LA merchants fight to save 97-year-old cross as lawyer warns of nationwide stakes

A legal battle over a nearly century-old cross tradition and longstanding Nativity display in the historic heart of Los Angeles could threaten generations of Mexican-American traditions and leave religious monuments across the country vulnerable, an attorney representing local merchants fighting to preserve the displays told Fox News Digital .

"If the cross and nativity were taken down, it would just be the first step in unraveling the vibrant community cultural celebrations, a lot of which have their roots in Mexican-American Catholic history and really decimating this tight-knit community," Andrea Butler, counsel at Becket and lead attorney for the merchants, told Fox News Digital Thursday in an interview.

A cross has stood at the head of Olvera Street since 1929, when the original was raised to celebrate Los Angeles' 148th birthday, while a life-size Nativity is displayed each December as part of the community's traditional Las Posadas celebration.

SUPREME COURT SHOWDOWN LOOMS OVER ST MICHAEL STATUE BLOCKED FROM PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING Last year, according to Becket, a resident sued the city asking it to remove or cover the cross and stop the Nativity display, arguing the display "offends [him] and makes [him] feel excluded as a non-believer." The religious-liberty group said merchants have helped preserve those traditions since the area was revitalized in the 1920s, with some current vendors belonging to families that have operated at the market since it opened in 1930.

Merchants also help organize annual cultural and religious celebrations, including Día de los Reyes, Día de los Muertos and Las Posadas.

In its Monday filing , Becket asked the Ninth Circuit to allow the Olvera Street Merchants Association Foundation to join the legal battle over a nearly century-old cross and longstanding Nativity display at El Pueblo in Los Angeles.

Becket said the merchants are seeking to defend religious and cultural traditions their families have helped preserve for generations.

According to Becket, El Pueblo attracts millions of visitors each year to its Olvera Street marketplace, historic sites and cultural events celebrating the neighborhood’s Mexican-American heritage.

YOU SHOULDN’T NEED A PERMIT TO PRAY IN YOUR OWN HOME — THE SUPREME COURT SHOULD AGREE "El Pueblo and Olvera Street are some of the most historic areas in Los Angeles," Butler said.

"They are very near the site of the original founding of the city back in the 1700s, and the area has had a long and sometimes bumpy history throughout the history of LA.