Savannah, GA.

It is time for the Confederate monument to be brought down and removed from our city park. We are calling specifically for the removal of the Confederate monument and statue as well as the bronze busts of Confederate generals Lafayette McLaws and Francis Bartow located in Forsyth Park. These monuments are symbols of bigotry and injustice. They are a glaring reflection of the fact that systemic oppression and racism is still tolerated not only in our city and state but in our country as a whole. Confederate structures such as these glorify white supremacy, and they do not embody our community’s ideals or values.

The intent of this petition is for the Confederate monument in Savannah, GA. to be removed and placed in a local museum with context. Context must only include the perspective of the African American experience. We are calling for the Savannah City Council to ask the state of Georgia to have these structures relocated in order to remove a glaring declaration of oppression from a community space and to instead surround it in a space of context and education.

The city is unable to remove such monuments itself due to the passing of SB 77, which the government passed during the previous discussion on Confederate monuments. This law prevents local cities from removing or relocating monuments without approval of the state. We hereby demand the city of Savannah petition the state of Georgia to do so.