The forces of tolerance and diversity strike again.

Call it a “cross-in.”

No sooner had a Lake Elsinore family removed a roadside memorial cross under pressure from a rights organization than six more appeared in its place.

Riverside resident Emily Johnson and her father, Doug Johnson, said they were so disturbed upon hearing that AnnMarie Devaney was being forced to take down the symbol honoring her late son, they crafted their own plywood crosses and planted them along Lake Street next to the site where the Devaney tribute once stood.

The Johnsons’ crosses were painted with statements such as “What if this was your child?” and “Ever heard the phrase, ‘To each his own?’”

“They said they have to take that one down,” said Doug Johnson. “But they didn’t say anything about putting another one up.”

They were among a handful who showed up Thursday, March 6, as the Devaneys removed the memorial, which included a 5-foot-tall cross. Devaney, who frequently fought off tears during the gathering, called the show of support “awesome.”

In May 2012, 19-year-old Anthony Vincent Devaney was struck and killed crossing Lake Street. In December of that year, the family erected the memorial. A complaint prompted the American Humanist Association in Washington, D.C., to intervene, contending the placement of the symbol in the city right-of-way violated the separation of church and state.

Among those who attended the event was Laurie Howanec She said she was the stepmother of the 17-year-old boy who drove the car that struck Anthony. Howanec said it was the first time she had personal contact with the Devaneys in the aftermath of the incident, but she was moved to show her support.

“I have no problem having a cross here,” she said. “It’s just what we do around here. There’s crosses all around here.”

The association’s demand letter dated March 4 came a week after a U.S. District Court judge ruled in favor of the group’s legal challenge to Lake Elsinore’s proposed veterans memorial. That monument would have depicted a soldier kneeling in front of crosses and Stars of David.

Representatives of the association said they were prepared to challenge the city again if it didn’t ensure the Devaneys’ cross came down. The organization, which represents atheists and other nonreligious individuals, released a statement Thursday expressing gratitude the cross was being removed.

Devaney family members said they didn’t view the cross as a monument to religion.

“I think it’s just ridiculous,” said AnnMarie Devaney’s husband, Chad Devaney. “A lot of people are making this a religious thing. To us, it was just something that represented our son.”

http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-c...more-appear.ece

Lake Elsinore is in (Surprise!) CA.