Colorado Woman Deluged with Support for Peace Sign Wreath

When Lisa Jensen hung up her Christmas wreath, she had no idea what a furor the small circle of greenery would cause in her neighborhood, and eventually around the world. But the controversy wasn’t over the idea of a wreath; it was because the wreath was in the shape of a peace sign.

The homeowners association in the Pagosa Springs, Colorado, subdivision where Jensen lives ordered Jensen to remove the wreath from her house because several residents in the 200-home community had complained about it. The association sent Jensen a letter saying that it doesn’t allow flags or signs that are considered divisive, and some residents were offended by her wreath, saying that the wreath was either an anti-war protest or a sign of the devil. They threatened to fine Jensen $25 a day unless she removed the wreath from the front of her house.

Bob Kearns, the president of the board, told the Associated Press that some residents in the neighborhood have children serving in Iraq, and he had received three or four complaints. "Somebody could put up signs that say drop bombs on Iraq. If you let one go up you have to let them all go up," he said in a telephone interview Sunday. He ordered the committee to require Jensen to remove the wreath, but the committee decided that the wreath was merely a seasonal symbol that didn't say anything. Kearns fired all five committee members.

Jensen, herself a past president of the homeowners association, said that she had no political agenda when she hung up the wreath, other than to show support for another resident who was asked to remove a peace sign made of a pie plate held up by two skis. She said that there have been complaints filed in the past with the American Civil Liberties Union about interpretations of the association’s rules, which say that no signs, billboards, or advertising are permitted without the consent of the architectural committee.

Jensen told the AP, "Peace is way bigger than not being at war. This is a spiritual thing." She said that the fines would probably cost her about $1,000, but she did not plan to take her wreath down until after Christmas. "Now that it has come to this, I feel I can’t get bullied," she said. "What if they don’t like my Santa Claus?"

The story by the Associated Press was published on Sunday, and by Monday news of the homeowners association’s campaign to oust Jensen’s wreath had hit the Internet airwaves with a vengeance, and readers were being asked to contact Kearns to register a protest. Kearns and Jeff Heitz, another board member, both had to have their phone numbers changed to unlisted numbers.

Jensen was overwhelmed with hundreds of calls supporting her wreath, including many offers of financial support to pay the fines to leave it up through Christmas. "We would like to thank everyone who has contacted us with moral support and offers of financial support," Jensen said. "We are grateful to hundreds of complete strangers who felt so moved by this story they contacted us. We received calls from people who called themselves grandmas, mothers, military families, veterans, devout Christians, agnostics, atheists, a Rabbi, veterans of various wars, people with children in Iraq."

As a result of the public outcry against the homeowners association, the committee decided to withdraw its threats of a fine for leaving the wreath up. Jensen told the AP, "We want to let you know that this evening we just received a letter from the Loma Linda Home Owners Board of Directors stating: We had a misunderstanding with your Christmas decoration and for that we apologize. We withdraw any and all previous requests for removal of your decoration."

Jensen was stunned and encouraged by the outpouring of support for her Christmas wreath. "It seems whenever someone tries to say 'Peace on Earth' it is met with so much resistance," she said. "The incredible amount of support we have received over the last couple of days really is proof to us of how many people believe in peace and in our right to say it."