Tega Cay city in South Carolina sparked controversy this week after city officials first removed the word “Lord” from a fallen police officers memorial before ultimately removing the entire memorial.
According to the Christian Post, a memorial containing the “Officer’s Prayer” was placed outside of the Tega Cay Police Department to honor police officers killed in the line of duty. After being up for only a short time, the city reportedly received numerous complaints about the religious words on the memorial, causing city officials to cover up the word “Lord,” which appears three separate times.
City officials’ decision to remove “Lord” from the prayer, however, did not solve the issue. Instead, the move sparked even more controversy.
Tega Cay city shared on social media that since they failed to find a solution to appease both those offended by the words and those offended by the removal of the words, that they would be removing the memorial.
The announcement read, “We have received many comments, both locally and nationally, in response to the monument at the Tega Cay Police Station. We attempted to find a compromise but failed as our community has further divided.”
“In an attempt to find a resolution, we have upset parties on both sides of this issue and for that, we are truly sorry. The City of Tega Cay's intent from the beginning of this project was to recognize our current and fallen police officers. Without their courage, strength, dedication, concern and compassion, as mentioned in the police officer's prayer inscribed on the monument, our City would be a much different place,” the city shared.
City officials then noted that the monument has been removed until a solution can be found.
“At this time, we have removed the monument while we continue to seek a solution that expresses our unwavering support and gratitude to those who risk their lives every day for ours. We will continue to welcome feedback from our residents and seek further guidance from our legal team until we can find a viable solution for all concerned.”
Tega Cay is a small city in York County, South Carolina, with a population of 7,621 people. It is located some 20 miles south of Charlotte.
Photo courtesy: Fred Mouniguet/Unsplash
