atheists of Florida

Atheists of Florida, a non-profit educational corporation founded in 1992, serves the needs of a significant and growing community of atheists in Florida. As a civil rights minority, our members are tireless advocates for the constitutional rights afforded to them and all Americans. We encourage efforts to foster a fully inclusive sense of community, mutual understanding and respect.

With members throughout the state, Atheists of Florida chapters are active in Lakeland, Saint Petersburg and Tampa, with new chapters now forming in Orlando, Port Richey, Sarasota and elsewhere around Florida.

For more information please contact John Kieffer at: president@atheistsofflorida.org

[Rob Curry]

Hear more by tuning in to the Atheist Forum podcast, Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. online here:

This Is Our House, Too

Atheists of Florida begins a new phase in work to promote real inclusiveness across the state of Florida. Hear why it is vital to support separation of church and state, and how it can make a real difference in the lives of many people.

Call in to participate in this LIVE podcast with EllenBeth Wachs on the Atheist Forum.

[Rob Curry]

EDITORIALS

Atheist Lawsuit: Lakeland Invited Trouble
from the Lakeland Ledger



TV REPORTS

Atheists fight praying at Lakeland city commission meetings
by Melanie Brooks, 10 Connects (WTSP Channel 10)

Atheists sue city of Lakeland over prayers at meetings
by Karen Castillo, ABC Action News (WFTS Channel 28)

Group protests prayer at city meetings
from MyFox Tampa Bay (WTVT Channel 13)

Atheists sue Lakeland over prayer at city council meetings
by Melissa Sogegian, Bay News 9 (video)



EARLY BREAKING NEWS

Atheists of Florida to Sue City of Lakeland, Mayor
from the Lakeland Ledger

Atheists of Florida sue City of Lakeland over invocation
by Jennifer Hancock, Tampa Humanism and Freethought Examiner



CONTINUING NEWS COVERAGE

Lakeland, not Pinellas Park, named in atheists' lawsuit
by Anna Lindberg, St. Petersburg Times

Atheist Group Sues Lakeland For Prayers
by Cary McMullen, Lakeland Ledger

Atheists hold press conference on lawsuit over pre-meeting prayers
by José Patiño Girona, Tampa Tribune

Atheists claim Lakeland prayers discriminate against non-Christians
by Jennifer Leigh, News Channel 8

Atheists, Mayor Address Suit
by Cary McMullen, Lakeland Ledger



RELATED NEWS

School Board's Prayer Policy Altered Over Scrutiny
by Cary McMullen, Lakeland Ledger

Troller: Mayor Shouldn't Speak for City
by Rick Rousos, Lakeland Ledger

Billboard Battle in Bible Belt: One Nation 'Under God' or Not?
by Dan Harris and Enkoli Francis, ABC News

LPD Called to Cool Lakeland Prayer Protest Dispute
by Rick Rousos, Lakeland Ledger

Documents: Atheists' Lawsuit Against City of Lakeland and Correspondence
from the Lakeland Ledger



Also reported by:

• Beliefnet
• A Western Heart
• Fox News
• The Miami Herald
• The Orlando Sentinel
• God Discussion
• The Palm Beach Post News
• Fox30, Jacksonville
• MyFox Orlando
• Sarasota's Herald Tribune
• Click Orlando (WKMG Channel 8)

[Rob Curry]

PRESS CONFERENCE

EllenBeth Wachs and attorney Eric Husby, Esq., will hold a press conference Tuesday, July 13, at 11:00 a.m. in front of the Atheists of Florida “ONE NATION INDIVISIBLE” billboard located in the vicinity of 1824 S. Combee Road in Lakeland.

NOTE: This brief event is intended for members of the press only.

Everyone is invited to "Meet the Patriots" on Thursday, July 22, 6:00 p.m. in the Lakeland Public Library on Lake Morton. This will be a longer Q&A event open to the general public. EllenBeth Wachs will be hosting, and a list of panelists is to be published within days.

[EB Wachs]

All the TV coverage links now have video posted on the sites.

[Rob Curry]

An interesting story, not directly related:

Rampaging Atheist Horde Targets Christianity, Warns "Biblical Dinosaur" Expert Ken Ham

The Atheists of Florida suit against Lakeland is mentioned in the comments:

I think the atheists have a valid point- any sort of invocation tends to leave them out, and with the way the local politicos try to force their ideology on others, I think the only way they can be forced to obey the law (and allow others to be treated equally) is through a lawsuit. What is funny is that the Atheists suggested a moment of silence- which is supported by a lot of different groups (and is legal). The city and mayor won't have it.

[Rob Curry]

Documents related to atheist lawsuit
from Talk to Action

Reading these documents, it becomes clear just how openly Lakeland has been in support of forcing dominionist/fundamentalist "Christianity" down the throats of the rest of the citizens.

[Rob Curry]

From the Lakeland ledger editorial on Sunday, July 18:

Litigation could have been avoided, had not Fields dug in his heals, assuring a trip to the courthouse.

The principle involved in this case - that government may not force religion upon the citizenry - is one on which the nation was founded.

This is set out by the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution. The companion Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, which is a prohibition against restrictions on religion, may not apply in this case. That is because the Establishment Clause prevents government from exercising religion to any substantial extent.

The question of substance in the Lakeland City Commission invocations, and other matters that should have been settled through negotiation and compromise, will now be decided by a judge - with much sorting through constitutional principles, and related laws new and old. The outcome may be far from what the city wants.

[John Kieffer]

Lakeland Decides Prayer Continues, But Disclaimer Added

By John Chambliss
THE LEDGER
Published: Monday, August 2, 2010 at 12:51 p.m.

LAKELAND | In an attempt to strengthen its defense against the Atheists of Florida, the city plans to remove the word "invocation" from its twice-monthly agenda and will add two sentences explaining that it is barred from endorsing religious beliefs.

City commissioners voted 6-0 this morning to accept the changes [see PDF link below], which are expected to occur by the Aug. 16 meeting.

Full article ... http://www.theledger.com/article/201008 ... dded&tc=ar

PDF of 2 August resolution voted on and accepted by Lakeland City Commissioners ...

http://www.lakelandgov.net/agendas/08-0 ... 041Res.pdf

.