St. Augustine City Commission votes to remove Confederate memorial

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.”

© 2020 Cox Media Group