Florence City Council votes against historical marker

Archie Snowden
·2 min read

FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) – On Tuesday, the Florence City Council voted not to approve replacing a controversial historical marker in the heart of downtown.

The decision has been met with disappointment.

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The vote comes on the heels of a seven-year battle between city leaders and the grassroots organization Project Say Something (PSS).

City leaders and PSS both mutually agreed to figure out the next steps on adding a marker that would sit adjacent to the “Eternal Vigil” confederate monument statue that would further explain its historical significance.

But that agreement changed after the city council voted 3 to 2 to leave the original marker in place.

Camille Bennet the president of PSS said that the marker was supposed to be on the agenda at Tuesday’s council meeting.

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Citing the statue’s racial undertones and their efforts to denounce racist sentiments, city council members Kaytrina Simmons and Michelle Eubanks voted for the marker.

However, in a statement to News 19, Council Member Jimmy Oliver who was against the replacement of the marker said in part;

“The language that Project Say Something wanted used was opinion-based and insisted on saying all Florence residents agree the statue was erected to intimidate black citizens,” Oliver said. “However, I do still support the relocation of the confederate statue to the cemetery where it belongs.”

Bennett said the best outcome would be for the monument to be moved.

“What’s really justice is for that monument not to be in a public space at all where people pay their taxes, but that’s just a sliver of justice,” said Bennett.

Bennett says the council’s vote, however, does not change the PSS position to push to have the marker moved to a new location and will continue to work tirelessly to see this project come to fruition.

“We have plenty of advocacy that will be centered around this issue because community members are reaching out to us because they are very upset,” Bennett said. “They are hurt about the way we were treated, and they are hurt about the way Councilwoman Kaytrina Simmons was treated during this process so we will be doing advocacy efforts.”

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