Memphis Axed Two Confederate Statues Overnight

The city of Memphis, Tennessee quietly removed two Confederate statues from public property overnight, in a surprise move that outraged the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The statues, of Confederate Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and of Jefferson Davis, were removed from city parks, and though the pro-Confederacy activists were aware of the removals, their leadership advised they stay away from the area so as not to create a stir with police. Forrest was also a slave trader and a founder and Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan; Davis was president of the Confederacy. “The statues no longer represent who we are as a modern, diverse city with momentum,” said Mayor Jim Strickland, in a statement. “Our community wants to reserve places of reverence for those we honor.”