The town of Chino Valley, Arizona, likes to pray to Jesus at the end of their meetings. Rabbi Adele Plotkin of Chino Valley’s Beit Torah congregation protested this practice on Tuesday and was removed from the proceedings by the master at arms—a local police officer—on Chino Valley Mayor Chris Marley’s orders.

Marley announced before the Jan. 26 council meeting that he did not intend to perform the invocation at that meeting or the meeting on Feb. 9 until council members had a chance to discuss how they wanted to conduct future invocations after receiving recent criticism. He confirmed that intention in an interview with the media after Jan. 26 meeting.

Plotkin contacted a Chino Valley Review reporter before the Feb. 9 meeting to confirm that no invocation was planned, saying she couldn't attend if they intended to pray to Jesus. She said she wanted to attend the meeting so that she could begin to build bridges with the council members on this issue, but would only do so if there was no invocation.

Mayor Marley when a lot further on this subject, tying in the Bill of Rights and religion and civic duty into a twisted knot: