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Residents Sue Mass. City, Mayor over Plan for Religious Statues on Building
- On May 27, 2025, fifteen Quincy residents filed a lawsuit to block installation of two 10-foot bronze Catholic saint statues at the new public safety building's entrance.
- The lawsuit contends that Mayor Thomas Koch acted independently in approving the commissioning of the statues without securing public input or City Council authorization, thereby breaching the Massachusetts Constitution's requirement for religious neutrality.
- The statues represent Saints Michael and Florian, patrons of police and firefighters, cost $850,000, and will adorn a $175 million facility housing critical city services.
- ACLU Senior Counsel Heather Weaver criticized the City for failing to uphold its constitutional obligation to maintain religious neutrality, while leaders from a multifaith coalition expressed concerns that the statues convey exclusionary messages.
- The lawsuit requests a court injunction to halt the city's spending and installation of the statues, emphasizing that non-Catholic residents may feel unwelcome or excluded by this display.
11 Articles
11 Articles
ACLU Sues City to Block Statues of Saints on Public Safety Building
Courtesy photos (L-R) Statues of St. Florian and St. Michael are planned for the 120,000-square-foot public safety building of Quincy, Mass., set to open this year. Former Catholics comprise the largest group of residents challenging the statues of the patron saints of police officers and firefighters in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Quincy residents sue mayor over controversial Catholic saint statues for new public safety building
Fifteen religious and non-religious Quincy residents are suing Mayor Thomas Koch over recently discovered plans to install controversial Catholic patron saint statues on the front of the city’s new public safety building.
FFRF represents residents suing Quincy, Mass., and mayor to stop public religious statues
Photo of Quincy, Mass., by Max Youmans A multifaith group of Quincy, Mass., residents and taxpayers have filed a lawsuit in the Norfolk Superior Court to halt the planned installation of two large religious statues of Catholic saints at the entrance of the city’s new public safety building. The plaintiffs are residents of diverse faiths who do not want their government officials and publicly owned property to promote specific religious beliefs…
Residents sue Mass. city, mayor over plan for religious statues on building
According to the lawsuit, the plan, which was created by Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch, "promotes one religion over others, and religion over nonreligion, violating the Massachusetts Constitution."
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