MONTEREY, Calif. - The American Civil Liberties Union laid out the "do's and dont's" for replacing a cross in Monterey. The city wants to put the cross up after vandals tore it down, but is concerned about lawsuits. The city expects to be sued if it puts the cross back up on public property. So tonight, council members turned to the American Civil Liberties Union to find out what they can and cannot do.
"I think this was me right here... It was so long ago," says Kathi Demeria.
Kathi Demeria can still remember that one day in December 1969.
"The day we all rode horse back and raise this cross out on the beach," explains Demeria.
She brings a nearly 40-year-old newspaper article to council and shows them the significant history behind the wooden cross.
"We never looked at it as a religious happening. It was done as a history lesson. The generation of those children learned a great deal just from that particular day, going out and riding and hearing all those speakers," says Demeria.
Monterey natives like Demeria want the cross put back up, but for some people, there's no historical significance.
"I'm against it for two reasons. One, it doesn't seem to fit with our constitution of separation between church and state and the second reason is it's not a historic placement of that cross," says
After residents voiced their opinions on the cross... the council needed more information behind the consequences of raising the cross; that's where the ACLU came in.
"There are ways the city can honor its history and yet also honor the constitutional value. We'd be happy to work with the city to come up with a resolution that honors both," says ACLU Attorney Margaret Crosby.
Some of those resolutions include using a private fund to put the cross back together, placing the cross on private land, religious site or putting it on display at a museum.
After tonight's presentation from the ACLU, council members are still indecisive about what to do with the cross, and want more information before moving forward.
