Local blogger, David Porter, will address City Council 2 p.m. Monday, May 15, demanding the removal of the Confederate Statue at Lake Eola by Orlando United Day, June 12, 2017.

The memorial was originally erected by a local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1911, and has been located on the eastern edge of Lake Eola for the past 100 years.

The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1894, following the marriage of a number of ladies’ hospital associations, sewing societies, and knitting circles, in the South, to support the war efforts. Following the Civil War, (what they refer to as the “War Between the States”), they transitioned into veteran care services and memorial groups.

Porter states that some residents see the memorial as a sign of white supremacy and slavery that promotes racism, and that it should be taken down.

Commissioner Patty Sheehan has floated the idea of relocating the statue to Greenwood Cemetery in the past, but was convinced the price was too prohibitive.

A petition was started in 2015 by Organize Now (Website), asking the City to move the statue from the park, which in turn caused other petitions to arise, asking for the statue to remain. Cassandra Lafser, the Press Secretary for the Office of the Mayor, told Bungalower that following those efforts in 2015, City staff was directed to “explore options for the future of the statue.” Those efforts are still ongoing, according to Lafser.

 

Brendan O'Connor

Editor in Chief of Bungalower.com

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  1. Then we should take down all statues including martin luther king. he offends me like this statue offends you. Also, George Washington statue gone he was a slave owner. Thomas Jefferson slave onwer.Mr. Potter it is 2017 GROW UP. IT IS History mine and many more find something else to do with your time. Also, Any Malcom X. AAAAA tear them all down

  2. It is sad that we continue to erase our history in this country because our values have changed. It’s also sad there are those who reduce complex multifaceted issues to a misstated oversimplification. I had many family members who fought for the south. None of them owned slaves or lived in communities where there were many slaves. Does that make it right? No, but there were many other reasons they fought (and some died).

    When I see these memorials, I note that they commemorate those who fought for flawed reasons (for both the North and the South) and that they, like us, are human and don’t always do the right things. It’s also a reminder that while so much has changed, there are still many issues where our cultural norms today will be viewed as flawed by those who come after us. I pray they don’t erase our history because we don’t conform to their standards. I appreciate Mr. Porter’s viewpoint, but don’t agree with his response.

  3. Move it to a museum. The context of this monument is meant to honor those who fought for the Confederacy. Germany does not erect memorials to honor those who served during WWII in the Nazi militia, but instead the US chooses to blur the lines and celebrate it’s dark past.

    1. In your words “is meant to honor those who fought for the Confederacy”. This is a very broad group of people which included free blacks, slaves, poor whites and slave owners. Some fought just to save their own homes and lands. Even Robert E. Lee stated that he only fought for the Confederacy because it was where Virginia sided with and said that he would have lead the Union if Virginia had sided with the Union. At that time people were most loyal to their state. This is why leaving the statue and putting up educational panels is the best option- so more people can be educated about this subject instead of being left with their own ignorant opinions.

      1. You basically elaborated on what I said in my original comment. Everyone had their various reasons to fight, but it seems as if you’re trying to blur the lines when it concerns the root cause of the war; slavery. There is no gray area in that regard.
        Germany is very sensitive about WWII memorials and rightly so. Meanwhile in the US, Southerners still cling to the confederacy while trying downplay it’s role in protecting slavery by arguing under the guise of state’s rights. Talk about pridefully polishing a turd…

        To my understanding, Lake Eola is not even the original location of the statue – so it can & should be moved again. I think a cemetery or a museum is makes more contextual sense and you will still be able to visit the memorial at either of those locations. Better at either one of those locations rather than it being used for aggregate base for I-4 Ultimate.

  4. This is just more mindless garbage activism from people that could care less about the true history of this country and respect if for what it is, versus “let’s be trendy” and tear down the efforts of past generations that gave everything and made every sacrifice to hope and create a better future of us today. When this monument was erected, there was no thought of “white supremacy”, and any one that believes that now should be questioned about their “supremacy”. I will gladly contribute to keep an honorable monument such as this one left alone.

  5. There is a movement to build a monument for the 49 people who were murdered downtown. Most were gay. If in a hundred years from now the acceptance of different sexual preferences changes. Are we going to tear down that statue/building too!! The third post said it the best.

  6. Wow! The pussification of America lives on. Should the statue of liberty be removed too? I’m sure you can tie it to “bad times” of some sort.

  7. I agree with others that is does no good to remove statues that honored the soldiers that served their country during the war between the states. People should honor the history of those who served.

  8. There is nothing racist or promoting white supremacy on the Orlando monument. It is a monument to honor the soldiers who fought from the South (where Orlando is located) during the Civil War. Soldiers- more times than not, were not the slave owners themselves- but poorer whites from the south or even the slaves who were press-ganged into serving. Those soldiers, for whatever reason they served as soldiers, died as Americans and deserve to be honored. They were Americans and Orlandoans. Monuments are artifacts- artifacts are physical representation of our past. This does not mean it is showing of our current culture. They should be studied and learned from. Interpretative panels are the best option to open up the discussion of our past- not burying it and pretending it never happened– what can be learned from that? These people that didn’t know that this monument has been in Orlando since 1911 are ignorant and uneducated to assume that any confederate monument is nod to racism and are the ones dividing our City instead of learning and moving forward.

    1. I agree. Keep it. Great explanation of what it represents and it is not the least bit offensive.