About 25 people gathered in front of City Hall ahead of Tuesday’s Jacksonville City Council meeting to remind Mayor Lenny Curry of his promise more than a year ago to remove the Monument to the Women of the Confederacy in Springfield Park.
The mayor vowed to bring down all Confederate monuments in Jacksonville more than a year ago during his own rally following his order to remove the Confederate soldier statue from James Weldon Johnson Park. State Rep. Tracie Davis, D-Jacksonville, attended Tuesday’s rally calling on Curry to follow through on his commitment.
“All we want you to do as an elected is do what you said you were going to do,” Davis said. “We don't need any more broken promises.”
A representative for the mayor’s office said in an email to WJCT News last week there is no update on the removal of any remaining Confederate monuments in Jacksonville.
The Monument to the Women of the Confederacy was erected in 1915 and currently sits covered. City Council approved renaming the surrounding park Springfield Park instead of Confederate Park about a year ago. Northside Coalition community organizer Tango Jordan said Tuesday that taking down the monument should be a top priority.
“I'm proud of where I'm from, I'm proud of Florida and I'm tired of going places and having to explain to them why we want to keep this,” Jordan said. “The world is looking at us, and this is not representative of who we are.”
Four counter-protesters attempted to interrupt Tuesday’s rally outside of City Hall by yelling and singing while waving a Confederate flag.
Contact Claire Heddles at cheddles@wjct.org, (904) 250 - 0926, or on Twitter at @claireheddles.
