I caught most of Monday's City Council meeting on cable TV but missed part of Public Comments.
Mary Ann Bernardi had this to say...
I would like to share a recent experience. After attending the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Troy, I went to visit the crèche, which I found was out of sight, unlighted and difficult to find. Standing in the dark, it seemed as if the Christmas story was being played out, all over again, in our city. It was as if Troy had said to the Holy Family, “You are not welcome here. We have no room for you.” The message of Christmas is a powerful message of peace and love for all mankind and all the creatures of the Earth -- so much so, that during WWI, a British battalion and a German Battalion laid down there arms and celebrated Christmas together for three days before resuming their battle with each other. It is difficult to imagine why a symbol that represents such a powerful force for good should be tucked away in the shadows. Although completely unintentional, accepting such a wonderful gift from one of our local churches in this manner appears ungracious, and even disrespectful of the good intentions of the donors. If the crèche were moved to the lighted area in front of city hall, secular decorations are already in place at the site to meet the necessary requirements. The crèche is lovely and the lighted Christmas trees in that area could illuminate it. Fear that undesirable groups might place displays, or fear of litigation, should not deter us from our right to free expression of faith. Our actions should not be predicated upon fear. Instead, our answer should be that we will not stand down to hate, or to tyranny. Instead, we will stand up for all the values that we hold dear, and for our right to be free. One of the best things that the city council could do this Christmas is to allow the crèche to be moved to the front of city hall. It would be a reflection of the true message of Christmas, and would express our gratitude for the generous gift bestowed upon our city by one of the local churches.
In addition to Mary Ann's proposal, there is another alternative that could be investigated. Convert part of the grassy area between City Hall and Big Beaver into a public display and free speech area. I'm sure there are enough citizens who would donate the funds to build a very nice plaza in this area that would complement both the Veterans Plaza and the Big Beaver corridor. The plaza could also include some environmentally-friendly lighting so that displays could be seen at night.
