The residents of a small Mississippi town infuriated after their mayor was forced to lower the Christian flag after an atheist group threatened a $500,000 lawsuit.
Last weekend, residents of Rienz, Mississippi met in the Veterans Memorial Park to complain that the flag that was once flown there had been lowered at the demand of the Freedom from Religion Foundation.
Kevin Nelms told the crowd, “This is a Christian community here. You take one down, we’re going to put several back up. I promise you that. That’s just the way we do things here in the South.” 
The town had originally flown the Christian flag – a white flag with a red cross in a blue square in the top-left corner – at the memorial park, along with a US flag and one representing the military. But the Christian flag was replaced with one representing the town after the Freedom from Religion Foundation sent a letter to the town’s mayor, Walter Williams, telling him to lower it.
Williams said, “It wasn’t because I wanted to, but it was because I didn’t want to put the town in jeopardy over me making a decision.”
That lawsuit – based on separation of church and state laws – could hit the town for half-a-million dollars..
More than a hundred people gathered at the memorial, located next to the Town Hall, to voice their displeasure at the move on Saturday.
When asked if anyone there objected to the flag being raised again, no one raised their hand – so Williams promised to make sure it was once more hoisted above the memorial.