Proposed Florida law would stop local governments from removing racist Confederate monuments
Jacksonville, FL – Pensacola State Representative Mike Hill has introduced a bill in the state legislature, House Bill 97, titled the Soldiers' and Heroes' Monuments and Memorials Protection Act, that would stop local authorities from removing racist confederate monuments. Hill is an African American Republican. Hill acknowledges his lack of support in the Black community.
Todd Wells, an African American member of Take Em Down Jax, a group devoted to removing these monuments to the cause of white supremacy, stated, “The struggle for the removal of Confederate statues has been ongoing since they were erected. African blood is soaked into the earth of this nation. This Black Republican is only doing his job. He works for the ruling class. The very class that enslaved our people for over 200 years. The interest of the Black community is not his concern.”
Wells continued, “There can be no question anymore that these statues were erected to celebrate white supremacy. Those that defend these statues, those that are fighting to keep them up, are perfect examples of sellout politicians, white supremacists, and they are proof that schools are not teaching the true history of America.”