A decades-long legal battle over a huge cross in a city in the Bay Area is finally over. The city agreed to pay more than $1.5 million to end the case.
It was built of steel and plexiglass and stood 28 feet tall. For more than 50 years, it had a view of the city of Albany and the East Bay of San Francisco.
The building was first put up on private land, but the land around it was later sold to the city and turned into a public park.
Before selling, the original owners of the land made an easement that lets the Albany Lions Club, a local service group, take care of the cross.
A federal judge said that the cross in a public park was against the First Amendment after an atheist group in the area complained about it.
Instead of selling the easement to the Albany Lions Club, the city council chose to take it by force, and the cross was taken down in 2023. In spite of this, the Albany Lions Club kept fighting with the city over the cross removal and easement dispute.
At its October 7 city council meeting, the city said it had agreed to settle the case by giving the Albany Lions Club over $1.5 million in exchange for legal title to the whole property. This would end the ongoing lawsuit.
“To stop the ongoing court case, the City agreed to a judgment with the Lions Club so that they wouldn’t have to pay for any more court costs.” This decision lets the City condemn the easement and take down the cross that was on Albany Hill Park to help the Lions Club, which it already did.
The court ordered the City to pay the Lions Club $1,530,000 to buy their share of the property. The city of Albany said that $500,000 of that amount had already been set aside for the State Condemnation Fund.
“Additionally, the judgment fully resolves any and all 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 completely clears title of the easement that previously existed on the Park.”
“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,” it said.
Kevin Pope, President of the Albany Lions Club, told Fox News Digital that the city “used bad judgment” in how they handled the dispute that had been going on for years.
“It makes me sad and angry that the Albany City Council wasted public money and time trying to get the Christian cross taken down from Albany Hill for good.” He said, “It didn’t have to be this way.”
Pope said it was wrong for the city to “pay over $1.5 million to tear down the cross” instead of selling a small piece of land to The Albany Lions Club so the cross could stay on private property. He also asked if this was the best use of the city’s “dwindling resources.”
“Many people now think of Albany as a place that doesn’t accept religious values. Data shows that a lot of people are leaving California for this and other reasons, Pope said.
“The cross is very important to people who worship Jesus Christ. It shows how much God loves all of us, not just Christians, people of all races, religions, ethnicities, sexes, etc.” We are all the same, whether we believe in God or not. Pope used 1 Corinthians 1:18 to say, “He still loves us.”
When Fox News Digital asked the Albany City Council for a comment, they pointed to their public statement.
