Atheist group accuses Fort Worth of discrimination after rejection of downtown banner ads

A DFW atheist group is suing Fort Worth, claiming the city violated its freedom of speech.

The group, Metroplex Atheists, applied to hang banner ads downtown for an Aug. 26 event on keeping religion out of public schools, but got rejected after the city claimed the event was not of, “sufficient magnitude,” according to a press release.

The ads are hung on light poles owned by the city on Throckmorton, Main, and Houston Streets, but managed by the downtown advocacy nonprofit Downtown Fort Worth Inc.

“We did everything to meet the City of Fort Worth’s banner policy,” said group president Umair Khan in a press release. “We were denied purely on trumped-up claims nowhere in the policy, to disguise their prejudice.”

The group pointed to advertisements by Kenneth Copeland Ministries and TCU to bolster its argument that the city’s rejection was discriminatory.

It’s asking a federal court to reverse the city’s decision and allow the group to advertise.

Metroplex Atheists had been allowed to advertise for a similar event in 2019, which generated controversy and prompted a response from then-Mayor Betsy Price. Price said she disagreed with the group’s message, but urged residents to respect its freedom of speech.

Mayor Mattie Parker had no comment due to the pending litigation, a spokesperson wrote in an email to the Star-Telegram.

The reason for the rejection in 2023 came after a meeting between Metroplex Atheists and assistant city manager William Johnson in which Johnson told a group representatives their event was “not of a ‘magnitude’ to qualify,” according to a court filing. The filing goes on to argue that magnitude is not mentioned in the city’s policy.

“The city is aware of the lawsuit, believes that it acted appropriately and will defend its position in court,” a city spokesperson wrote in an email to the Star-Telegram.