They’re fixtures in a lot of neighborhoods: small (sometimes kitschy) statues of the saints, or Mary, benevolently watching over the daisies and dandelions in the front yard.

But one community in Long Island has, in effect, evicted them, according to Newsday:

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights Tuesday urged residents of a Medford community affected by a potentially unlawful ban on religious statues to file a complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights.

William Donohue, president of the Manhattan-based league, said he was “pleased to announce” that officials from the state division had contacted the league Tuesday.

A division spokesman could not confirm that anyone spoke with the league but also encouraged Long Islanders with a complaint to notify the division.

“We encourage any Long Islanders, including the folks that live in that complex, who believe they have a meritorious claim of discrimination to file a complaint,” said Tom Shanahan, a spokesman for the New York state division, which investigates and prosecutes discrimination claims.

The five-person homeowner’s association board at Country Pointe at Coram approved the rule this year banning religious statues from common areas. The prohibition extends into the gardens that wrap around the condominiums where other small statues and decorations are allowed if they do not exceed other restrictions. Homeowners in the gated 240-unit condo complex have been told to remove religious statues or face a fine.

Several experts on housing law agreed that the rule may violate residents’ civil rights because it doesn’t ban all statues and decorations but specifically targets religious statues. Resident Peggy Wisnoski relocated a St. Francis of Assisi statue after being threatened with a fine in August. Wisnoski said she does not plan to file a complaint.

“It wasn’t my intention to open up a can of worms about religious freedom,” she said.

I wonder if the homeowner’s association would permit residents to display a can of worms?