Hot Springs city manager supports move of Confederate statute from lynching site

[Arkansas Granny]

The Sentinel-Record reports that Hot Springs City Manager Bill Burrough supports the relocation of a Confederate statue in a prominent spot downtown. A petition drive is underway, powered by recent efforts nationwide to relocate Confederate monuments on public property.

A problem in Hot Springs: It sits on land at Central, Ouachita, Market, and Olive streets owned by a Confederacy-venerating group. Defenders have rallied before to protect its place in one of the state’s premier tourist attractions. The United Daughters of the Confederacy earlier agreed to stop flying Confederate flags on the plaza.

We’ve written before about the dark history of the spot, where two lynchings occurred, the last in 1934.

A deal was struck with a Confederate group in Bentonville to move a statue from the town square to a private park. In Little Rock, there have been periodic calls (widely ignored) for removal of two Confederate monuments on the state Capitol grounds. As yet, no protest has emerged over the Confederate statue in the city-owned MacArthur Park in Little Rock.

https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2020/06/06/hot-springs-city-manager-supports-move-of-confederate-statute-from-lynching-site

[Laelth]

1. This is a tough case.

The monument is on private property. If it were on public property, I would support its removal, but it’s not. I am not sure that I want the government telling us what speech is or is not allowed on private property. My first amendment hackles are up here.

-Laelth

[Arkansas Granny]

2. The article speaks of an agreement to move the statue to private property.

It doesn't sound like the move is being protested.