John B. Castleman was a Confederate leader during the American Civil War. He was convicted for spying and exiled from the United States. He was forced to move to France. He was pardoned by Andrew Johnson and returned to Kentucky in 1866. He does not represent the diversity and values of the Louisville community and is a symbol of the Confederacy. The Southern Confederacy refers to 11 states that renounced their existing agreement with others of the United States in 1860–1861 and attempted to establish a new nation in which the authority of the central government would be strictly limited and the institution of slavery would be protected.

In order to remove the statue, the mayor's office is required to first obtain a certificate of appropriateness from the Cherokee Triangle Architectural Review Committee. This is because the statue is located in the Cherokee Triangle Preservation District. However, while convening on the issue on January 23, 2019, the committee arrived at a split vote. On May 9, 2019, the Metro Louisville Landmark Commission ruled that the monument may be removed.

As of June 2019, the movement of the statue has been delayed following a lawsuit. Filed by Lawyer Stephen Porter who represents the group in district court, the appeal makes note of various conflicts of interest in the mayor's review board panel as well as procedural errors. 

Please sign the petition to push lawmakers to take part in the removal of the Confederate statue and support the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Photo Credit: Louisville Metro Parks