Where did all the crosses go?

 First there were five. By the end of the day, there was another. And in the weeks that followed, four more were added. Each of the white crosses placed in the grass in front of Providence Baptist Church on Daniel Island symbolized a life lost in the Charleston region due to gun violence.

According to Pastor Don Flowers, who initiated the effort, the church was part of a nationwide “Stand-Up Sunday” initiative that began on January 31. The project, involving some 1300 churches, was launched in the aftermath of the Mother Emanuel Church shootings in June of 2015.

“We wanted to call attention to the loopholes in our gun laws, and to call for closing those loopholes,” said Flowers. “…And to make people aware (of the initiative), I put up five crosses in the yard for the five people who had been killed by guns in Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester Counties…When I got home from church another one had been killed that night. That afternoon, I went back and put a sixth cross up. In the days and weekends that followed there were more and more (shootings), so I just kept putting a cross up.”

But in late February, the church was asked by the Daniel Island Community Association to remove the crosses, due to a violation of the Daniel Island Town Association’s Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&Rs). According to Jane Baker, vice president of community services for the Daniel Island Property Owners Association, her office had received some complaints about the church’s display. The crosses fall under the “signs, objects or other displays” description in the CC&Rs, explained Baker.

“While the Property Owners’ Association appreciates the good work of our religious institutions, we are tasked with enforcing our governing documents and design guidelines for all properties on Daniel Island,” said Baker.

As per the regulations, displays are not allowed unless prior written consent of the Architectural Review Board is obtained (signs for legal proceedings or professional security signs are permitted without pre-approval).

The official rules, as per Article II (Exhibit C, section f) read as follows, “Unless in compliance with Article IX, no signs, objects or other displays shall be posted or erected by or on behalf of any Owner or occupant within any portion of the Properties, including the Common Area, any Unit or any structure or dwelling located on the Common Area or any Unit (if such sign would be visible from the exterior of such structure or dwelling as determined in the reviewing body’s sale discretion).”

Baker said she sent Flowers a letter informing him about the infraction on February 22.

“I was pleased and proud to see your leadership in the recent organization of the faith community to address the disturbing prevalence of gun violence in our country,” she wrote to Flowers. “While the Property Owners’ Association is supportive of your efforts, unfortunately we can not approve of the crosses that have been placed on the Providence Baptist property due to our Daniel Island Town Association governing regulations (CC&Rs). I hope you will understand that part of our job is to administer and enforce our community codes and has nothing to do with our appreciation for your efforts. If you would kindly remove the 10 small crosses this week we would be grateful.”

Flowers, caught up in preparations for the Easter holiday, complied, but wondered why it was necessary.

“The request to remove the crosses – I thought was interesting,” he said. “If it had been any other time I should have called…and asked why. We have been here from the very beginning, since before the DITA existed, and I don’t ever remember a meeting where we approved those regulations… I understand the difficulty that Jane is in, that part of the appeal of Daniel Island is the uncluttered nature of our community. But, we need to be very careful that it doesn’t become so sterile that…we can’t have conversations about things that really matter.”

Because Flowers was not aware of the regulation, he did not seek permission. Baker said that would have been the first step in the process.

“If it had been a one-day special event type of thing, I have a feeling that it would have been no problem at all,” she added. “…You just have to go through the proper steps to do that.”

Other entities on Daniel Island have displayed religious symbols before, for a defined period of time, such as the large wooden cross in front of Holy Cross Episcopal Church for Easter, and the menorah that is displayed in front of Family Circle Tennis Center in December. In both of those cases, permission was sought and approved by the ARB, stated Baker.

Flowers said he never intended for the cross display to be permanent (he ordered a total of 15 crosses for the project). Even though they had to be taken down, he is hopeful his attempts to draw attention to what he considers a national problem did not go unnoticed.

“This was not a political statement,” added Flowers, who said he never intended for the cross display to be permanent. “This was a moral statement. That is the business we are in. For a church to be told you have to take down a cross?... It is easy for us on the island to think (gun violence) doesn’t exist, but it does. These are our neighbors, our children, our fellow citizens who are losing their lives, and mostly to people who shouldn’t have had the ability to get a gun in the first place.”

A full listing of Daniel Island’s governing documents can be found at http://www.dicommunity.org/ResourceCenter/12202/Resource-Center.