The Bay Area city will pay $1.5 million after a years-long fight to take down Cross

A years-long legal battle over a giant cross in a Bay Area city has finally been resolved, after the city agreed to pay more than $1.5 million to settle the dispute.

The Albany Hill Cross, a 90-foot-tall illuminated steel and plexiglass structure, overlooked the city of Albany and the East Bay from San Francisco for more than 50 years. The cross was placed on the original landowner’s private property for the benefit of the community because Christians had been carrying crosses up the hill at Easter for years, according to local community service group The Albany Lions Club. The surrounding land was later sold to the city and became part of a public park. Before it was sold, the original landowner created an easement granting maintenance of the cross to the Albany Lions Club.

After a local atheist group complained about the religious symbol in a public park, a federal judge ruled that the cross violated the First Amendment. The city council voted to acquire the easement by eminent domain, rather than sell it to the Albany Lions Club, and took down the cross in 2023. However, the Albany Lions Club has kept fighting the city over the cross removal and the easement dispute.

To end the ongoing lawsuit, the city announced at the October 7 City Council meeting that it had agreed to settle the case by paying more than $1.5 million to the Albany Lions Club in exchange for the legal ownership of the entire property.

Bay Area Atheists Who Fought for Cross Removal: Christians Shouldn’t Have ‘Special Privilege’

“To resolve the ongoing lawsuit, the city has agreed to a judgment with the Lions Club to avoid additional legal costs. This ruling allows the city to condemn the easement and remove the cross, which the city already did, that stood on Albany Hill Park. in aid of the Lions Club. The judgment requires the City to pay the Lions Club $1,530,000 for the acquisition of their ownership interest, $500,000 of which has already been set aside in the State Condemnation Fund,” the City of Albany announced.

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“Additionally, the judgment fully resolves any claims the Lions Club may have had regarding the city’s removal of the cross and gives the city legal title to the entirety of the property, and reclaims title to the easement previously the park was completely cleared. .”

“This resolves the matter, and therefore the Lions Club has no legal right to use the property for the easement or to maintain the cross on the property, which the city has already removed,” the statement continued.

Kevin Pope, president of the Albany Lions Club, told Fox News Digital that the city “exercised poor judgment” in how it handled the yearslong dispute.

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“I am saddened and angry that the Albany City Council used such poor judgment in spending public funds to force the permanent removal of the Christian cross from Albany Hill. It did not have to be this way,” said he.

Pope blasted the city for choosing to pay “more than $1.5 million to tear down the cross” rather than sell just a small portion of the land to the Albany Lions Club so the cross would be on private property could stay. wise use of the city’s ‘dwindling resources’.

“Albany is now seen by many as a place of intolerance toward religious values. Data shows that there is an ‘exodus’ of people from California for those and many other reasons,” Pope said.

“The cross means the world to those who worship Jesus Christ; it is the symbol of the great love that God has for all of us, not just for Christians, for all humanity, for every race, religion, ethnic group, gender, etc. .All of us Whether we believe in God or not, He still loves us,” Pope said, quoting from 1 Corinthians 1:18.

The Albany City Council referred to his public statement when contacted for comment by Fox News Digital.

Original article source: The Bay Area city will pay $1.5 million after a years-long fight to take down Cross