Saturday, November 22, 2008

FFRF billboard in California taken down at city request

The FFRF's "Imagine No Religion" billboard in Rancho Cucamonga, California, is being removed by General Outdoor Advertising after they received a request to remove it from the city. The city asserts that it requested the removal but did not demand it, and therefore did not violate the First Amendment. The contract no doubt gives General Outdoor the ability to back out of the contract and refund the money in response to controversy. FFRF says the company has agreed to refund the money.

The city reports that they received about 90 complaints.

Has anyone ever heard of a religious billboard in this country being removed after a government request?

UPDATE (November 25, 2008): FFRF plans to sue Rancho Cucamonga for this infringement of its freedom of speech. The city's Redevelopment Director, Linda Daniels, apparently realizes now that she has done something wrong, and has changed her story:

Last Thursday, Redevelopment Director Linda Daniels said a member of her staff had informed the sign company about the 90 complaints the city received regarding the billboard.

"We contacted the sign company and asked if there was a way to get it removed," Daniels told the Daily Bulletin.

On Friday, Daniels denied making the comment.

3 comments:

  1. I wish they remove a certain billboard from a certain highway in Montana.

    Ken Ham is polluting our nation’s highways

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  2. Though the city might claim it wasn't a 'demand' the effect is the same.

    If the sign company had stood their ground on behalf of free speech or whatever, they risked angering the city officials who could cause trouble the next time the company had business before the council or zoning board or whatever.

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