Battle over Confederate statues takes center stage at Jacksonville City Hall

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The ongoing debate surrounding Confederate monuments continued Tuesday night as civil rights groups in Jacksonville protested a proposed state bill that could make it more challenging to remove these controversial statues.

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Passionate pleas were heard on both sides of the divisive issue.

Inside City Hall, a diverse range of opinions took center stage. While only a few people argued for the preservation of controversial statues, most people called for their removal.

Prior to the City Council meeting, more than a dozen individuals took a stand against the proposed legislation.

Action News Jax has been covering this ongoing debate, where many have been calling on the city leaders to take down the Confederate monuments.

READ: Protesters demand removal of last Confederate monument after filing of Monument Protection bill

“It’s important now, even more than before, because of this new bill, the 395 bill, which wants to keep the Confederate statues and make it illegal to remove them. We’re pushing that something is done and they are removed before this happens,” Northside Coalition of Jacksonville President Kelly Frazier said.

The Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, along with other organizations like Take Em Down Jax, called for the removal of the last Confederate monument in Springfield Park.

Kris Kiernan, a member of Take Em Down Jax says, “We will get all the symbols of white supremacy taken down out of the streets, and we’re not going to stop,”

Kiernan emphasized that the issue is not about what the statues look like, but what they symbolize.

“If symbols didn’t hold power, we would not have crosses on churches,” added Kiernan.

Representative Dean Black is sponsoring the bill, which would allow Gov. Ron DeSantis the authority to remove local officials from their positions if they participate in the removal of historical monuments. The legislation also requires that any monuments taken down since 2017 to be put back up.

Inside City Hall, some people echoed Representative Black’s sentiments, wanting to preserve historical monuments for their artistic and historical value.

And many of the protesters outside City Hall carried their message inside.

The fate of the legislation remains uncertain, with no guarantee of passage.

When questioned about the bill during his visit to the city, Gov. DeSantis told Action News Jax that it was not currently on his radar.

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