Confederate statues removed after Memphis sells public parks

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Jonathan Mattise, Associated Press

 Updated 2:26 pm, Thursday, December 21, 2017


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A private group headed by a county commissioner and fueled by anonymous donations bought two parks from the city of Memphis at little cost this week, allowing for the swift removal of two Confederate statues that had sparked conflict for years.

Shelby County Commissioner and attorney Van Turner told a news conference Thursday that his group, Memphis Greenspace Inc., is ready for any lawsuits that arise from its deal with the city, which took months of planning to sidestep a Tennessee law that makes it tough to take down Confederate monuments on public grounds.

The law has been criticized by those who say the statues are a reminder of a time when slavery was enforced and bigotry sanctioned in the South. It has been supported by those who say removing the monuments would be like trying to erase history.

Turner said he approached the city attorney with the workaround idea, the group was incorporated in October, and its 501(c)(3) application is still pending.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Confederate-statues-removed-after-Memphis-sells-12446648.php

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[procon]

1. Seems like a clever idea. nt

[diva77]

2. Yah, but why are public parks for sale in Memphis? Could fall into wrong hands!!

[riverwalker]

4. They had to sell so they could take statue down

It’s in the article

[diva77]

6. I saw that - but still, it sets a precedent for privatizing public lands. I'm all for removing

the statues, but not for privatizing the parks.

[Brainstormy]

3. native Memphian here

and my sister, who keeps her head up the Fox News a-hole, is very disturbed. She says that we're "ruining our history." She's almost as disturbed by this as she is by the belief that White Christmas has been banned on all radio stations. Oh, but "the blacks can have everything THEY want!" Sometimes the stupid is much too close to home.

[JohnnyRingo]

5. Every April I hang a swastika flag on my front door.

I do it to preserve the history of WWII and my proud German heritage. You'd be surprised how many people resent it. hahaha

That's the same thing as celebrating an era of slavery to me. My mom's family has been in Ohio since 1800 and fought in that war. My great great uncle Henry Canfield would freak out if he saw what was going on.

<a href="https://imgur.com/8z5g2EC"><img src="" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

[alarimer]

10. How much do people actually know about Forrest there in Memphis?

Do they know he founded the KKK? Do they know about the Fort Pillow massacre, in which Forrest killed 300 black Union soldiers who had surrendered? I had to google that myself. I knew his story with the KKK, but not the massacre.

Of all the people who are commemorated with statues and names on schools, it is Forrest's that pisses me off the most. He was one of history's greatest monsters, yet he is idolized.

[Brainstormy]

12. Nada.

My family members were laughing because none of us had any idea why old Nat was up on that horse! The statue, however, was emblematic of Memphis for years. Appeared constantly on C of C material and tourist brochures.

[Princess Turandot]

7. Hot damn: this wasn't just any ole statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest they took down...

It's the one that was installed atop a monument they erected when they decided to disinter Forrest and his wife from their original cemetery plot, and plant them in a public park, 27 years after he died. (The city would like to return them from whence they came, but that needs to involve their current descendants, so nothing has happened yet.)

Good for them!

And to be clear about the 'historical value' of these monstrosities, it was only three years ago that the state legislature passed the law protecting them.

BTW the non-profit which was formed to purchase the parks is contractually obligated to maintain them as parks.

A more detailed article:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/government/city/2017/12/20/memphis-council-votes-immediately-remove-confederate-statues/960707001/

Perhaps it's my imagination, but Forrest looks a bit like Charles Manson:

[dalton99a]

11. Sure looks like a sadistic asshole

[truthisfreedom]

8. removing the monuments would be like trying to erase history?

Erase it.

[truthisfreedom]

9. Seemed like it worked for Germany, mostly. What we need to remember about slavery is...

That it was fucking evil. We certainly don't need to remember the bad guys.