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Federal Court Ruling Clears The Way For Removal Of Pensacola Confederate Monument
September 4, 2020
A federal court ruling will allow the City of Pensacola to remove the Confederate Monument from what was known as Lee Square on Palafox Street.
A lawsuit was tossed by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers found the lawsuit seeking to stop the removal lacked legal standing. The lawsuit was filed byT he Ladies Memorial Association, the Stephen Mallory Camp 1315 Sons of Confederate Veterans, Veterans Monuments of America and Save Our Southern Heritage Florida Chapter.
The suit was filed after the Pensacola City Council voted in July to remove the 129-year old monument. The council also voted to revert the name Lee Square back to its original name of Florida Square. Old maps show Florida Square was the original name of the parcel on North Palafox Street one block south of East Cervantes.
NorthEscambia.com file photos.
Comments
73 Responses to “Federal Court Ruling Clears The Way For Removal Of Pensacola Confederate Monument”
I won’t waste my time trying to impress the importance of
U.S. history to the reader; clearly, it is a futile endeavor. The interested parties aren’t interested in historical facts… It’s easier
to nod our heads and follow the PC position that the second war of independence was primarily fought over slave state vs non slave state. Look to see , listen to comprehend….
DEO VINDICE
@Tabby
Are you making the argument that slaves should have been grateful for being removed from their families, shipped in hellish conditions across an ocean to be sold into slavery, and then worked until they were of no use anymore because it was “better” than living in Africa?
This is the most backwards logic that I can think of. Then again, we are talking about a monument to the Confederacy.
@Mary Stevens— FINALLY ! Someone who apparently knows how to read and has a belief system rooted in facts, not emotion. The south was self sufficient. The north needed the south to survive. Unfortunately, the south didn’t receive much representation from the money collected from it. And yes, Lincoln was racist as heck. Far more racist than Lee himself. Most people don’t know Lincoln’s motivation for freeing slaves was to deport them legally. If my people were slaves, I wouldn’t be mad, I’d be greatful. That I’m here and not in Africa. That I have a better life than I could expect anywhere in the world.
@Henry Coe–You had a fair argument till the last sentence. That being said, hope to see you when society breaks down.
@Another Liberal Judge– So because of the politics of an appointee, the appointed can’t be an activist judge ? That’s pretty ignorant seeing as what Bush turned out to be. A RINO like fake war hero, John Mccain, or Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts. Nomatter, they’re all going to get exactly what they want in the end. We all will.
@ CHARLOTTE
You should do some reading about BLM. The real terrorist are the Proud Boys, 3%ers, the WHITE NATIONALIST. You wake up. You’ve been indoctrinated as you like to call it.
Like Robert said; Some of us aren’t proud of our slave owning ancestors past, unlike you. We are ready to move on, to tell the truth about the past, and we want change.
Teaching history correctly isn’t rewriting it.
Another example of the re-writing of American History. The history of the US is a complicated and not always pretty one. It is tim e for us as a country to embrace OUR collective history – the GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY!!
How will our children and our children’s children know how to proceed through the future if we continue to erase the past from view?? Remember the quote – those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it ??
Thank you Mary Stevens. So many people don’t know this and that’s why they are doing this AWFUL thing……tearing down monuments that DO NOT do anything but stand there. People are using a statue as an EXCUSE to be violent and destroy anything!
Robert Bruner, you need to read up on your history and understand BLM is just a front for terrorist and NOT about any lives mattering.
Hate to see this statue being taken down. Would love to have it in my front yard, but no you can’t do that.
People are so ignorant in matters. My ancestors DID NOT own slaves, they were a type of slave themselves……share croppers!!!!!! So all this crap about White privilege’s is again just a way to get sympathy and/or to tear towns down with violence!!!!
Wake up people, it’s just the start!
Appeasement is a fools errand.
For those who think to erase history, perhaps history may per chance erase you.
This is certainly an exciting, though sometimes distressing, period of history to be living through.
I’m not proud of my family’s slave holding past. If you do a little research as to WHY these monuments were put there, it’s not because of “our fallen soldiers”. It was to keep alive “the Lost Cause”, which is obviously what many of you still believe in. It’s time to admit we lost the war and try to repair the damage it caused and continues today.
Never thought this junk would happen in Florida Panhandle! God bless all of you. Be strong.
The war was not about slavery. Read Lincoln’s inaugural address and the Crittenden Johnson Resolution. Read Lincoln’s many racist comments. It was about forcing the South back into the Union to pay tariffs, collected and used in the North. The statue is a reminder of those who never came home. There were Spanish, blacks, Native Ans in the Confederacy so there was no white supremacy. Punish the states of New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island for being Slave traders. They brought slAves here. How about getting rid of slavery where it exists today in Africa and Arab countries??? Public Laws 85-425, section 410 and PL 810 made Confederate vets EQUAL to US vets.
It is amazing that one group of people can remove the history figure of another. Like so many has mentioned in these comments about removing all history figures, this may be the best for all so there will be not animosity towards anyone.. this will also include MLK…who I thought was a good man. But being good can also destroy The concept of history. This is what our life has changed to do in the 21st century to dislike and destroy each other because we can’t get along. Judges please be fair to all and remove all Statues for all not to see and in our minds is where we find our history of good and bad. So sad America
>Be me
>Build a statue glorifying Hitler and the Holocaust and display it in a public park
>City votes to take it down
>”I guess this means we need to take down all monuments and erase all history then?”
>mfw
I know that a lot of people view the Confederacy as some kind of force liberating States from the tyranny of federal jurisdiction, but to a lot of other people it is a symbol of the unimaginable suffering of their ancestors. We should learn about the Confederacy as a dark time in out nation’s history where the greed of a small group of landowners split our nation in half and lead to the needless deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans.
why not remove all monuments and remove all names on buildings, because there in dirt on all of them.
Feelings for the Lost Cause run deep in the south. Unfortunately, when you lose a war and surrender, you don’t get to make the terms up all by yourself.
City people take note.. The County people don’t appreciate our monuments being torn down… The City of Pensacola is in ESCAMBIA County… We are the majority with the ability to SHUT DOWN your pitiful stolen project lands and return them back to you. We have the ability to block all availability except by sea… We can block ALL trade with businesses by way of land and the City of Pensacola will cease to exist for the second time in over 500 years… You need my PERMISSION to tear down a Monument that I OWN as a taxpayer… I’ll see you in court.
@MIB…
Please people… PLEASE… Read and understand what the Civil War was all about and why some southerners wanted to glorify it with monuments????
Down with Galvez! He was a racist! He not only owned slaves, he committed genocide against Native American people. While we are at it… Down with the Spanish flag! Don’t all of smart leftist realize that the Spaniards (and French) were behind the slave trade?! Sourthern Americans were just customers… Spaniards were at the root cause of slavery! Galvez must go!
Oh… by the way. To all that think that anyone outside of the city limits should vote on its removal. Think again. city property, city issue!
The people did not vote to erect it in the first place, the city council did.. The United Daughters of the Confederacy funded it, erect it and maintained the park until the city took over maintenance again when it cut through it with Palafox st in the 50s.
Its a monument to the dead that waged and lost a war on the United States of America. That is nothing to be proud of and honored on public lands..
Do we have huge beautiful monuments honoring Presidents. Generals and Veterans of Great Britain, Japan, Germany etc that all lost wars with the USA?
Better yet, the question is, do they have huge beautiful monuments honoring our Presidents. Generals and Veterans that won wars over them? I think not!
If you know your history then you know what they were really erected for.. (lost cause ideology)
Put it in a cemetery and preserve what it really stood for in the history books.
Appeasing a few will lead to disruption of many. Why not remove every aspect of history that is part of difficult times? July 4, 1776 was a memorable time for our great country but there were practices which were demeaning. Do we need the city consider a bote to remove 4th of July celebrations? When does being offended become impractical?
this is why we have elections. VOTE!
..bottom line..these type of declarations or decisions should be voted on by the citizens of the community..
Where will we now go to put flowers for men who never came home? what’s next, Barrancas National Cemetery?
For those fixated on simple concepts like left, right, liberal, conservative, and other binary “brands,” I am a progressive (i.e. the world is not flat and is also a tad older than 6000 years). I am also a big fan of clean water and air, a staunch (and licensed) 2nd amendment proponent, a Prius owner, and a damn Yankee. However, as a veteran, I disagree with erasing history and the associated American lives lost on both sides during the Civil War. In this context, I also experienced bias and prejudice while deployed overseas and share that America does not have a monopoly on hate. Ironically, as Americans, we are all (north, south, black, white, etc.) referred to as Yanks by those that have disdain for all Americans. Removing statues, flags, altering school books, censorship, and other perceived “remedies” will not resolve the underlying and systemic problems of ignorance, bigotry, racism, and hatred. Judging and condemning others to elevate one’s sense of worth and value is only temporary as the accuser remains the same person with only the addition of another petty resentment to their collection.
Love one another is much easier to parrot rather than practice but we should all (self included) try it.
On a lighter note, and in fairness, I recommend that we replace all Civil War statues with Captain Kangaroo in the North and Colonel Sanders in the South. They were both “full birds” and are fitting for today’s increasingly mad world (and if this didn’t make you chuckle, you can start by removing the stick from your arse).
After being a resident of Escambia County for over 50 Years, I will never spend another dime in the city limits ever again. The City of Pensacola should be dissolved once again.. No longer the “First Place City”, but the City of American Disgrace for allowing this atrocity to happen. Vote them ALL out, they don’t deserve the right to lead our heritage of building America!
What a waste of tax payer money. Am I living in Seattle?
@ Not surprised.. u are right. And if Biden should accidently slip his evil, demoncratic ,crooked @$z into office, We are doomed!! Go to Google search box and type in ” antifa. com” and see who pops up. Then if that is not clear enough for u, Google fascism and get the definition for that. Biden is already bought. Trump can’t be bought!! And as for Pensacola and their so called council, VOTE THEM OUT.! We need leaders with backbones and a concience..!
No, not looking at it both ways. Just let the people who live here vote about what they want or do not want. Let the people decide. If the vote doesn’t go my way, that is okay, just let the people decide.
Folks this is what socialism looks like , and you ain’t seen nothing yet!
Another win for the Union Army.
I remember when people were downright opposed about buildings, streets, plazas, and parks being named for people of importance to the Black community, all while the Confederate Monument was in place.
Now that the Confederate Monument is coming down, a number of commenters on this site are calling for the removal of the same places named for people of importance to the Black community.
Yeah. I see exactly what’s going on now. And it has nothing to do with any “heritage” that I would want to associate myself with. This isn’t about memorializing war dead.
Removal or placement of statues should be voted on by the people who live here. The leaders should want to know what the people want. Why don’t they ask? Maybe one day a city council who cares about the people’s wants will ask. Can’t wait to see the statue go back up! I know this will never happen, but nice to think it could. Get out and vote, I voted last month and it is safe. Wear a mask, I had to wait a minute or two before going in to check in. Be safe and get out and vote.
Yep. Another liberal judge.
She was appointed by President George W. Bush.
Let’s see. Search “party of george w bush”
Oh my. He was a REPUBLICAN.
So, that would mean this judge MUST be implementing the law, and not be an activist judge.
Many good comments. Its been obvious for many years that our local politicians only get into politics for the ego buidling and financial improvement in their incomes. They dont really work for a living so why should they work to save a few statues. This is just the beginning of the end. Vote em out of office.
Wow. What a bunch of whiny baby comments, lol. I say that because of all that has been said in the comments it seems to be mostly hate and smear and not one person has laid out a valid argument for why the Jim Crow Confederate statue should remain.
I had family in both the North and the South. At this point probably most of us did. The North won the war but with statues like that one and the ones places all over the south by the daughters of the confederacy, the South for a time, 50 years after the Civil War had won the peace which is why we ended up with the Jim Crow era with White and Colored drinking fountains and all the other spoken and unspoken forms of racial discrimination given to us by the Jim Crow South, the Daughters of the Confederacy and the KKK.
Taking down this statue WILL NOT change history. We will all remember the Civil War and Slavery and Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Era for as long as is needed. Hopefully the world moves beyond all this because we have bigger (or just as big) fish to fry and things we need our government to figure out like health care and the economy.
The Civil War was worked out. The Confederacy Lost. Except for those who wanted to buy their great great grand Pappy an over glorious head stone or mausoleum at a cemetary, there was no reason whatsoever to build monuments glorifying the Confederacy and have them places on tax payer funded property. Why is that complicated. Time to move on and take this statue that needs to be ground into little bitty pieces and used as landfill.
I cant wait till we start removing MLK monuments and signs and believe you me it’s coming.
History belongs in books and museums. Why do you southerners have to have these participation trophies anyway? Tear it down, and put up something that honors all those that lost their lives during the civil war.
I have one question why are these statues so offensive they are our history . If they take one statue down they need to take all statues down it’s not fair if people done their history not all the statues are racist .This happened hundreds of years ago people need to get over it our country is in enough termoil .
Statues are not racist…. they are inanimate objects. The def of racism is
“ prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.”
It’s a statue of a guy who fought in a war. Nothing more. Hell, I’m glad the south lost the war but it was done and over with a long, long time ago. Get over it.
Guess what inanimate objects can’t do Any of that. Screaming racism every time something happens is a crock. It’s a lie being pushed by actual racist to shadow their own behavior and views.
Mayor Robinson is a fraud and has no back bone. He’s a yes man and to scared to stand up for anything. He’s a lies, he buckles under the slightest amount of pressure. So, 1% of the community wants the statues gone or they block a road, so he does it. Now 20 ppl want a citizens advisory committee, they block a road, so he does it. Now the committee only wants to address the police, which most ppl don’t have a problem with, so he lets them only address the police department. He’s a huge disappointment, a disaster, a whimp and he needs to be removed. Grover, grow a set and start acting like leader you are responsible for acting in the interest of the entire city, not just the small group of socialist, racist baby’s your catering too.
Is it possible to take down WOMANIZERS?
PATHETIC!!! And this is coming from an ancestor of THE original first settlers in the Hudson Valley, yup, I’m a “damn yankee” and I think this is a travesty. It isn’t there to praise but remind. We are destined to repeat history because we keep erasing it. Been doing this since recorded history in many places around the world. We will never learn I reckon. So sad, so disappointed, so disgusted.
This is what EVIL LOOKS LIKE.
The statues of Deluna whom the city holds in such high regard should be removed.
Deluna showed up in 1559 with a ship full of African slaves to settle the area.
I’m no fan of Hitler, but I can remember what he did without a statue of him at the entrance to downtown Pensacola. History is not being erased.
Most of you didn’t even realize that memorial was there until they talked about removing it. Truthfully, Lee Square is an obstruction right in the middle of Palafox that people ignore because you’ll run off the road if you’re not focused on your driving. I’d be in favor of removing the whole park.
IMsad that our confederate statues are coming down across our united states,the confederate soldiers that lost their lifes are rolling intheir graves.Where does it stop.i guess the next thing to come down will be our walls of all the sodiers that gave their lifes for our freedom . History what does it mean anymore?
I am really saddened by this article. The City of Pensacola is under a dark cloud to allow this to happen. YOU CANNOT ERASE HISTORY. If this Monument comes down then ALL the Monuments need to come down. The City Council should be voted out for their ignorance. I very rarely get involved in politics but this just makes me sick to my stomach !!!!!!!!!!!
This decision is lamentable, but certainly not unexpected. We live in a society where domestic terror groups essentially say “do what we say or we will cause so much damage, destruction, injury and death that you will wish you had.” With a mayor, city council, and judiciary unwilling to stare down the barrel of such a threat, it is no surprise that they would fold up and just go along. The police can’t take any action, or more violence. Violent mobs aren’t held to account for their deeds. When they burn our cities and destroy lives, the government and media just pass it off as “peaceful protest”. We find ourselves hostages in our own land (or we thought it was our own land.) So, as a fellow hostage, I realized when this started that it was just a matter of time. As for safe removal, expect to hear “oops, we accidentally dropped and destroyed it.” How long before the graves are exhumed in the name of political correctness?
Your racist “ heritage” statue is not welcome here! Thank you to the judge!!!!!
Don’t spend a dime in Pensacola.
This hurts my heart. To be fair remove the martin luther king memorial.
Pensacola FL Snow Flake Capital of the South!
I’m very offered. If I didn’t have my family to care for I would stand in the way. But I can’t be away from home that long. This is so wrong and I Pray the judge is removed from office that ruled against our history. Shame on you and your weakness
Thank Goodness Pensacola! Bravo for Removing these racist statues.
No matter what you do, history cannot be destroyed! We learn from history and it should always be present to remind us of both good and bad. Our country is heading down the same path Germany did, next will be books and etc. This must stop, and should not be up to a few members of the city council. This should be up to a vote of the people of Escambia County and in reality the discussion should have never been raised. We look like a nation of fools, changing the names of products, sports teams,
and the list continues.. We have a lot of thin skinned people in this country who seem to be offended at everything. At 74 I shutter to think what the next 25 years may bring.
I believe in America, stand for the Flag and vote conservative!!
The city of Pensacola will never receive another tax dollar from me, my money will not be spent tearing dowm history. I hope pensacola goes the way of Century, it’s already headed that way fast.
It will be a shame when years from now when the grandchildren and great grandchildren Of these elected city officials realize That there family members caved in and gave up just to please a few. And to think there doing it because Of two or three thug freaking criminals whose cases haven’t even been to court. I hope the mayor and council sleep well knowing they have no backbone. Let the people vote whether or not to take it down or are you scared of that too.
The Left wins another one.
Now before you all blame this on the liberals, please note that this federal judge was nominated by President George W. Bush, a Republican, back in 2003. This judge followed the law, but unfortunately there wasn’t enough ‘legal standing.’
Erasing the beauty of monuments and the history of what Pensacola is known for is not right. Take the walking tour of Pensacola and you will know. A few people should not control the narrative and to bring the court and federal courts in to decide on the side of a very few people set on change is unamerican. Leave the history and the beauty.
What a shame. I’m not a racist in way, shape or form and history is history! I feel you see what you want. Maybe we should just remove ALL monuments and make a good fishing reef and not put any up at all! That way we have no reminders of anything, including memorials and that way it doesn’t offend anyone! This world has become ruled by liberal judges who dictate what everyone sees and thinks. Who are these judges? We vote for them. If I don’t like the way something looks, I look the other way. That monument doesn’t define or change me. I love all people, all colors and all ages. Most monuments spark my interest to read about that person and understand what difference they made. I pray for our country. It starts with a monument and where will it end???
VOTE the CRIMINALS out of OFFICE. .. MAYOR .. COUNCIL.
the government trying to create their own version of history and the people envolved in it. If you don’t like it change it to quiet the radicals.
Her ruling does not surprise me. She was appointed by Bush, but her rulings are always tilted heavily left. On to the next level of court to stop this act of destruction of historical monument
This is what cowards do
This makes me sad because it is one more volume of US History that is being erased by this crazy “Offended” society of people.
Guess the next target will be all the Spanish monuments around town and the USA.
Makes my soul ache.
Understanding our history, and a willingness to learn from it only stands to make us stronger. Monuments serve as reminders of something significant happened (HERE) we need to be careful on how we approach this. If we act off of some type of emotionalism we will put ourselves in great jeopardy and do a disservice to our children. If nothing actually happened at this site, then i am not opposed to its removal. We need to understand we all live in a fallen world, and are all guilty of sin and have done wrong against others. Sin is our condition and Jesus is the cure.
They want to keep removing our history why don’t they take away what the history stands for meaning all in favor to remove they loose their freedom . Declaration of Independence .
The idea of a statue in a small median surrounded by bushes barely visible from your car offends is dem idotioc I truly di not believe the sculptor thought ah ha I know I will upset and cause inhuman pain in this art work not did the city planners who placed it there. Please please let’s us not even begin to think about history good or bad IT IS OUR HISTORY as the saying goes once you eliminate the evidence the truth the past will repeat it self. I really thought we the people had grown ,risen above blaming our new evolving troubles on the ancestors of others the evolved of our time should be able to take the message the past has taught us applied the education it has given and attempt to move onward in the wonderful life our forefathers tried to create as it has always been there is the past the now and the future. Remember all this will become the past in moments the image of destruction ,hate,death being created now will only taint those involved when read as history in the future. That those involved want to hide the identity is understandable but truly cowardly. If you believe you have the right to kill maim destroy property with anmintiy guess you just want to hurt others if you really believed it is your right or has been personally earned you should be doing so head held high in full view for history to record instead of hiding just as criminals do because in their being the knowledge that It is wrong lingers the guilt is there. Just thoughts to consider as you no longer are bothered by a statue you never noticed before.
If this one comes down then in all fairness every monument in Pensacola should be removed. If we are going to erase history then lets erase it ALL
If the city of Pensacola is going to take down a statue because it offends some, then all statues need to come down. This is only fair. ALL STATUES need to be dismantled. This is the most outrageous thing I have heard. Our city used to be something to be proud of but I am not so sure anymore. Let’s take the city of five flags away also. The Navy offends the Army and so on and so on. Our Leaders need to grow a backbone and quit running scared.
unreal! I’m so glad a few folks will feel better, oh wait they’ll be something else to whine about.