JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A local activist group will gather at City Hall on Tuesday at 4 p.m. to rally against the new legislation that would punish lawmakers who vote to take down Confederate monuments.
In a statement, the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville said they are demanding the removal of the Confederate monument in Springfield Park and renaming it to Ben Frazier Park, and they also ask for the initiation of community meetings to discuss removals of monuments, symbols and names that “glorify the Confederacy, racism, discrimination, segregation, and all forms of oppression.”
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“We cannot allow monuments that glorify racists, traitorous, and amoral leaders to remain standing in Jacksonville,” President of the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville Kelly Frazier said. “We need racial healing and reconciliation in Jacksonville, and removing Confederate monuments is one important step in this process.”
The organization said they will focus on two initiatives during the rally on Tuesday.
The first one is a complaint to the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission, demanding the removal of the Confederate monument in Springfield Park.
The second initiative is a letter-writing campaign to show their rejection of the legislation introduced by the Florida State Legislature that would punish lawmakers who vote to take down these monuments.