A controversy is brewing in the town of Milton, Washington over an angel resting at an upcoming 9/11 memorial, according to KING 5.
A 35-foot section of the World Trade Center sits at the center of the memorial with the New York City skyline, airplanes, first responders, and the nearly 3-foot-tall angel surrounding it.
A citizen complained that people may take the angel as an official endorsement of a religious belief. Now city officials are demanding volunteers building the memorial to take down the angel -- but not for religious reasons.
“The statue was not a part of the plans submitted by the foundation and approved by the city,” Milton City Attorney Andrew Tsoming explained.
A letter was sent to 79-year-old Jack Chandler of the Milton 9/11 Memorial Committee, warning that the city has the authority to remove the angel if it's not taken down.
Chandler told reporters he won't be removing the angel, calling the decision "unnecessary." He argues that the display represents a secular angel of mercy and that the city doesn't have to approve "every detail of the memorial."
The memorial is scheduled to be dedicated on September 11 this year, but there's no word if this dispute will affect those plans. Work on the memorial has been going on since at least 2012.