Atheists to sue the city over Red Hook street name change

Manhattan-based atheists are ready to sue the city for installing a Red Hook street sign endorsing ideas of the afterlife, according to the Brookyln Paper.

The sign, which reads “Seven in Heaven Way,” a renaming of a stretch of Richards Street, was designated to honor seven firefighters who died during the Sept. 11 attacks. The protestors term the sign spiritual “product placement.”

“We see religion imprinted in our culture from the time we’re young enough to remember,” said Ken Bronstein of NYC Atheists, who has met with lawyers and plans to file suit. “Taxpayers are paying for this sign, so we’re paying for this message to be broadcast.”

Community Board 6 unanimously voted in favor the name change in December 2009, as did the City Council.

“They are heroes and should be rewarded in a place like heaven,” CB6 member Tom Miskel said. [Brooklyn Paper]