The war veteran who won a lawsuit against the City of King says he's standing up for the religious beliefs of all veterans and for the Constitution. In an exclusive interview with WFDD, former Staff Sgt. Steve Hewett explains why he sued the city, which resulted in the removal of a memorial.
Hewett retired to King after serving almost a year in Afghanistan in 2003, where he worked on Apache and Blackhawk helicopters with the Army National Guard. He says was not offended by the Christian flag or by the image of a soldier kneeling over a cross at the Veteran's Memorial in King's Central Park. But the statue only included the Christian faith.
“On the plaque to the memorial leading up to it, it commemorates all soldiers," explains Hewett. "When you start putting symbols of one religion on a public display, it's not representing all soldiers and that's not what a memorial is all about.”
Earlier this month, King's City Council settled the lawsuit with Hewett. They voted 3-2 to remove the kneeling soldier statue and to no longer fly the flag because of mounting court costs. In the settlement, the City of King will not fly the Christian flag.
Supporters of keeping the statue in the city park say they're angry that city leaders stopped fighting. Senior Pastor Kevin Broyhill leads Calvary Baptist Church in King. He says he and others are talking with the National Center for Life and Liberty to investigate options that would enable Christian symbols to be shown on public property.
“They [residents] do feel disenfranchised by the elected officials they put in office," says Pastor Broyhill. "They [city leaders] have said they would go to court, they would fight the battle, not against an individual. It's fighting for a cause of freedom and religious liberty in America. That trust is gone.”
In a news release, the City of King says it had already spent $50,000 in legal fees and estimated the cost could approach $2 million.
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