Faithful rally to place cross back on Albany hill in church-and-state debate

ALBANY, Calif. - A small group of people held a rally to support an effort to return a large cross to a hilltop in Albany.

The city recently removed the 28-foot tall cross from Albany Hill Park where it had been perched for 51 years.

The group says removing it violates their constitutional rights to free speech and religious expression.

"I'm hoping for it to come back so my children and my children's children will have the blessings I had growing up going there all my life," Dorena Osborn said. "To pray and have miracles and have hope. That cross is a symbol of hope. A beacon of hope for all who believe, for the whole world, whether they know it or not." 

The city says it removed the cross from the city park to alleviate constitutional concerns about separation of church and state.