ROSELLE PARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- A New Jersey town has removed a veterans memorial depicting a Christian cross following a lawsuit that claimed it excluded non-Christian veterans.
The Roselle Park borough council voted unanimously on Thursday to dismantle the statue outside the Roselle Park Veterans Memorial Library.
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The statue depicts a soldier kneeling over a grave marked by a cross, bought by Mayor Carl Hokanson with his own money back in July. He thought it would be a great addition to the library, but the American Humanist Association -- along with Councilwoman-at-large Charlene Storey and her husband Gregory Storey -- sued the borough saying the cross represented a government endorsement of religion.
It's created a heated debate in the small community, with many people saying its not about religion and should stay up.
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Storey contends it's not about veterans or even the constituents, but about the Constitution. Mayor Hokanson plans to leave the carving at a nearby church, before it is given to a resident in the community.