Two competing petitions over the fate of a Confederate statue at the Lamar County Courthouse are running head-to-head as protests continue nationwide to once again remove them in the wake of the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd.
Last week, Paris protesters started an online petition to remove the 117-year old Confederate monument, however, now a petition to keep the monument has been created with almost 500 signatures.
Chrystal Perry, who started the petition on June 13, said, “Paris Tx Citizens believe the historical monument should stay where it is.”
The monument, which sits on Lamar County Courthouse grounds and it is made up of four Confederate leaders and one Confederate soldier, has been in the same location since 1903. It features the faces of Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, Albert Sidney Johnston, and Jefferson Davis all topped by a statue of a Confederate soldier. Underneath, a sign reads “Our Heroes.”
“We can not erase or history, good, bad, or indifferent,” said Frank Frazer online. “Teach our history, learn from it or you are bound to repeat it.”
Many who have signed the petition seemingly all believe it’s history and should stay, based on comments posted to the website.
“History is history. Something we should all learn, remember, understand, and always understand. A statue can represent so many different things to do many people and what it represents to you is personal to you. Don’t let your feelings dictate what others feel or think. Don’t let something that happened hundreds of years ago set you off on a tantrum. Let it teach you and encourage you from where we have been to where we have come and to where we can go if we all learn our history,” said Michael Truelock online.
However, many locals also believe the monument should go.
Paris resident Brenda Cherry, who is for the monument’s removal, said online, “It’s time to lean forward to unity, caring, and respect rather than leaning backward to white supremacy. If you’re concerned with history, move it to the Maxey House Confederate Museum but it needs to be moved from the Lamar County Courthouse. It’s time to consider All people, not just one segment.”
In 2017, a push to relocate the statue drew national attention, however, with a 2-2 tie vote in Commissioners Court the motion failed and the monument stayed.
The petition to remove the statue was addressed to Mayor Dr. Steve Clifford and Lamar County Commissioners Court, however, Judge Bell nor Mayor Clifford have commented on the petitions at this time.
Both petitions are available to sign at change.org
