On Wednesday evening, several groups of workers using cranes dismantled in the Park, two statues of Confederates. The demolition of the first of them, the equestrian statue of Confederate General and leader of the Ku Klux Klan Nathan Bedford Forrest , the gathered crowd greeted with cheers. Just a mile and a half from Forrest the same fate, and underwent the Confederate leader Jefferson Davis.
Mayor Jim Strickland said today in Memphis history. He noted that both monuments are more than a hundred years have reminded Americans of the shameful history of racism.
Government for a long time could not legalize the demolition of the above monuments. One of the laws of Tennessee governing the dismantling, moving, and renaming of monuments of history forbade any action on the demolition of the monuments. In the petition for the dismantling of the municipality refused and historical Commission tn. Therefore, the authorities went on a little trick. On Wednesday, the municipal Council of Memphis voted unanimously for the sale of parks where there were monuments and nonprofit organizations.
All the city got for them about two thousand dollars. By law, the new owners had more rights on their land than city government. Therefore, on the same day representatives of the organization brought the technique to the demolition of the monument. To ensure order in the evening the police surrounded both parks.
Against the demolition of the monuments was made by the organization «Sons of Confederate veterans». Member Lee Millar stated that the authorities violated state law. Millar noted that the southerners fight for their rights, it is part of history, which citizens are obliged to honor. «Sons» are going to court to prove the illegality of the dismantling of the statues.
Recall that during 2017 all the southern States took action to demolish the monuments of the Civil war. So four of the monuments have lost New Orleans and Austin, one was dismantled in North Carolina, and in Houston a resident of the city tried to blow up a monument to Confederate Lieutenant Richard Dowling.
Against this background, in August, in Charlottesville, a rally of the far right. They opposed the dismantling of the monument to General Lee. The outcome of the campaign, there were mass riots because of the clashes between right-and their opponents.
