Two crosses made from lilies for separate Easter flower shows were rearranged into pillars after the American Civil Liberties Union objected that the displays promoted religion on public property. The crosses, part of the annual Spring and Easter Flower Show at the Garfield Park Conservatory and the Lincoln Park Conservatory, were altered Wednesday, said Nancy Kaszak, general attorney for the Chicago Park District. Ms. Kaszak said she was contacted Tuesday by an ACLU attorney who contended the crosses were a display of religious symbols on public property. Because of the protest, park workers converted the crosses at both conservatories into pillars of flowers, she said. Jane Whicher, staff counsel for the ACLU in Illinois, said the diplays were brought to her attention by a staff member who visited the Lincoln Park Conservatory. ``My concern is that the cross put up by a public body on public property was a violation of the First Amendment,'' Whicher said. ``It shouldn't have been erected in the first place, but I commend the park district on removing it so quickly.''
