JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The debate over a Springfield Confederate monument reignited after Councilmember Matt Carlucci put a resolution on the books to again plan for removal.
Council voted 12 to 6 to withdraw a bill to take down the statue last November that would cost about $1.3 million.
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Carlucci’s resolution proposes a $500,000 cap, but he told Action News Jax’s Robert Grant that they can find additional funding with grants if needed.
“I put that in there because it seemed like the dollar amount was soaking up so much of the conversation as opposed to the real issue of the bill,” Carlucci said.
What’s the real issue depends on who you ask. Dozens for and against removing the statue came to Tuesday night’s city council meeting to address council members during public comment.
“This is about protecting and perpetuating what these statues stand for, and that is white supremacy,” Wells Todd, with Take ‘Em Down Jax, said.
Race has become a point of contention. Opponents of removing the statue say the ‘Tribute to the Women of the Confederacy’ is a tribute to history.
“No matter how we feel about history, it’s still history and removing a monument doesn’t eradicate the history,” Abdul Muhammad said. “A half-million dollars to remove a monument. Let’s come up with a happy medium. Why not raise a monument like Harriet Tubman?”
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Seber Newsome started the ‘Unity Project’, which proposes putting up statues, like one of James Weldon Johnson at the park downtown. The group also suggests putting up a statue of a black family next to the Springfield Confederate monument.
“People are offering all kinds of ideas and that’s always a good thing, but more statues are all because they don’t want to get rid of the one statue,” Carlucci said.
The resolution suggests community conversations about the best way to move forward, with a plan by July.