Confederate statue removed overnight...in Jacksonville Florida

[JPK]

A statue of a confederate soldier that stood atop a 60+ foot column since 1898 in down town Jacksonville Florida has been removed overnight. The statue and memorial were in a small park across from the current city hall. Amazing, I am dumbfounded. About time.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Wondering if this removal would spur Trump to select Jacksonville for the Republican Party

Convention, as it would be a focus or a theme for his base.

[soothsayer]

4. Good idea -- he can stand on the 60 foot column

It’s shy one racist at the moment.

[BComplex]

5. Ha !

[SheltieLover]

9. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[2naSalit]

12. Need a crane to hoist him up there. ...nt

[jaxexpat]

15. It's hot and humid in JAX but comfy here in your coolness aura.

Oh, Clever Soothsayer.

[Sherman A1]

2. Good

One hopes that these statues are destroyed and not simply re-homed somewhere. They are about racism and not history. The civil war can easily be learned about using those old fashioned things called books and the libraries that house them.

[JPK]

3. RNC Convention

It would be a huge mistake to have it in Jacksonville. Does the mayor want to just fuck the city over? It will be a publicity disaster for the city.

[Fritz Walter]

8. Lenny Curry is an idiot

I remember how ill-prepared the city was for SuperBowl XXXIX in 2005. They had to use a couple of cruise ships because there simply weren't enough hotel rooms in the downtown area. And none is connected to the Prime Osborn Convention Center (a converted train station). On second thought, maybe we should encourage the RepubliCONs to live on cruise ships for a few days. What the worst that could happen? (Yeah, they would explode the number of COVID-19 cases, not just among themselves, but also among the working people who'd clean up after them). OK scratch that.

Yeah, Lenny wants us to forget about how he got his hands dirty with the whole JEA debacle just a few months ago. And to avoid mentioning how the body count has jumped after he decided to re-open businesses a couple weeks ago.

[lark]

17. So stupid for Curry or DeSantis to push Jacksonville.

We aren't big enough, don't have enough hotels plus it's a very diverse city which voted blue in 2018 and would be awash in protests. Plus FL has the highest elderly population so is very at risk for CV19.

[malaise]

22. Anywhere in Florida is a great idea because the sharpie won't work

when NOAA announces the likely hurricane - please proceed ReTHUGs!

[genxlib]

6. That is a big move

I was born and raised there and all my family are still in the area.

I must say I am pleasantly surprised

Will be watching the news to see how it goes over with the locals. I expect there to be a pretty strong reaction. The city has evolved a lot in my lifetime but still had a core of Deep South stuck in the past.

[DownriverDem]

14. Maybe it's true

what young southerners say. They don't want them up and they don't glorify the Civil War.

[jaxexpat]

20. Was done in the wee hours. Crane arrived at midnight.

Few to cheer or boo. Poor lonely, forgotten statue.

Now if we could only get:
Jackson's statue removed from DC and NOLA,
Texans to finally forget the Alamo (for Mexico's sake, I mean, haven't they suffered enough?),
white men to remember fallen timbers, little big horn and understand wounded knee,
people in general to just stop it already with this stupid crutch of hero worship.

Sorry, the air's a little thin up on this soap box.

[genxlib]

23. It was right to remove it in the wee hours

But I think that it is indicative of the fact that they would have had a huge backlash of people getting in the way otherwise.

I checked some of the local news reports and the comments are what I would have expected. Unfortunately not everyone is on board. Also unfortunate that it is completely unsurprising that the Confederate Culture Warriors will come out in force.

Growing up there, I was immersed in that southern culture worship. It took some time, distance and maturity to grow out of it. Too many people who still live there have achieved none of those three.

[jaxexpat]

26. Now if they can bring themselves to rename Confederate Park.

I think "racist a--hole park" would work.

[safeinOhio]

7. I would think it is time to replace them with American heroes.

Would they object to changing them out with statues of Republican generals, now that the South votes Republican. Grant and Sherman come to mind. Great generals that never surrendered and saved the country.

[dlk]

10. Confederate statues honor treason and slavery

How twisted is that? They are long overdue for being taken down everywhere

[djacq]

11. Another One Bites The Dust.

[DownriverDem]

13. Time frame

of when it was put up was for intimidation of black people. They were usually made cheaply and paid for by the Daughters of the Confederacy. What a bunch of crap!

[lark]

16. I saw this and immediately switched to the local rag. Yep, this was totally front and center, pg 1.

The Mayor did not announce this in advance, it was a huge surprise done at 4am. He refused to do this in 2017, but after holding some listening sessions, guess he changed his mind? We have seen lots of protests and there's a big one scheduled for Thursday, and was going to be held in this park. Think he just did it to stop the protestors from taking it down, but I am glad it's gone.

[Towlie]

18. I think it was this statue:

Google Street View

The pedestal must look pretty weird with nothing at the top, but it won't be the park's weirdest feature.

[spanone]

19. Good.

[JPK]

21. Yes....

That's the one. Now they need to remove the other monument in "Confederate Park". Homeless hang out there but there's a pretty elaborate canopied monument commemorating women of the confederacy. It commemorates THEIR (ironic) sacrifice during the war years. What about the slaves they held prisoner?

[TreadSoftly]

24. Very sweet of them to provide a platform for DT's convention

Hope it's narrow so he can't wave his little accordion arms.

[JPK]

25. I was in Miami Beach in 1972

A friend and I hitchhiked down to Miami Beach from Jacksonville in August 72 to protest the war at the republican convention. We camped out in Flamingo Park with the hippies, zippies and yippies. The elderly that lived around the park were great. They were giving out food even sometimes providing shelter from the goons. If they have their Trump love fest in Jax looks like I'll have to get out my walking shoes again.