GRAND RAPIDS — The Itasca County Boardroom was hot Tuesday afternoon, May 7, and not just because more than 80 people were packed in.
Nearly 20 residents spoke at the County Board work session, with each ending their comments to loud applause and the occasional “amen” from the crowd. Many comments were filled with tension, and the frustration in the room was palpable.
Calls to attend Tuesday’s work session and “be heard” were shared on social media by people advocating for a large Ten Commandments display to remain in the new Itasca County Jail.
During tours of the jail late last month, the public saw the imposing religious display posted in the facility’s gym, covering most of one of the walls. Public concern swiftly evolved into legal pressure over whether the display violated the First Amendment Establishment Clause.
“Is it painted over right now? I’ve heard the rumor it was painted over already,” asked Gene Storlie of Bovey during the public comment portion of the work session.
“Sir, we’re taking all your thoughts and comments under advisement, but the Board will not be answering any questions,” replied John Johnson, board chair. The Board does not typically comment or answer questions citizen input.
“So it is,” Storlie replied, as audience members murmured similar statements. “So you instead played coward to a very small minority.”
While those in attendance were largely unsure about the status of the Ten Commandments display, Itasca County Sheriff Joe Dasovich confirmed with KAXE before Tuesday’s meeting that it was painted over last week ahead of a Department of Corrections inspection. The inspection was one of the final steps before moving inmates into the new facility. The sheriff said he’s heard from people who wanted them to remain, but the legal advice the county received on how to proceed was unanimous.
“The majority [of people who contacted me] wanted them up. And I did, too,” he said. “However, the most important, the jail passing inspection — and taking the advice from four different legal teams — all recommended that we remove them prior to our jail inspection.”
The legal advice came in response to a letter from the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, a freethought association that advocates for the separation of church and state. The organization recommended the removal of the Ten Commandments and any other posted quotes promoting religion, of which there were some from figures like Ronald Reagan and Thomas Jefferson. These letters typically precede legal action by the group.
The displays were chosen by Itasca County Jail Administrator Lucas Thompson, who acted as the project’s construction manager. Corrections Deputy Garrett Smith, a jail tour guide, indicated Thompson expected the display to be controversial.
“... And he was like, ‘Well, I’m going to be done in three years, I’m going to put them on there, and we’ll ride it out,’” Smith said during an April 25 tour.
Several public commenters Tuesday spoke of the importance of Christianity in the jail to provide hope or teach a lesson, including three people who said they volunteered with jail ministry. Some also expressed concern about where the debate may end, asking if the Ten Commandments came down, would the Pledge of Allegiance or the U.S. motto, “In God We Trust,” be next?
Stephanie Lipscy of Grand Rapids told the Board she started a petition to keep the Ten Commandments, which she said had 426 signatures Tuesday morning.
“We’re just asking that you don’t cater to the few of the minority that want this off of the walls,” she said. “We want you to listen to the people of Itasca County, and the petition shows that we are the numbers.”
Lipscy was one of two people who suggested legal representation to the Board, saying she’d been contacted by the Liberty Counsel and two private lawyers. The Rev. Patrick Lovejoy, pastor at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids, said First Liberty law firm would “support and walk beside the county.”
“Understand that you will not be facing the coming days and months and years alone,” Lovejoy said.
First Liberty has successfully litigated two similar cases before the U.S. Supreme Court in the last three years, Lovejoy said. The organization won two high-profile cases involving religious beliefs, according to its website: one about a postal worker refusing to work on Sundays and another about a high school football coach who prayed on the field.
Many speakers also lamented what they called a lack of transparency from commissioners on the decision to cover the Ten Commandments and wanted to know where commissioners stood on the issue, calling for a Board vote.
At the end of the citizen input portion of the meeting, audience members in the crowd asked what the Board’s decision would be. When the Board did not respond, more audience members shouted out comments.
“[You] sealed your fate on reelection,” one person said.
“Elections have consequences,” said another.
Johnson told the audience that there was no action intended on the issue, and the Board would not be expressing an opinion, though individual members may comment later.
During commissioners’ comments at the end of the session, members Burl Ives, Terry Snyder and Corey Smith said they are Christians and would have personally been OK with the Ten Commandments staying up, but there’s more to the issue than that.
“I think a lot of things come into play about, is it legal or illegal?” Snyder said. “And again, part of what we have to do is take advice from those that have legal experience, and that would be our county attorney, and listen to the advice that they give us.”
Ives and Smith both explained that they hadn’t been able to respond to every individual comment about the Ten Commandments they’d received outside of the meeting — a complaint of some public commenters — with Smith saying it was “nearly impossible.”
“I’ve had over 380 phone calls last week alone, over 500 emails, I can’t even tell you the texts, how many texts there were,” Ives said. “... How many people called me and said, ‘Hey, take it down?’ Well, less than six. How’s that? So, you can do the additions and subtractions if you like, to see how many people I talked to who’s in favor of keeping it up on the wall.”
Commissioner Casey Venema also said he was a Christian and he would fight for this issue.
“But there’s ways we have to fight for it,” he said. “And if it gets me voted out, it gets me voted out, but I will go down swinging on this one, but it has to follow the proper channels.”
In an interview during a recess of the work session, Johnson said the county has not been contacted by any law firms, nor does he know of any intention to pursue a lawsuit. He also said because there was no action taken by the Board to select the Ten Commandments or other postings, he didn’t think the Board should vote on their removal.
