Town forced to remove cross from veterans memorial

Controversy has erupted over a cross in the tiny New Jersey borough of Roselle Park.

The American Humanist Association took the borough and its mayor to federal court, claiming they were violating constitutional rights by putting up a sign in front of the library depicting a soldier kneeling by grave marked with a Christian cross.

"Once you start trying to appease one religion, and then another, you leave out minorities," David Niose of the American Humanist Association says.

Not only did the lawsuit demand that the display be removed.  It also sought to forbid the borough from erecting a similarly religious display in the future.

The sign was gone by Tuesday.  Mayor Carl Hokanson had previously said that he bought the display with his personal money and donated it to the library.  He was not made available to comment on Tuesday.

This isn't the first time the humanist group has tangled with New Jersey governments.  Last December they fought to get the word Christmas removed from the Christmas tree and replaced with Holiday.