Tarrant County leaders will discuss Confederate monument — and whether to remove it
Tarrant County commissioners on Tuesday will talk about a marker dedicated to Confederate war soldiers and their descendants that sits in front of the county courthouse.
This issue was added to the 10 a.m. meeting agenda after the Star-Telegram published a story last week about how an effort to remove the monument has been revived as protests continue against racism and police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said he and commissioners, who last week said they hope the protests prompt change, will receive a briefing about the marker. They could take action on the request to remove it if they wanted to do so.
“I’ve talked with a number of people since last week,” Whitley said. “I hopefully understand a little bit more about it and where people are coming from.”
The marker was erected in 1953 and was paid for by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Fort Worth attorney Jason Smith last week renewed his more than year-long call for county leaders to remove the monument. He was joined by Crowley school trustee Nedra Robinson.
“I am grateful that the County Commission is considering it and I look forward to what they have to say about the confederate monument at the Tarrant County Courthouse,” Smith said.
The courthouse has been the site of many protests. Floyd died in the custody of Minneapolis police after an officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes.
Over the weekend, pictures on social media showed that the monument was covered. A message written on cloth tied around the marker read: “Monuments made during Jim Crow serve to keep racism alive.” When the cloth was removed, “BLM” had been written on the monument but was later cleaned off.
Last week, Smith filmed a Facebook Live in front of the monument and said “racism still exists in Tarrant County.”
“The first thing we need to do is tear down symbols and remnants of racism,” he said. “Racism will only stop if we are vigilant and the powers that be take action.”
This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 2:07 PM.
