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Remove the Confederate Monument and flag from the Walton County Courthouse

leeboyBeach Fanatic
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The effort to remove the Confederate monument and flag from the Walton County Courthouse rises and falls like the tide.

Things have been quiet since the last push in 2020 during the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement.

For the last seven years the Committee for Justice, Equality, and Fairness have been speaking out against the Confederate flag and monument being on county property.

“It harkens back to the Confederacy in a time when people of color were not dealt with justly. That message continues at the current time. We believe that it’s impossible for a person of color to receive justice, equal justice in a courthouse that has a Confederate flag and monument on the courthouse lawn” Chair of Committee Mike Bowden said.

The monument and flag have been a point of contention for years. The local committee has been fighting for the removal for seven years.

In 2018, the county held a referendum to remove the flag and monument from the courthouse. 65% of the voters voted to keep it.

In 2020, a protest against the monument and flag turned disorderly. Shortly after, the county commission voted to keep the monument and flag.

Victoria Crystal’s ancestors were slaves.

“That puts a different spin on it for me, you know, and it would that’s the thing that says to me, just destroy it would break it up into a tiny thousand yea know But on the other hand, I don’t know why they are proud of their ancestors fighting in this war, but they are,” Victoria Crystal who serves as the media relations for the committee said.

Instead of destroying, the committee is trying to compromise.

“That’s the thing that they need to remember is that we’re not trying to destroy, we’re saying relocate, let’s find some common ground here but don’t just dismiss us, we are also Walton County,” Crystal said.

Committee members are partnering with nationwide organizations to have more allies and spread their message to more people.

“We’ve partnered with the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has most recently provided us a grant to fund posting billboards to educate and help people join us in our efforts to remove the Confederate flag,” Bowden said.

They’re also planning to return to the commission sometime this Spring and ask for the monument and flag to be removed.

The monument was built around 1871. It was the first of its kind in the state of Florida.

www.mypanhandle.com

Ongoing efforts to ‘Move the Monument’ in Walton County

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – The effort to remove the Confederate monument and flag from the Walton County Courthouse rises and falls like the tide. Things have been quiet since the last push…
www.mypanhandle.com www.mypanhandle.com

Replies

80
Matt J avatar
Matt JSWGB
#77
The original issue was the Flag. Several people who were for removing the flag swore up and down that the only issue was the flag, that there was no problem with the monument. Now, certain people (I know who they are and will argue to their face) want to take the monument as well. That is the issue.

No one wants to take anything, we want to move a monument to a hostile country off of our public grounds.
UpNorth avatar
UpNorthBeach Lover
#79
This seems dumb both ways. If one needs trinkets to appreciate history I’d surmise one doesn’t really appreciate or understand the history in the first place.

Places and times are just that and you can’t just pretend it didn’t happy or try to cancel events that are decades or centuries removed from context. America still idolizes Babe Ruth. A fat white guy who played in a league that wouldn’t allow 85% of the best players currently playing professional baseball. Who’s peers were other guys who’s physical fitness is likely inferior to most of todays high school teams. And this guy is consensus regarded as one of the best ballplayers ever!

So I appreciate the significance of Babe Ruth just the same as I appreciate the events that caused America to evolve into what it is today. The pre War Deep South did shape a lot of what’s made America good and it also had a hand in some pretty wretched stuff. I’ll leave the misplaced passion, rage and protests for others as to wage war over.
mputnalBeach Fanatic
#80
This seems dumb both ways. If one needs trinkets to appreciate history I’d surmise one doesn’t really appreciate or understand the history in the first place.

Places and times are just that and you can’t just pretend it didn’t happy or try to cancel events that are decades or centuries removed from context. America still idolizes Babe Ruth. A fat white guy who played in a league that wouldn’t allow 85% of the best players currently playing professional baseball. Who’s peers were other guys who’s physical fitness is likely inferior to most of todays high school teams. And this guy is consensus regarded as one of the best ballplayers ever!

So I appreciate the significance of Babe Ruth just the same as I appreciate the events that caused America to evolve into what it is today. The pre War Deep South did shape a lot of what’s made America good and it also had a hand in some pretty wretched stuff. I’ll leave the misplaced passion, rage and protests for others as to wage war over.
I am "DownSouth" and I agree. We seem to over react too much and let our emotions get all out of whack to the point where we say things that will eventually back fire. Let history be a reminder of how far we have come. Have we come far enough? Probably not but we were going in the right direction for a long time. I do think we have to be honest and say that we have all become more politically charged and that we need to think before we speak. The name calling has gotten out of hand. The anger we feel when we disagree with an issue is taking us down a path that will not be good for anyone. I am from the South and I hear negative sentiments all the time from people who do NOT know much about the history of the Civil War or War Between the States or the orgins of slavery. They do know a lot about anger, blame and hatred. Most of us are hippocrites so relax a little otherwise go learn something you do not know as much as you think you do 🙂
UpNorth avatar
UpNorthBeach Lover
#81
I am "DownSouth" and I agree. We seem to over react too much and let our emotions get all out of whack to the point where we say things that will eventually back fire. Let history be a reminder of how far we have come. Have we come far enough? Probably not but we were going in the right direction for a long time. I do think we have to be honest and say that we have all become more politically charged and that we need to think before we speak. The name calling has gotten out of hand. The anger we feel when we disagree with an issue is taking us down a path that will not be good for anyone. I am from the South and I hear negative sentiments all the time from people who do NOT know much about the history of the Civil War or War Between the States or the orgins of slavery. They do know a lot about anger, blame and hatred. Most of us are hippocrites so relax a little otherwise go learn something you do not know as much as you think you do 🙂
Exactly. The entire purpose of the current two party system is to be divisive. There’s so much junk out there that people are conditioned to be sensitive to that when you really think about it, who gives a hoot?

Robert E Lee had slaves…woohoo. Shakespeare was a homosexual…woohoo….Jesus was a Jew…woohoo. I personally have no way of validating these things other than taking the word of others and even if I do, it has no impact on my life today.

I’ll be damned if I give someone else so much power over me and my personal state of wellbeing because some collection of colors and lines or symbols are placed on a piece of cloth. Same goes for words. Who cares? Life is short and beautiful, stop looking for reasons to be angry/negative/hateful.

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