Nothing Prevails Like Prayer banner hung | justinvacula.com

Justin is still battling with Wilkes-Barre city officials (http://interestinghmm.blogspot.com/2014/05/ffrf-banner-unprominently-placed-in.html),,,

Following the unprominent display, I questioned city officials about the banner’s placement (see video of an exchange here) — noting I never have seen a banner displayed on the reverse side of the scaffolding structure — and was informed that my banner was unprominently displayed because Public Square was rented for that day. This explanation is flawed because there is no evidence of rental agreements dictating this and a banner reading ‘May is Mental Health Month’—displayed by NAMI as a right-to-know request unveiled — was prominently displayed alongside a National Day of Prayer banner.

Now, a group, The Lay Servants of the Immaculate Heart Of Mary, presumably responding to the Nothing Fails Like Prayer banner, is advertising on Public Square and, oddly enough, the banner is being displayed on the reverse side of the scaffolding structure. Last month, I asked city officials to display all banners at equal prominence and now – for some reason – a religious banner, the second banner I ever saw erected on the reverse side of the scaffolding structure, is being unprominently displayed. City officials have ignored my request for equal promotion of viewpoints submitted by members of the public.

Will city officials now, displaying this new banner unprominently, use this as reason to openly discriminate – as they already have seem to have done – on the basis of viewpoint by placing certain banners, whether they be mine or others, at their discretion with little to no accountability or oversight, out of prominence?

Nothing Prevails Like Prayer banner hung | justinvacula.com

UPDATE::Right-to-know requests answered | justinvacula.com

Justin has not indicated what step he may or may not take next but his fight for Wlikes-Barre and all of Pennsylvania continues,

"I will continue to pursue church/state separation issues and atheist activism in Northeastern Pennsylvania. While the climate is not very welcome, I will continue to take a stand. Hopefully — even though Wilkes-Barre officials will likely continue its government-led Judeo-Christian prayers at council meetings — Wilkes-Barre officials will improve."

He did however get a response to his right-to-know request.

A right-to-know request — inquiring about the National Day of Prayer banner and the Mental Health Month banner — I filed was recently fulfilled. As I suspected, different groups paid for display of the National Day of Prayer and Mental Health Month banners. Additionally, there were separate charges for banner display and Public Square rental. McCormick’s reasoning, then, is vacuous in light of these revelations. It overwhelmingly appears to be the case that because city officials or someone else making decisions intentionally gave religious viewpoints prominence over a non-religious message.

Sadly, government neutrality on matters of religion is not always the case in Wilkes-Barre. In addition to the unprominent placement of the ‘Nothing Fails Like Prayer’ banner, city council opens its meetings with government-led Judeo-Christian prayers and refuses to allow alternative messages and/or speakers from the public to provide invocations immediately following the Pledge of Allegiance (see more about the matter here including my recent secular invocation I was only able to provide during a public comment section).

Right-to-know requests answered | justinvacula.com

FFRF banner unprominently placed in Wilkes-Barre - justinvacula.com | justinvacula.com

This incident is plain wrong!! Banner put up 3 days late, then "hidden" from view. When questioned as to why, the lies begin to tumble out of city officials' mouth. Does the city think "we" are stupid or what?? All I (personally) ask for as an atheist (as a lesbian and as an individual with a mental illness) is to be treated in the same manner as everyone else. Some theists, not so much. I seriously hope Justin pursues this matter to the fullest extent of the law and I will support his actions in whatever means I can.

Go here for more detailed information concerning Justin's battle
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Wilkes-Barre officials unprominently placed an FFRF banner I submitted for display while a submitted National Day of Prayer banner was prominently placed.

What appears to be a clear case of viewpoint discrimination — privileging religious viewpoints over messages contrary to religious beliefs — occurred on May 1, 2014 at the hands of Wilkes-Barre city officials.

Rather than placing a religious and non-religious banners side-by-side, displaying them with equal levels of prominence, a non-religious banner I submitted was placed out of sight of a National Day of Prayer event — on the reverse side of a scaffolding structure rather than on the front side — while a banner recognizing the National Day of Prayer event was more prominently placed on the front side of scaffolding.

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To paraphrase a previous piece I authored, I do not start with cynicism — seeing malice and ‘bad faith’ [from government officials] — but this banner situation has really moved me to reconsider my view of Wilkes-Barre city officials – especially when considering past transgressions within Wilkes-Barre.

FFRF banner unprominently placed in Wilkes-Barre - justinvacula.com | justinvacula.com