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Ashland decides to fold up some banners Photo by Andy Atkinson A banner for the Ashland Community Hospital Foundation's "Light a Light for Life" campaign hangs over East Main Street recently. A new city ruling, effective Thursday, restricts banners to those promoting city-sponsored events. New limit: city-sponsored events only By BETH QUINN ASHLAND -- After complaints over an East Main Street banner containing Christian scripture, city officials have restricted future displays to city-sponsored events, eliminating banners traditionally erected by nonprofit groups. At issue was a banner that went up on Nov. 9 proclaiming, "Jesus Christ said, `I am the way, the truth and the life.' Sponsored by the Ashland Christian Fellowship." "We got a ton of complaints over it," said Paul Nolte, Ashland city attorney. "I think people's perception is, it's over a city street and it looks like the city is sponsoring a religion." Offended callers deluged city offices with protests, contacting Nolte, the electric utility, city administrator, mayor and council members. The protests prompted city officials to re-examine the previous policy that allowed any nonprofit to pay $125 to display a banner that included the sponsor's name for a week. Nolte decided that policy left the door wide open for nonprofit hate groups or nonprofit political campaigns to erect signs that other Ashlanders would find offensive. "If we don't allow them to put it up, we get sued for violation of their free-speech rights. If we do put it up, we're in trouble with the rest of the citizenry," Nolte said. He recommended tightening the banner policy to allow only displays giving notice of city functions. That decision disappoints Andrew Green, pastor of the Ashland Christian Fellowship. "I was proud of our city for going ahead and running that sign. I thought that showed that they were fair and that they cared about all the citizens," he said. The 1,200-member church's banner originally went up in May without identifying the sponsor, and was taken down because of it. But after the October erection of a banner sponsored by Southern Oregon University's Gay and Lesbian Association that advertised Pink Weekend, the church decided to erect its banner again. "We just thought that Jesus Christ had a right to be heard among the groups," Green said. Nolte blamed the flap on a fundamental misreading of the First Amendment guaranteeing separation of church and state and free speech. "Churches also have that right to free speech," he said. And the fellowship's banner clearly indicated that the church, not the city, had sponsored the sign. "I think many will be disappointed in the new policy, and it's not certainly to be thought of as some kind of punishment," Nolte said. "It's the only safe way the city can use banners." Green is philosophical about the flap, saying the issue has dogged Christians for two millennia. "What Jesus said has always been controversial. People either love him or they're against him," he said. "You can't be neutral about Jesus Christ." Who has had banners this year Nonprofit groups have displayed banners over East Main Street for a variety of causes in 1998, including: Martin Luther King Jr. Week Headwaters Southern Oregon University Theater Department Sweet Adelines Ashland Tree Commission Jackson County Association for the Education of Young Children Week of the Young Child Ashland Conservation Department Earth Day SOU International Program Ashland School Foundation Bike Swap Ashland Public Works Commute to Work Ashland Christian Fellowship Ashland Public Works Crosswalk Awareness Down Syndrome Association of Southern Oregon Buddy Walk Rotary Computer Swap Baha'i Faith Southern Oregon Drug Awareness Red Ribbon Week Ashland Community Hospital Light a Light for Life Under a new policy adopted Thursday, only events or programs sponsored or co-sponsored by the city of Ashland may erect a banner. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA