Wauwatosa officials say all holiday decor is welcome in city buildings after viral email
After a blizzard of criticism on social media, Wauwatosa officials on Tuesday clarified their guidelines over holiday and Christmas decorations in city buildings.
A Nov. 9 email from city administrators, which asked employees to refrain from displaying religious decorations and those solely associated with Christmas, like the use of red and green in public spaces of the workplace, drew widespread ridicule on social media and a threat from a national law firm and Christian ministry.
City Administrator Jim Archambo said Tuesday the original email was not a policy directive or a requirement to decorate one way or another. Rather, it was an ask for employees to consider all members of Wauwatosa's community before deciding how to decorate public spaces in city-owned government buildings.
But by then, the story had already gone viral. The email was published Nov. 11 by Wisconsin Right Now, a conservative website, and Libs of TikTok, a popular conservative social media channel, tweeted the article. Some residents have even planned a protest for Saturday.
Media outlets stoked controversy, Wauwatosa mayor said
Deputy City Administrator Melissa Weiss sent the first email to City of Wauwatosa employees Nov. 9 to "encourage (city employees) to opt for more neutral and inclusive decorations that celebrate the season without favoring any particular faith belief system," such as lights, greenery and snowflakes.
Wisconsin Right Now reported Sunday that they obtained the email "from multiple sources who questioned why Wauwatosa was making this a priority when the city has far more pressing issues."
Wauwatosa communications manager Eva Ennamorato confirmed to the Journal Sentinel that the email was sent to city employees.
Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride said in a Facebook post Sunday that "certain media outlets" stoked controversy about the decor guidance and he had heard from "people ― mostly from not from Wauwatosa ― who have expressed outrage" over the email.
He said he told those who reached out to him that he'd learned that "in years past, some people who have come to City Hall in November and December have complained about religious displays." Administrators were just trying to make city buildings more comfortable for people visiting for governmental, non-religious reasons, he said, closing his responses with a wish for "a joyful Christmas season."
Widespread attention also came from followers of Libs of TikTok who amplified the Wisconsin Right Now article with a photo of Weiss and a screenshot of the original email on Nov. 12 on "X." The post, which got 5.7 million views, 12,000 retweets and 34,000 likes as of Nov. 15, pointed out that the email refers to "snow men as 'snow people,' because snow men is a gendered language."
USA TODAY recently reported how harassment ― including bomb threats and death threats ― routinely ensues after Libs of TikTok’s posts about individuals.
Ennamorato and city administrators Archambo and Weiss did not respond to a Journal Sentinel request for comment on the response city staff members have received following the original email and its widespread publishing.
One Zoom user who called themselves "Mary Christmas" attended a Plan Commission meeting virtually on Monday night and tried to participate in public comment, but was not allowed to speak. Some residents are organizing a "protest in favor of Christmas" this weekend, according to screenshots of a text message posted by Wisconsin Right Now.
Ennamorato told the Journal Sentinel that city staff is aware of comments about a protest regarding the situation this weekend and that the city welcomes freedom of speech on public sidewalks.
National group calls suggestions an 'unconstitutional ban on Christmas'
The Liberty Counsel, a national nonprofit litigation, education, public policy organization and Christian ministry, sent a demand letter to Wauwatosa, saying the city has put an "unconstitutional ban on Christmas holiday symbols, decorations, and expression."
“The Christmas holiday ban violates the U.S. Constitution by showing hostility toward Christianity," the letter reads. "The First Amendment does not permit the City to eliminate Christmas holiday symbols or expression in a misguided attempt to be ‘inclusive’ by eliminating all traditional elements of expression regarding a federally and state recognized holiday.”
The letter cited three Supreme Court cases that ruled it is unlawful to censor religious expression, including their own case Shurtleff v. City of Boston in which the Supreme Court ruled the City of Boston violated the First Amendment.
Spokespeople for the city did not respond to a request for comment on the city's response to the Liberty Counsel's letter by this story's deadline, but Archambo sent an email to staff Tuesday saying the original email was not a "policy directive" or requirement on how employees should decorate their homes or businesses.
"The original email was asking our employees to consider all members of our community before deciding how to decorate public spaces in city-owned government buildings," Archambo wrote.
"After considering others," the original email was meant to "(make) employees aware that they are free to decorate in the manner they have historically decorated or alter their decorations to be more inclusive at their discretion."
Contact Bridget Fogarty at bfogarty@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Viral Wauwatosa holiday decor email wasn't policy directive, city says
