Oklahoma Capitol's Ten Commandments Monument Voted Down

The privately funded Ten Commandments monument on the Oklahoma state capitol’s grounds is coming down.

The Capitol Preservation Commission voted 7-1 to remove the monument, which stood since 2012. Oklahoma’s constitution bars the use of taxpayer-funded property for religious purposes. An excerpt from Tulsa World:

The monument was donated by Rep. Mike Ritze, R-Broken Arrow, and his family. Ritze could not be reached for comment.

It was not immediately known where the monument would be taken, Estus said.

The Office of Management and Enterprise Services will also discuss the matter with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, which has some concerns, Estus said.

“The Oklahoma Highway Patrol has concerns about individuals or groups interfering with the removal or tampering with the monument,” Estus said.

Photo credit: Katrine Syppli Kohl (Creative Commons) – Some Rights Reserved