About those statues...

When Saints Michael and Florian arrive from Italy, they will need to visit Norfolk Superior court before they get to Quincy.

That’s because a group of fifteen Quincy residents—represented by the ACLU of Massachusetts, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation—have filed a lawsuit to block the city’s plan to install the two towering Catholic statues at the entrance of its new $175 million public safety complex (press release). Their argument? That the use of public funds and public space for overtly religious symbols violates both the U.S. Constitution and Article III of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights, which guarantees the separation of church and state.

Below, find one-stop shopping on all the info you need to understand this situation:

A Just Quincy is very familiar with this story and has covered it comprehensively.

Blog posts:

• Statues show cracks at City Council

• AJQ Statement on statues ahead of the City Council meeting

• Holy statues, Batman

Open Letters:

Local Press:

• Patriot Ledger (who has been leading the coverage)

• WCVB5 Quincy, Mass. residents sue city, mayor over plan for religious statues on public building

• WBUR Quincy residents sue over plans to put statues of Catholic saints outside public safety building

• Open letter from AJQ to Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General

• Open letter from AJQ to Massachusetts Ethics Commission

• Letters from ACLU and AU to Mayor Koch

• Letter from Freedom from Religion to Mayor Koch

Videos:

• Quincy, This is Your Government Volume 1: Wait for the beautiful artwork

• Quincy, This is Your Government Volume 2: Community Theatre

• Quincy, This is Your Government Volume 3: A Cain Derailment, Part 1

• Quincy, This is Your Government Volume 4: A Cain Derailment, Part 2

• Quincy, This is Your Government Volume 5: He’s no Jack Kennedy

So what happens next? According to a press release on the ACLU of Mass’ website, the “plaintiffs are seeking a preliminary injunction that would prevent the City from proceeding with its unconstitutional plan during the pendency of the lawsuit.” Any lawyers in our readership who would like to give their opinion on how long it takes for a preliminary injunction to be heard and decided on? Write in at info@ajustquincy.com.

Stay up to date by following along with the Patriot Ledger’s coverage or keep your eyes on A Just Quincy’s website and social media for the latest information.