Today I took Guy Fawkes Mannequin to the prayer garden in Baltimore to sit and pray. We were told that I could come in but guy could not. It was private property after all. We reminded the official that we were not an effigy, were quiet and prayerful, we were not a protest and we did not collect money. He told us that Guy was not welcome and there did not have to be any rules posted as it was private property and they were free do do what they wished there. So we quietly took Guy Outside. Ironic as the message from the Pope on the stone wall is about tolerance and freedom. I guess the church wants to be tolerated and free but they do not wish to extend those rights to others. I would have hoped that more had changed since 1605. I noted to the official who could not produce a business card, that Guy represented the defeat of terrorism via a great deliverance by God. He still could not respect our wish to sit prayerfully together on a park bench bothering no one. In order to create the 1.5 Million dollar park the church had to use a legal technicality (freedom to worship) to tear down an historic building which the city and officials wanted to preserve as low income housing- an apartment building. The building was torn down even though a prayer garden could have been created on the roof. A simple garden could have also been constructed with far less tax free money. -Conrad
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