Post by Jinsei on Dec 23, 2007 19:05:56 GMT -5
Original article here:
www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/227095.html
Shift of Nativity scene defuses debate on symbols
Pentacle removed amid Olean tension
By Elmer Ploetz NEWS STAFF REPORTER
OLEAN — The battle of the Nativity — and the pentacle — came to an end in Olean on Tuesday, at least for now.
A day after the large lavender and silver wooden pentacle sign was driven over and later stood back up — a hole in the front and tire tracks notwithstanding — the adjacent Nativity scene was moved a block down the street from the City Hall lawn to the front of a Baptist church.
Later Wednesday afternoon, John Garlow went to City Hall and removed the pentacle he and his wife, April, had placed there as a Wiccan response to the Nativity scene.
“If they moved [the Nativity scene], we were going to move the pentacle onto private property,” Garlow said. The pentacle had been
up for three days.
The decisions by the owners of the Nativity scene and the Garlows brought some closure to what at times had become an ugly situation, pitting friends against friends.
Garlow said it had been suggested on Internet message boards that his wife should be beaten. Barry Gan, a St. Bonaventure University professor who objected to any religious signs on public property, said threats toward him were intimated on a message board.
Wicca is a modern offshoot of pre-Christian paganism characterized by nature worship and white magic. Many of its traditions remain secretive and require that members be initiated. Shortly after 4 p.m., the battered pentacle was removed by John Garlow, aided by Gan, and strapped to the luggage rack of a station wagon.
Passing motorists offered comments and a woman onlooker, bearing a placard with the words “God Will Win,” stood nearby.
The pentacle was taken to the Garlows’ home.
April Garlow sent a written statement that was read by a family member during Tuesday evening’s meeting of the Common Council.
She thanked the Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce and Mayor David J. Carucci for removing the Nativity scene earlier in the day and urged lawmakers to amend an ordinance banning private displays in the parks to include public property, “so no rogue mayor can ever do this to our community again,” she said. “Let’s try to move on and try to heal this community for all the damage it’s caused.”
Edith Schrot, an Olean resident, said she contributed toward the Nativity display but had no idea that it would be at the center of so much conflict. She said that she contributed because a friend asked her.
“It was interesting to see the reactions — to see some of the extreme reactions — from both sides,” Schrot said. “I think some good can come from it. It has brought some feelings to the surface that maybe can be dealt with.”
Jim Kinley, a Cattaraugus County businessman, has been identified as the coordinator for the Nativity project. He did not respond to requests for comment. Schrot said the Nativity scene was not put together by a group, but by individual, anonymous contributors. She said she contributed because Kinley is a friend and a generous contributor to area causes.
The response from the community was rarely neutral, though. A crowd packed a Council meeting opposing the Nativity scene not long after the display went up in early November. They objected to a religious display being allowed on public property.
Others supported the idea of allowing the Nativity scene.
Several people interviewed Tuesday at Olean’s businesses said they were dismayed to find out somebody had driven over the Wiccan symbol, equally dismayed that the Nativity scene had been moved, and unhappy with the mixture of politics and religion.
“There are so many bigger problems, like getting our boys back home,” said a Richburg grandmother who asked not to be identified. She said her grandson was about to start a third tour of military duty in Iraq.
“I deplore what happened last night; that was horrible,” said Laurie McCarthy, owner of McCarthy’s Emporium, a Christian bookstore and teacher supply store just down the street from City Hall. “Nobody has the right to just destroy someone else’s property. If I’m looking for understanding with the Nativity set, then I have to display the same understanding for something else.”
McCarthy and Don Pfeiffer, owner of Don’s Music Shop, both said they thought the proximity of the Nativity scene and the pentacle was a problem. “You’d drive through town and see that nice Nativity scene,” Pfeiffer said. “. . . I had no problem with it.”
Gan helped Garlow take down the Wiccan symbol. He said he had objected to its being placed on public property.
“Governments should not be promoting religions of any kinds,” Gan said. “The actions of our city government in recent weeks have encouraged people to interfere in ways that are improper and — last night — illegal. Our local government is encouraging behavior that is at odds with our Constitution.”
Carucci disagreed, saying he had checked with the city’s lawyers to make sure the display policies were proper. But he acknowledged that the city’s ordinances were vague.
Religious displays are not allowed in city parks, Carucci said, but are not banned from other city property. That was why he was able to place a small Nativity scene beneath the tree in City Hall last year, the mayor said. It’s there again this year.
“The pentacle is a symbol of the season,” said Carucci, who called the damage to the symbol an act of vandalism, not a religiously based hate crime. He said the Police Department is pushing hard to solve the crime.
The mayor, who approved the display of the pentacle a day after the city’s Santa Claus parade, according to Garlow, said that if he learned anything this year, it’s that he should have informed the public what was going to happen beforehand rather than as events unfolded.
“Did I think there’d be a little bit of feedback? Yeah,” Carucci said. “To this magnitude? No.”
www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/227095.html
Shift of Nativity scene defuses debate on symbols
Pentacle removed amid Olean tension
By Elmer Ploetz NEWS STAFF REPORTER
OLEAN — The battle of the Nativity — and the pentacle — came to an end in Olean on Tuesday, at least for now.
A day after the large lavender and silver wooden pentacle sign was driven over and later stood back up — a hole in the front and tire tracks notwithstanding — the adjacent Nativity scene was moved a block down the street from the City Hall lawn to the front of a Baptist church.
Later Wednesday afternoon, John Garlow went to City Hall and removed the pentacle he and his wife, April, had placed there as a Wiccan response to the Nativity scene.
“If they moved [the Nativity scene], we were going to move the pentacle onto private property,” Garlow said. The pentacle had been
up for three days.
The decisions by the owners of the Nativity scene and the Garlows brought some closure to what at times had become an ugly situation, pitting friends against friends.
Garlow said it had been suggested on Internet message boards that his wife should be beaten. Barry Gan, a St. Bonaventure University professor who objected to any religious signs on public property, said threats toward him were intimated on a message board.
Wicca is a modern offshoot of pre-Christian paganism characterized by nature worship and white magic. Many of its traditions remain secretive and require that members be initiated. Shortly after 4 p.m., the battered pentacle was removed by John Garlow, aided by Gan, and strapped to the luggage rack of a station wagon.
Passing motorists offered comments and a woman onlooker, bearing a placard with the words “God Will Win,” stood nearby.
The pentacle was taken to the Garlows’ home.
April Garlow sent a written statement that was read by a family member during Tuesday evening’s meeting of the Common Council.
She thanked the Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce and Mayor David J. Carucci for removing the Nativity scene earlier in the day and urged lawmakers to amend an ordinance banning private displays in the parks to include public property, “so no rogue mayor can ever do this to our community again,” she said. “Let’s try to move on and try to heal this community for all the damage it’s caused.”
Edith Schrot, an Olean resident, said she contributed toward the Nativity display but had no idea that it would be at the center of so much conflict. She said that she contributed because a friend asked her.
“It was interesting to see the reactions — to see some of the extreme reactions — from both sides,” Schrot said. “I think some good can come from it. It has brought some feelings to the surface that maybe can be dealt with.”
Jim Kinley, a Cattaraugus County businessman, has been identified as the coordinator for the Nativity project. He did not respond to requests for comment. Schrot said the Nativity scene was not put together by a group, but by individual, anonymous contributors. She said she contributed because Kinley is a friend and a generous contributor to area causes.
The response from the community was rarely neutral, though. A crowd packed a Council meeting opposing the Nativity scene not long after the display went up in early November. They objected to a religious display being allowed on public property.
Others supported the idea of allowing the Nativity scene.
Several people interviewed Tuesday at Olean’s businesses said they were dismayed to find out somebody had driven over the Wiccan symbol, equally dismayed that the Nativity scene had been moved, and unhappy with the mixture of politics and religion.
“There are so many bigger problems, like getting our boys back home,” said a Richburg grandmother who asked not to be identified. She said her grandson was about to start a third tour of military duty in Iraq.
“I deplore what happened last night; that was horrible,” said Laurie McCarthy, owner of McCarthy’s Emporium, a Christian bookstore and teacher supply store just down the street from City Hall. “Nobody has the right to just destroy someone else’s property. If I’m looking for understanding with the Nativity set, then I have to display the same understanding for something else.”
McCarthy and Don Pfeiffer, owner of Don’s Music Shop, both said they thought the proximity of the Nativity scene and the pentacle was a problem. “You’d drive through town and see that nice Nativity scene,” Pfeiffer said. “. . . I had no problem with it.”
Gan helped Garlow take down the Wiccan symbol. He said he had objected to its being placed on public property.
“Governments should not be promoting religions of any kinds,” Gan said. “The actions of our city government in recent weeks have encouraged people to interfere in ways that are improper and — last night — illegal. Our local government is encouraging behavior that is at odds with our Constitution.”
Carucci disagreed, saying he had checked with the city’s lawyers to make sure the display policies were proper. But he acknowledged that the city’s ordinances were vague.
Religious displays are not allowed in city parks, Carucci said, but are not banned from other city property. That was why he was able to place a small Nativity scene beneath the tree in City Hall last year, the mayor said. It’s there again this year.
“The pentacle is a symbol of the season,” said Carucci, who called the damage to the symbol an act of vandalism, not a religiously based hate crime. He said the Police Department is pushing hard to solve the crime.
The mayor, who approved the display of the pentacle a day after the city’s Santa Claus parade, according to Garlow, said that if he learned anything this year, it’s that he should have informed the public what was going to happen beforehand rather than as events unfolded.
“Did I think there’d be a little bit of feedback? Yeah,” Carucci said. “To this magnitude? No.”
