JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The controversial removal of a prominent confederate monument in Jacksonville is raising questions about the future of other civil war statues and markers on city property.
There are still eight existing markers and one statue, which former Mayor Lenny Curry promised to have taken down back in 2020.
Jacksonville City Council Member Matt Carlucci has long advocated for the removal of confederate monuments.
He saw that come true on Wednesday when Mayor Donna Deegan had the Women of the Southland statue in Springfield Park taken down.
"Sometimes being on the right side of history until the right side of history arrives," Carlucci said.
The last existing monument is a Grandstand that's still up at Old City Cemetery.
Carlucci said he's not concerned about these because they're different than statues that honor confederate leaders. "Monuments [...] were built to send a message to the Black people at the time that we may have lost the war, but we're still in control of the city down here in the south."
His colleague Tyrona Clark-Murray is elated about the monuments coming down.
Instead of having the remainder of the markers removed, she believes that city council should take a look at each one to make a decision about its future.
"We don't want to glorify the confederacy and the traitor-ism that went along with that and the mindset that went along with the people who decided that slavery should continue, so it all depends on the context of that particular marker," Clark-Murray said.
Carlucci said he's happy with the progress they've made, and he doesn't plan to get involved in the removal of any other monuments or markers.
"The markers are marking a site of a historical event that actually took place or a historical fort that was actually built during the Civil War. They are a part of history."
While some are praising the action, some City Council President Ron Salem is planning to take legislative action next week in response to the removal.
"The fact that it was donated money and city council was bypassed as the appropriating body concerns me because of the precedent that sets for the future," Salem said.
Mayor Deegan said she looks forward to conversations with the community and city council about the future of other markers.