Associated Press
A federal appeals court will consider a dispute over the movement of a Confederate soldier from a prominent town square park to a veterans memorial park.
The Lakeland Ledger reports that the Atlanta-based court agreed to hear an appeal by Save Southern Heritage, which describes itself as a history and heritage group. An attorney for the group says oral arguments are set the week of April 20 before the court.
Lakeland officials decided to move the 109-year-old statue from the city’s Munn Park to the veterans memorial in March of last year. Since then Save Southern Heritage has tried to get the decision reversed.
The lawsuit claims the United Daughters of the Confederacy who paid $1,550 to erect the statute in 1910 had a right to see it legally protected where it stood. The lawsuit also contends the statue’s move violates voters’ will.
City officials have declined comment on the lawsuit.
One comment
Angie Kirkland
January 19, 2020 at 9:45 am
Moving that statute was outrageous. It was purely a racist move. I am not a racist but let’s put it in perspective here, if a white group tried to have MLK, Jr statutes removed, what would happen? RIOT!!! Yes that would happen and all of a sudden white people are discriminating against African Americans. Well, the way I see it, moving the Confederate Statute was nothing but individuals being racist!! The problem here is that all of the white are being punished for things that happened way back history. Every time a white person is shot by a cop do you see, a white leader hollering racism? NO! Do I think innocent African Americans should treated very fair? YES! There are so many white people being shot because they have committed a crime and tried to kill a cop that no one knows about. Heck, there was a shooting in the State that I live in and a black African American Cop shot another Africa American because he was trying to run over him. At the time, no one knew that the cop was an African American and of course it became the view of racism. When the public found out that it was an African American cop that shot him, nothing else was said.
The funnier thing is that statute stood for years and it was never viewed as a display of racism. Now all of a sudden it’s viewed as racism. Such a sissy move on the African American people. You don’t see white people complaining about MLK, Jr. Day. Actually white people participate in the celebration. We do not have a day to celebrate a white leader. But, if we did, white people would be racist!! Come on people, get with the program!! The Confederate Statute should be moved back to where it was erected and people should end all of this nonsense!
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