Posted on 08/03/2005 7:09:56 PM PDT by rightwinggoth
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The mayor of Memphis on Wednesday rejected calls to rename three parks that honor the Confederacy, saying the city should focus on being part of the New South and stop worrying about remnants of the Old South.
Mayor Willie Herenton, who like 60 percent of Memphis residents is black, said public fighting over the parks would only hurt the city's image, which is still tarnished by the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.
"We do not need another event that portrays Memphis nationally as a city still racially polarized and fighting the Civil War all over again," he said.
Forrest Park, Confederate Park and Jefferson Davis Park contain statues of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Southern Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, an early leader of the Ku Klux Klan.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Oh come off the civil rights crap!
The Confederacy is part of Memphis' history. It doesn't matter how people feel. You can't change history.
Is this Democrat displaying a moment of clairty?
Or will his view change when he gets another visit from the Rev. Jesse Jackson?
Anybody got odds?
I live in Springfield Missouri. Shortly after the turn of the century there were some public lynchings of blacks in the square.
Some years ago the local NAACP wanted to erect a memorial in the square and the city rightfully no. Their position was that the memorial would become a focal point for every kind of oddball group to have a rally around. Let alone the fact that sooner or later some drunken kids would spray paint something stupid on the memorial and the NAACP would flip out.
My city should be aware of that part of its past. But like Memphis, and it's new mayor, it knew better than to stir the race pot.
You wouldn't think so if you lived here. Your tune would change rather quickly.
Not really. This falls under the broken clock rule. Usually he runs his mouth in drive while his brain is in park.
The AP writer, surprise surprise, is missing the point of the story. The mayor wants to give the parks to the university, that way the school bureaucrats can change the names without public comment or oversight. A clever move on the part of the mayor - dodge the blame, while achieving the purpose.
"Golly! At last a quite sensible city mayor ...."
You don't know King Willie.
I cannot believe that for once I agree with King Willie.
You're probably right, but still I would have no problem with the NAACP having their monuments as long as it adds to history, rather than erasing the parts they don't like. This Stalinist business of erasing any historical leader who's no longer on the "approved" list is extremely disturbing.
If the parks in question ever gets changed, they better be the most inoffensive, pc names ever. I would then push to have the name of the City of Memphis changed. Why? Because Memphis, Tennessee was named for Memphis, Egypt. Memphis, Egypt was part of a slave capturing, slave holding country thousands of years ago. Why would a native Memphian want to live here knowing that it was named for a slave capturing, slave holding city in Egypt? I wouldn't. And in three years, my wife and I are out of here.
Don't forget that Egyptians are African. Africans enslaved the Hebrews. I have Jewish ancestors. Reparations?
Shhh, don't tell them about Hood or Hill, they'll never know the difference. Lee they can probably, probably that is, know about, since they are always insisting that schools and parks named after him have their names changed.
This is simply passing the buck...
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