Quincy, Massachusetts — The American Civil Liberties Union and a handful of secular activist groups joined several local residents in filing a lawsuit last May to block the installation of two statues honoring police and firefighters outside the city’s new public safety headquarters. The statues—one depicting St. Florian, a third-century firefighting Roman Christian, and the other portraying archangel Michael stepping on the head of a demon—were commissioned by Quincy as part of its public safety infrastructure.
The city has received an outpouring of support from first responders’ groups, religious organizations, and others. “The ACLU has pitted itself against the very heroes who keep our communities safe,” stated Joseph Davis, senior counsel at Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and attorney for Quincy.
Quincy will present its case before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on May 6. The International Association of Fire Fighters noted that “for the firefighting community, there is perhaps no better image for this project than St. Florian.” It further stated that Florian’s legend has become “part of the cultural fabric of firefighting.”
Similarly, the National Association of Police Organizations described St. Michael as “the archetype of core law-enforcement virtues: justice, courage, leadership, and defense of the innocent.” The National Fraternal Order of Police echoed this understanding.
The Knights of Columbus highlighted America’s and Massachusetts’ rich histories of acknowledging religion in public art, while the Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team and Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty warned that a ruling against Quincy might set precedents affecting minority faiths. The American Legion argued such a decision would “put the Massachusetts Constitution on a collision course with the federal one” and noted states cannot favor nonreligion by adopting hostility toward faith.
Norfolk Superior Court Judge William Sullivan, who previously blocked the installation in October, had argued that the statues “serve no discernable secular purpose.” The International Association of Fire Fighters flatly rejected this argument.
