Atheist group protests the donation of equipment purchased with tax dollars to churches

POLK COUNTY, Fla. - Basketball hoops that were removed from Polk jails and given to churches have rubbed some local atheists the wrong way.

After Polk County's Grady Judd declared he was removing basketball equipment from jails because it wasn't a place for fun and games, the Atheists of Florida are reportedly protesting the Sheriff's donation of the county-owned equipment to churches.

The atheist organization wrote Judd, asking him to give the basketball equipment to other county organizations instead of the eight churches that were chosen to receive them.

"There is no secular purpose for your office's policy and practice of specifically choosing to donate public property to churches," the group said in the letter. "The primary effect of the donations is to preferentially aid and advance the receiving churches. This policy and practice cannot avoid excessive entanglement by the government with religion."

On December 23, Judd said that county and jail workers had removed basketball goals, posts and nets from the central and south county jails.

Judd said he would donate the equipment to nonprofit organizations that were organized under section 501c3 of U.S. tax code; eight churches were chosen as the beneficiaries.