New ruling issued on angel silhouette that stirred debate about 9/11 memorial in Pierce County
The City of Milton will allow the silhouette of an angel to remain at a 9/11 memorial in Milton Community Park.
The city previously asked Milton’s 9/11 Memorial Committee to remove the angel after receiving a complaint that said the statue was “an inappropriate government endorsement of religious beliefs.”
Jack Chandler, chairman of the 9/11 Memorial Committee, explained that the angel was meant to represent the doctors, nurses and emergency medical personnel that rushed in to help during the terrorist attack.
The city reversed its decision on June 25 and will allow the angel to remain after Chandler’s explanation of the intention of the angel was relayed in a June 4 letter to the Milton city attorney Andrew Tsoming.
“The City has decided to allow the angel silhouette to remain in Milton Community Park as part of the 9/11 Memorial,” Tsoming said in a letter to attorneys for the memorial committee. “Provided a plaque or other permanent signage is added to convey the intended meaning to the greater community of the angel, and the other silhouettes, at the 9/11 Memorial.”
Chandler told The News Tribune the committee plans to add a plaque conveying the meaning of the angel silhouette before the memorial’s dedication ceremony on Sept. 11, 2021.
