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.
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