Brandi Swindell and Bryan Fischer

A little more than four years ago, Brandi Swindell, Bryan Fischer and a group called Generation Life hoped to stop the city council of Boise, Idaho, from removing a Ten Commandments monument that had stood in a city park since 1965.

The city council accepted no public input into its decision, so Generation Life was compelled to file a lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order on the city's action.

Generation Life lost that case, and even though they later took another suit to the Idaho Supreme Court, winning the right to have the citizens of Boise vote on the monument's future, the bill from the first case has come due.

Now, more than four years later, the city of Boise wants Swindell, Fischer, and Generation Life to pay $10,000 in court-awarded legal fees from the first case. Interest is already accruing, and the city has placed liens against Swindell and Fischer's property.

"I'm a fourth generation Idahoan, born and raised in Boise," Swindell told WND, "and this makes me and many people in our state livid. Essentially the city is saying that if you dare speak against us, hold us accountable, get involved in the legal process, we will go after you and punish you. We believe this is an intimidation tactic."

Swindell told WND that after losing the first case, there was a public outcry that the city would demand legal fees at all. Generation Life wasn't suing over some feigned personal injury or seeking a payoff over broken sidewalks; the group was taking the only avenue the city left open to them in the Ten Commandments monument dispute.

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After the public's initial outcry the city made no move to collect the money. "It appeared as though the city had waived the fees," said Swindell. Generation Life hadn't heard from the city in more than four years.

But the federal judge in the first case awarded the city $10,000, and now the city is asking for its money, sending a letter earlier this week informing Swindell and Fischer that they have three weeks to make payment arrangements or face further legal action.

Adam Park, a spokesperson for the mayor's office told WND, "We feel we have an obligation to the taxpayers to pursue money owed by any persons. We're simply asking that (Swindell and Fischer) comply with the federal judge's orders."

Bryan Fischer, a former pastor and now executive director of Idaho Values Alliance, said in a press release, "Ms. Swindell and I both work for small non-profit organizations and thus have limited means. The city of Boise, on the other hand, has an annual budget of $479 million, and thus is certainly in a position to waive this judgment. Yet the city's mayor is still determined to come after us for $10,000. This is a sad indication of what this city is prepared to do to its own citizens who do nothing more than exercise their right to freedom of speech and to seek redress for their grievances."

Swindell told WND that news of the collection attempt is bringing support. "We're receiving calls from people saying they'll help us. One man said, 'I have no money, but I will try to raise $1,000.' Our friends and supporters are livid. People are insulted by this. My hope and prayer is that people will stand with us. The city has left us with few options."

Ten Commandments monument

As WND earlier reported, Swindell and Fischer co-founded a group called the Keep the Commandments Coalition after Generation Life lost its first suit. The group was able to gather 19,000 signatures bring the case of the Ten Commandments monument in the city's Julia Davis Park to court.

"The first case was to see if the city could remove the monument without public input," said Swindell. "The second case was to see if the public could override the city's decision through voter initiative."

The Idaho Supreme Court decided in favor of the monument supporters, and the issue was put to a citywide vote in 2006. Largely out of fear of possible lawsuits over a religious display on public grounds, the citizens voted to uphold the city council's decision and return the monument to the Fraternal Order of Eagles that had donated it in 1965.

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