We the Citizens of Ridgefield Wa, Clark County WA, and Washington State, hereby petition the Council Members of Ridgefield, Washington, the Council members of Clark County, Washington and public officials in charge of investigating and declaring public nuisances, that the Jefferson Davis Park with its sign, monuments and Confederate flag constitutes a public irritant and needs to be removed. The park and its imagery are a public and a consistent annoyance to passerby and also a private annoyance to local residents - not only because of what and whom the park glorifies, but also because the monuments and confederate flag invite and encourage graffiti and vandalism.

Jefferson Davis Park at 24024 NW Maplecrest Road in Ridgefield Washington, a privately owned monument to Confederate ideology, infers the stinging assertion that not all who pass by are welcome. The park prominently displays the Confederate flag, unmistakable to passerby on this busy stretch of the Interstate-5. It also features a memorial to Jefferson Davis who led the treasonous rebellion of slaveholding states causing the Civil War. The property’s owners, the Northwest chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, have thus far refused to remove the monument, despite pleas from the community members and the NAACP. 

The flag and imagery at the park represent hatred, horror and brutality. They are a painful reminder that the struggle of freedom and racial justice and equality are far from over. We demand liberty from insidious brand of harassment and intimidation. Hatred and bigotry have no place in our community or country as a whole. Jefferson Davis Park does not represent the views of the Ridgefield residents, The Southwest Washington Community, Washington residents and the vast majority of U.S. Citizens as well. The monument, its Confederate flag and the entire Jefferson Davis park needs to be removed.