Jacksonville, FL — The Confederate memorial in downtown St. Augustine, which has stood at the Plaza de la Constitution since the late 1800′s will be coming down.
The City Commission voted 3-2 on Monday to remove the memorial that lists the names of local men who died fighting for the Confederacy.
The city had taken up the issue of moving the memorial in 2017, but instead decided to install plaques to provide historical context. But protests spawned by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis renewed calls for the monument to be moved.
Before Monday’s vote Mayor Tracy Upchurch sent a memo to city commissioners, asking them to consider moving the memorial to a private property, a cemetery, or another similar location.
“Over the last several weeks, we have witnessed a national reckoning over racial inequality. A discussion of this monument’s place in our city will be an important way-point as we address other issues of social justice on a path towards a more complete racial reconciliation.”
After almost 9 hours of public comments, many of which were read out loud by email, the @CityStAug commissioners are discussing the date of Confederate monuments in the city. https://t.co/It8FMtt5Wd pic.twitter.com/twKC9iaqfS
— Dani Bozzini (@DaniANjax) June 22, 2020
.@CityStAug has boarded up the base of the memorial to protect it unlike they decide where it will be relocated. @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/OevmsqKonV
— Dani Bozzini (@DaniANjax) June 23, 2020
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