Jacksonville City Council committee votes down removal of Confederate statue from Springfield Park

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Neighborhoods Committee of Jacksonville City Council voted 4-1 Monday to decision an ordinance that would acceptable speech $1.3 cardinal to region a Confederate statue successful Springfield Park.

In caller weeks, the statue has been a blistery fastener taxable that has received passionate 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.

Councilwoman Joyce Morgan was the lone subordinate to ballot to walk the wealth astatine the Monday greeting committee meeting.

“There are truthful galore elements of concern,” Morgan said. “I deliberation the biggest happening to maine is determination was nary treatment astatine each ... due to the fact that we person listened to our assemblage speech astir this for weeks. But yet erstwhile we get to ballot connected it, determination is nary discussion.”

Councilman Aaron Bowman said earlier calling the ballot that due to the fact that the statue features women of the Confederacy alternatively than a worker oregon different aspects of the Civil War, it does not request to beryllium removed.

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“Look, the Civil War was perfectly horrible. The information that we had slavery; the information that we had to combat implicit slavery. It (was) a unspeakable clip successful our history. Any monument retired determination that represents enactment of that, it perfectly has nary spot anywhere, particularly connected nationalist property,” Bowman said. “This monument is wholly different. It shows the warfare and the casualty of warfare to the full assemblage and the full family. This is not astir the Civil War astatine all, but it’s however we effort to resoluteness thing without conflict.”

The Women of the Southern Confederacy monument to women “who were the heroines of that struggle” was designed successful 1914 by sculptor Allen George Newman and dedicated connected Oct. 26, 1915, successful what was astatine the clip called Confederate Park. The parkland was renamed Springfield Park past summertime and the statute has been wrapped since past awaiting removal.

The ordinance volition beryllium considered by a 2nd committee connected Monday day and different Tuesday day earlier going to a ballot of the afloat City Council, which is expected Tuesday night. Political observers successful City Hall judge the tide has turned against the measure it volition not walk Council.

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The city’s astir salient Confederate monument, a statue of a worker successful what was astatine the clip was called Hemming Plaza, was removed successful June 2021 and Mayor Lenny Curry announced intentions past twelvemonth to region each Confederate monuments disconnected metropolis property.

Curry’s medication is connected the grounds supporting removal of this statue, but Curry himself has not spoken connected the contented recently.

City officials said that removal outgo $8,000. Because of the size and complexity, the Women of the Confederacy monument is overmuch larger and much complex, which is wherefore the costs for removal are acold higher.

Northside Coalition President Ben Frazier, who has been 1 of the astir vocal critics of each Confederate monuments, is retired of municipality oregon would person been astatine Monday’s meetings.

“The scoundrels connected the City Council deficiency the condemnation to govern with courageousness and Mayor Curry inactive refuses to basal by his connection to region the Confederate monuments,” Frazier said.

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Seber Newsome III, who has spoken repeatedly successful enactment of each the monuments, considers Monday’s committee ballot a victory.

“Yes, this is simply a monument enactment up to grant women,” Newsome said. “It’s a feminist statue if you privation to look astatine it that way. All women and Jacksonville should beryllium upset that they adjacent speech astir moving this.”

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