Atheists sue over billboard removal

A Wisconsin group recently sued the city of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. for its alleged role in the removal of a billboard promoting atheism.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation filed the lawsuit in U.S. district court in Los Angeles against the city and the director of its redevelopment agency.

The group had paid for a billboard that said “Imagine No Religion” in large letters on a stained-glass background. General Outdoor Advertising, of Ontario, Calif., took down the billboard Nov. 20, less than a week after the company put it up.

Annie Gaylor, co-president of the group that represents atheists and agnostics, said the city violated the First Amendment by contacting General Outdoor to relay complaints from city residents about the billboard.

That illustrated a violation of free-speech rights and an unconstitutional city endorsement of religion, the suit says. The city regulates General Outdoor, and the phone call amounted to pressure, she said.

City Attorney Jim Markman called the lawsuit “frivolous.” The city only notified General Outdoor about the approximately 90 complaints that it received on the billboards as it notifies other companies and organizations when they receive complaints about their actions, he said.