The Ocala/Marion County Veterans Memorial Park located at 2601 E Fort King St, Ocala, FL has a 23-foot tall statue, nicknamed Johnny Reb, honoring Confederate soldiers. The park also includes memorials honoring U.S. soldiers who bravely served in wars throughout our country's history. The Johnny Reb statue is very prominent given its size and proximity to the highly trafficked SR 40 and 25th Avenue. 

Historical markers and plaques are meant to educate the reader of a historical event, place, or person; however, statues are meant to honor and memorialize their subjects. The purpose of the 23-foot Johnny Reb statue is clear - it is to honor those who fought for the ideals of the Confederacy, including their perceived right to enslave human beings. It is not meant to educate or preserve history.

Inscription on statue (in part): THE SOUTH REVERES HER WASHINGTON, JEFFERSON, MADISON, MONROE, ANDREW JACKSON AND OTHERS WHO LAID THE FOUNDATIONS OF OUR GRAND REPUBLIC. SHE HONORS HER LEE, STONEWALL JACKSON, STUART, JOHNSON, FOREST AND EVERY BRAVE SON WHO FOUGHT TO PRESERVE OUR LIBERTIES, GUARANTEED BY THE FATHERS UNDER THE CONSTITUTION. ERECTED A.D. 1908 BY DICKISON CHAPTER NO.56, U.D.C. IN HONOR OF THE HEROES OF THE CONFEDERACY CSA. IT'S FAME ON BRIGHTEST PAGES, PENNED BY POETS AND BY SAGES, SHALL GO SOUNDING DOWN THE AGES

Displaying the statue on public property impedes in the creation of a more inclusive community. It communicates that the residents and government of Ocala/Marion County stand with the Daughters of the Confederacy in honoring Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and others who fought for the cause of the Confederacy.

This petition requests that the Confederate statue referred to as "Johnny Reb" be removed from the Veterans Memorial Park and to not be displayed on public property. Please, sign and share if you agree.