Tension grows in Brooksville over Confederate memorial

WFLA 8 ^ | 8/18/17 | Jeff Patterson

[Impala64ssa]

Steve Damron paced back and forth in front of the old courthouse building in Brooksville Friday. On his shoulder, Damron carried a large Confederate battle flag as he stood in front of a Confederate statue that was first put up in Brooksville in 1916. “I’m here to protect history. I’m here to protect these monuments,” said Damron As he spoke, car after car drove by honking, waving and shouting support for Damron’s efforts. Tampa businessmen may have bonded together on Thursday to raise more than $140,000 dollars to take down a Confederate memorial, but this is Brooksville and things are different here. “By people tearing these down is not going to solve any problems,” said Damron. One young woman walked on the other side of the street and extended her middle finger in Damron’s direction. He responded by saying, “That’s nice” and then telling a reporter, “See, I don’t have any hate for her, but she has hate for me and she doesn’t even know me.” The topicof Confederate memorials in the south is dividing many. Paul Douglas is the President of the NAACP in Hernando County and would like to see the Confederate Memorial moved to a nearby cemetery where a number of Confederate Veterans are buried. “I would like to see it moved, but I don’t want violence,” said Douglas.

Douglas is keenly aware that Brooksville has a very violent past towards blacks. There were seven documented lynchings in the county. Douglas says one of them occurred in a tree adjacent to the Confederate Memorial. “Right here, on which tree was it, that tree right there. This is a lynching tree and so they put that statue up, when they were killing through lynchings, African Americans,” said Douglas. He also knows he is fighting an uphill battle to have the statue taken down. The Hernando County Commission is all white, all male and all Republican. Commissioner Steve Champion and many others in the community believe the Confederate Memorial in Brooksville should stay right where it is. “I believe it’s part of our history, part of our heritage in the county here,” said Champion. He does not believe the statue is a symbol of hate. “It’s a peaceful statue here that commemorates U.S. Veterans, which Confederate Veterans are recognized as U.S. Veterans. When it comes to pieces of history like this, I think we need to leave it alone,” said Champion. Word spread Friday through social media and other means that there would be some kind of protest at the memorial on Friday evening. Hernando County Sheriff’s deputies put up barricades all around the statue. Brooksville Police blocked off streets, some police and deputies came with helmets and riot gear, preparing for problems. Heavy rain came into the area Friday afternoon and by 6:00 p.m., there were more police and members of the media than protesters. Still some who did gather downtown were worried the fight is far from over.

[Impala64ssa]

Video at link.

There was a move some time ago to change the name of the town since it's named for SC Cong. Preston Brooks, who was pro slavery and damn near beat abolishionist Mass Cong Charles Sumner to death with a cane. I say instead of changing the town's name change WHO it's named for. Why not FOSTER Brooks the comedian who was a regular on the old Dean Martin ROasts? Wait a minute...he would pretend to be drunk as part of his act, that would be offensive to those dealing with alcoholism and other addiction issues. OK,then, how about MEL Brooks. FINALLY! A Southern town named for aJew, how cool would that be? Oh, no his masterpiece was Blazing Saddles which was loaded with racist overtones. Nevermind that Richard Pryor co-wrote it and the films premise was to ridicule and denigrate racial and ethnic stereotypes.

[snarkytart]

The dems are going to pay so hard for this and so will the bastard GOP because as usual they’re silent unless it’s attacking POTUS and of course siding WITH communist violent thugs like ANTIFA and BLM.

[headstamp 2]

[Paul Douglas is the President of the NAACP in Hernando County and would like to see the Confederate Memorial moved to a nearby cemetery where a number of Confederate Veterans are buried. ]

Until they dig those up, right Paul?

[gov_bean_ counter]

Will someone please tell me how anyone’s life is improved by the removal of any monument...

[snarkytart]

It’s not about being dumb, it’s not about improving life, it’s a way to assault white culture and it won’t stop with the confederacy.

[gov_bean_ counter]

True very!

[Tennessee Nana]

yes they can pull all the statues down but D’Shon still cant read...and his mother doesn’t work...

[posterchild]

Confederate Monument is such a recently trending thing.

[Fiddlstix]

[Impala64ssa]

Somewhere in NYC is a statue of Lenin atop an aratment building. Sure I would be offended if I saw it but I wouldn't waste my time demanding scumbag deBLAHsio have it removed. In fact I'd be tempted to squat in that bulding and let the owners put their $$$ where their collective mouths are and let me live there rent free like any good little commie should.. :)

[gov_bean_ counter]

Nailed it.

[gov_bean_ counter]

HA!

[Fiddlstix]

Hildy posted that earlier today.....

Sez It All!
imho

[Vermont Lt]

And then someone can explain to me how you can be triggered by a statue about events 150 years ago; events that they were not involved in and which had no specific traumatic incident associated with them.

[Ray76]

If it wasn’t statues it would be something else. It is a thing to exploit, to antagonize, to generate discord. That’s the goal. The statue is just a vehicle.

[Wonder Warthog]

Jewish Vice President of the CSA-—Judah P. Benjamin

[Daniel Ramsey]

Its stealth sharia law implemented. Today its statues, tomorrow.....

[snarkytart]

Its stealth sharia law implemented. Today its statues, tomorrow.....

/

Yep

[Charles Martel]

And then someone can explain to me how you can be triggered by a statue about events 150 years ago; events that they were not involved in and which had no specific traumatic incident associated with them.

They aren't being "triggered" by monuments. They're psyching themselves up for a fight. Deep down, I think the militant blacks know they can't win a straight-up race war, so we're seeing a melding of groups with common purposes here - everyone for whom traditional American culture and values is a big roadblock to their glorious future.

Obama is the poster boy for this sort of thinking. Remember the patchwork of groups to whom he campaigned for re-election in 2012? I do - they had one thing in common: hatred for this nation, for a multitude of perceived injustices. Daniel Greenfield wrote an article about it, titled something like "The Most Divisive Campaign in American History".

[HiTech RedNeck]

I don’t mind the Dems charging down this road. We can introduce them to themselves.