CROSS IN OCOTILLO WELLS IN CROSSHAIRS OF CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUE

By Miriam Raftery

June 26, 2017 (Ocotillo) - In 1966, Jim Bruce Robinson was killed in action during the Vietnam War. He was 21 years old.  A memorial plaque and towering cross were erected in his memory in Ocotillo Wells, across the street from the home where his family still lives. 

But now due to a single complaint from a person who has chosen to remain anonymous, the County of San Diego is planning to remove the cross, which is located on land owned by the County airport in Ocotillo Wells.  A citizens group has launched a petition seeking to save the cross, and has amassed thousands of signatures in its first week.

Efforts to save the cross are being spearheaded by Sherri Kukla, publisher of S&S Off Road Magazine and an Ocotillo Wells resident.

The petition states, “The memorial cross has been a source of comfort to other family members who have lost loved ones in the desert, a navigational beacon for families recreating in the desert who need a point of reference for meeting up or figuring out where they are in the remote desert. The Memorial Cross has been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands over the last 51 years, the petition adds. (Petition: http://www.standunited.org/petition/stop-the-removal-of-the-ocotillo-wells-memorial-cross-now )

But federal courts have ruled that a cross on public lands constitutes establishment of a religion, which violates the U.S. Constitution. A similar case over the cross atop Mount Helix went all the way to the U.s. Supreme Court.  That situation was resolved when a government entity transferred ownership of land underneath the cross to a private foundation, which has since maintained the site.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that County spokesman Alex Bell indicated the County did ask the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to sell the land under the cross, but the FAA refused. 

The County is now working with community members seeking a new location for the monument or alternatively, to modify it, such as removing the cross and replacing it with a flag.