Results 1 to 2 of 2

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

  1. #1
    Senior Member European Knight's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    France
    Posts
    4,548

    Angry Kentucky judge blocks Confederate monument removal

    By Chris Kenning and Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY NETWORK, (Lousiville) Courier-Journal

    A Jefferson County Circuit judge on Monday issued a restraining order to block removal of Confederate monument in Louisville, Kentucky.

    Judge Judith McDonald-Burkman issued the order Monday morning against Mayor Greg Fischer and Metro Government, barring them from removing, moving, disassembling or otherwise tampering with the 70-foot-tall Confederate monument near the University of Louisville. A hearing is set for Thursday at 10:30 a.m. to consider the plaintiff's motion for a full temporary injunction.

    "The Court finds that the plaintiffs will suffer immediate and irreparable harm if, during the pendency of this litigation, Defendants are allowed to continue with their stated plan to dismantle and remove the Confederate Monument from its present location," the judge wrote.

    Republican candidate for Congress Everett Corley filed a temporary restraining order in Jefferson Circuit Court to stop Mayor Greg Fischer and University of Louisville President James Ramsey from removing the controversial Confederate monument from the school's campus.

    Also listed as plaintiffs in lawsuit are the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Kentucky Division, and its "Chief of Heritage Defense," and political activist Ed Springston.

    "This restraining order is about respecting veterans," said Corley, a real estate agent, who argued it was the "equivalent of a book burning" and smacked of political correctness gone awry.

    Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell said he would fight the restraining order, which he said took him by surprise. He said no one from his office was at the hearing.

    "We'll obviously comply with whatever those orders are...but we will move to immediately set this aside," he said. "This is a question of law and a question of facts. I'm not over here to politically grandstand like this gentleman is," he said, referring to Corley.

    Thomas McAdam, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said the suit is based on several arguments in hopes of turning the order into a permanent injunction to save the statue.

    He said the basis of the lawsuit is that the mayor violated several laws including not going through proper local, state and federal laws including historic preservation procedures. Because of its placement on the national register of historic places, he said, notifications and hearings are required. The suit argues the move is also a violation of the Kentucky Military Heritage Act and other state laws.

    "We expect our elected officials to follow the law. The mayor has not followed the law," he said. "All we want is a fair hearing, all we want is to let the people know that this is part of our heritage, and you can't just erase history by tearing down monuments .That's what the Taliban does, that's what ISIS does. We don't do that in America."

    Reacting to the judge’s decision, Mayor Greg Fischer said the county attorney will handle the matter in the courts.

    “We believe we made the right decision,” Fischer said.

    Fischer has previously said it should be moved because it represents a painful chapter in history and no longer has a place in Louisville.

    Asked if his administration followed proper procedure to move the memorial honoring Confederate soldiers, Mayor Greg Fischer there is no such process on the books. The mayor said it was “kind of a unique situation” and reiterated the monument is not being destroyed but relocated to a more appropriate spot.

    “We wanted to make sure that the state, the university and city were lined up on it and decided to make the decision,” Fischer said. “We feel good about that.”

    The granite monument, completed in 1895, was built with funding from the Kentucky Women's Confederate Monument Association for $12,000, according to the suit, and is now located between Second and Third streets.

    Opponents have said the mayor’s announcement is tantamount to erasing history and ignores how Confederate soldiers played a role in the city’s history.

    “We need to understand our history in order to recognize and counteract its lingering effect,” Martina Kunnecke, president of Neighborhood Planning & Preservation said Sunday. “Erasing it only serves to sanitize what was and what is.”

    The restraining order comes on the same day Fischer announced the formation of a historic preservation task force that the mayor’s office says will seek ways to honor Louisville’s heritage. Keith Runyon, co-chair of the mayor’s panel, said Monday that unlike historic markers that remind residents about the horrors of the past, the Confederate memorial is one that honors those who wanted to maintain slavery.

    “The old South, and the antebellum shtick that Louisville has sometimes attached to is not constructive,” he said.

    “This is a dynamic monument, a ‘we’ll rise again’ sort of thing,” he added. “And just over time some things become outdated, and I think this one is.”

    Kunnecke’s group has asked the Kentucky Heritage Council if removing the memorial falls under their purview. The group also wants to know what, if any, process is required to move or remove a historic monument.

    “If you bleach away the complexity of our common past, it is difficult to perceive how complicated and horrible things were and remain,” Kunnecke said. “We never develop the discernment to recognize the inconsistencies or injustices that persist right under our very noses.”

    Kentucky judge blocks Confederate monument removal

  2. #2
    Senior Member European Knight's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    France
    Posts
    4,548
    Posted: May 02, 2016 10:51 PM CESTUpdated: May 03, 2016 2:17 AM CESTBy Gil Corsey

    Public reacts to judge's order temporarily halting removal of Confederate monument from U of L campus

    LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Confederate monument at the University of Louisville is becoming the center of a war zone.

    Louisville realtor and congressional candidate Everett Corley is going to battle with Mayor Greg Fischer and Metro Government trying to keep the 70-foot tall statue standing at the corner of 3rd Street and Brandeis Avenue.

    "...The mayor is out of line," Corley said while waiving a temporary restraining order in front of the Jefferson County Judicial Center in downtown Louisville.

    The order stopped crews Monday from taking the statue apart, as ordered Friday by Mayor Fischer and U of L President James Ramsey. Corley claims removing the display would cause irreparable harm.

    "It is a hugely important symbol of the culture, the architecture, and the history of Louisville," Corley said.

    Corley clams the city is breaking local, state and federal historic preservation laws. Ironically, the order came as Mayor Fischer announced the creation of a Historic Preservation Task Force in Louisville.

    "We're moving it, just the place for it." Mayor Fischer said. "The reason for it being there has changed a lot since 1895. It was put on the edge of the city. It was not in the middle of the university where it is right now."

    U of L Professor Ricky Jones says he expected the pushback. He'd worked with students for nearly 20 years to see the statue removed.

    "Is the U of L going to be a school like it was in 1950, when blacks were not allowed to attend it, or is it going be a 21st Century university?" asked Jones. "Is the city of Louisville and the state of Kentucky going to be North Carolina, or will we be different and better?"

    Despite the order, you could clearly see crews working on the monument Monday, but we were told the work was preliminary. They were testing to see exactly what it was made of and taking pictures, but nothing will actually come down until the legal issue is settled.

    The issue is due back before Judge Judith McDonald Burkman Thursday at 10:30 a.m. for a hearing on a temporary injunction. It brought tension to the courthouse. County attorney Mike O'Connell says he didn't event get a chance to speak on the stop order.

    "I'm not over hear to politically grandstand like this man is here to my left," O'Connell said. "We will defend this vigorously."

    "This is part of history and you can't just erase history by tearing down our monuments," said Thomas McAdams, Corley's attorney. "That's what the Taliban does. That's what ISIS does."

    The monument reflects a dividing time in our nation's history -- and has split opinions once again.

    "Honestly, I think it's a great step in the right direction," said U of L student Caitlin Edwards.

    "I feel like it should stay there," said Megan Wurth, a U of L student. "You can't erase the past. You have to learn from it."

    "We are going to continue this fight until the monument stays where it is for the next 150 years," Corley said.

    The Sons of Confederate Veterans - Kentucky Division and another Louisville resident have also signed onto the case.

    Public reacts to judge's order temporarily halting removal of Co - WDRB 41 Louisville News

Similar Threads

  1. Artwork to replace Confederate Monument goes up in Reidsville
    By European Knight in forum Other Topics News and Issues
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 05-29-2016, 11:29 PM
  2. Bill to block removal of Confederate monuments rejected
    By European Knight in forum Other Topics News and Issues
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 04-08-2016, 10:17 AM
  3. Alabama bill could stop removal of Confederate monuments
    By European Knight in forum Other Topics News and Issues
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 02-14-2016, 03:53 AM
  4. Alabama Bill Could Stop Removal of Confederate Monuments
    By European Knight in forum Other Topics News and Issues
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 02-10-2016, 01:16 PM
  5. Baltimore Police determine 'suspicious package' at Confederate Women's Monument
    By European Knight in forum Other Topics News and Issues
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 12-16-2015, 11:03 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •