Thurs July 9, Tenn committee to vote on Nathan Bedford Forrest bust in state capitol

[MadLinguist]

A hand-picked committee of Governor Bill Lee, who seems uninterested in removing the bust of the first grand wizard of the KKK (erected in 1978!) will vote Thursday morning whether the bust should remain. This committee was formed in response to Nashville protestors that have been occupying the state plaza in continuously since June 12. The more eyes on this vote, the more likely that they can be shamed into doing the right thing.

Link to tweet

Please consider emailing these addresses, or calling the committee members in the above tweet
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[Voltaire2]

1. Forrest was a truly horrible person.

[MadLinguist]

2. Repulsive. Tennessee will stink to high heaven if it balks at removing just the symbol of racism

Doesn't seem as if the founding state of the Ku Klux Klan has ever been much worried about the moral stain on its statehood. We shall see.

[regnaD kciN]

4. I wonder if we should cancel "Forrest Gump" while we're at it...

Not only is it a film beloved by right-wing culture warriors, but it's established that the principal character is the great-grandson of Nathan Bedford Forrest...a fact that's played for a "harmless" chuckle.

[Alacritous Crier]

3. Here's my email...

Hello:
My name is ___________. I am a resident of __________ County. I ask that you vote to remove the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the State Capitol on July 9th. This is a traitorous Confederate symbol and it creates an unsafe environment for communities of color. This bust wasn’t placed in the Capitol until 1978 and it has nothing to do with any legacy of the Civil war but, rather, is a deliberate message to people of color that the priority in Tennessee is white supremacy. This must go! Forrest was the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. His image represents only white supremacy and does not belong in a public space. If some Klucker wants to put it in his clubhouse, treehouse or outhouse that would be a proper use for this vile idol but it does not belong in our Capitol!

Please make the right choice and vote to remove this refuse of an archaic, racist age from our Capitol!

[Tanuki]

5. Thank you! I will set aside some time this weekend for e-mailing

And I did not realize that Matthew Hill was on the commission. He is beyond loathsome.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Hill

"Rep. Hill was among a handful of Tennessee General Assembly Members within the House of Representatives widely reported during 2009 as a "birther", demanding that U.S President Barack Obama be compelled to present Hill and other legislators with a certified copy of Obama's Hawaiian birth certificate.[6] Hill interviewed the nationally noted "birther" conspiracy advocate Orly Taitz at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville for a February 10, 2009 segment podcasted online by the IRN USA Radio News network during "The Matthew Hill Show.[19][20]
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In early 2017, Hill and State Senator Bill Ketron garnered national attention by proposing legislation that would free motorists of civil liability for running down political demonstrators.[27]

Hill amended a 2018 bill to strip Memphis of $250,000 after the majority-black city opted to remove the busts of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and KKK leader Nathan Bedford Forrest."....(more)

[MadLinguist]

6. Thanks Tanuki. If you are in the Nashville area, the occupation on TN capitol hill

could use support, and more recruits at the Ida B Wells Plaza (officially Legislative Plaza). The block between 6th and 7th Ave North on Charlotte, is the front, one side is across from TPAC. Today, our 37th day of occupation, we are mourning John Lewis at the plaza. It's hot, we been jailed and harassed by Tennessee Highway Patrol (on Gov Lee's say-so) as well as Nashville Metro Police.
#FreeCapitolHillTN