Back in February, atheist activist Sally Hunt attended a meeting of the Board of Aldermen in Wentzville, Missouri to criticize the “In God We Trust” sign they had in giant letters in their meeting room. You can hear her speech in that video. It’s direct, but it’s calm. Hunt explained the history of the phrase, why it excluded non-religious people in the community, and how others have complained about it to her but said nothing publicly out of fear of possible backlash.
Mayor Nick Guccione didn’t hear that last part since he essentially dismissed her for being a lone voice of dissent on this matter. When Hunt tried explaining once against that she was speaking on behalf of many others, he told her that her time was up and she needed to sit down before he called for her removal.
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According to the ACLU, the city of Wentzville has “updated its city code and publicly committed to respect freedom of speech and the separation of church and state” as part of a newly adopted resolution.
