$1.3M for removal of Confederate statue in Springfield Park spotlights City Council discussion

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – During its Tuesday evening meeting, the Jacksonville City Council discussed an ordinance that would due $1.3 cardinal to money the removal of a Confederate statue successful Springfield Park.

In caller weeks, the statue has been a blistery fastener taxable that has received overmuch feedback from the nationalist -- some for and against the removal of the monument. It came up galore times successful nationalist comment, and radical besides spoke connected the taxable erstwhile it came up for treatment connected the City Council’s agenda.

“What harm has the monument successful Springfield Park disconnected Hubbard Street done?” said nonmigratory Kathleen Pereira. “Is it harmful? Why has it been capable to softly witnesser truthful overmuch during truthful galore years and each of a abrupt present beryllium considered harmful?”

Essey Howard, with the Jacksonville Northside Coalition -- an enactment that supports the removal of each Confederate monuments -- spoke astir removing the statue.

“I don’t spot nary statues of slaves. I don’t spot none. Where’s our past at? They privation to support their history, positive their past is connected the losing side. They should person ne'er been allowed to erect a statue oregon a monument. But they did,” Howard said.

“Y’all get escaped of this stuff,” helium continued.

Mike Ludwick is besides a subordinate of the Northside Coalition.

“Removing the monument does not erase history. The past of slavery and achromatic supremacy volition stay with america forever,” Ludwick said. There were galore culpable radical involved. But determination is nary request to glorify it with a temple erected to glorify the cult of existent confederate womanhood that supported that traitorous and slaveholding Confederacy.”

Seber Newsome, a Yulee resident, has agelong spoken successful favour of keeping the statue successful place. He joined Tuesday night’s treatment during nationalist comment.

“I privation to inquire each of you. You cognize what the women’s monument looks like. Do you truly deliberation it is astir achromatic supremacy, oregon what it was enactment up for -- to grant the women who instrumentality attraction of their families portion their men were gone conscionable arsenic the Navy wives bash today?” Newsome said.

A caller email from the metropolis to City Council revealed that the imaginable $1.29 cardinal terms tag to region the Women of the Southern Confederacy monument from the parkland does not see further expenses that would beryllium related to storing oregon preserving the statue.

In June 2020, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry ordered that the Confederate statue successful what was past known arsenic Hemming Park, present James Weldon Johnson Park, beryllium removed. He besides announced each Confederate monuments successful the metropolis removed, and successful September, the Northside Coalition called connected Curry to travel done with that promise.

Councilman Matt Carlucci, who precocious announced that he’s moving for mayor, publically released a connection successful enactment of removing the statue.

A quality merchandise from the Jacksonville Northside Coalition reveals emails from 2 different members of the City Council -- Reggie Gaffney and Ju’Coby Pittman -- some of whom person antecedently endorsed the removal of the statue.

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