When Memphis took down some Confederate statues:
That law said that “No statue, monument, memorial, nameplate, or plaque” erected “on public property” in honor of certain military conflicts and their heroes may be removed without the permission of two-thirds of the board of the commission. In October, the commission denied Memphis a waiver that would have allowed the city to remove the Confederate statues. The city was in the process of challenging the decision. …
Focusing on the law’s key phrase, protecting statues on “public property,” Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner and others set up a private nonprofit corporation called Memphis Greenspace Inc.
On Wednesday, without fanfare, the City Council approved a measure authorizing the mayor to sell the two parks with the statues to the private group, for $1,000 each, which he promptly did.
In the morning, they were on public property. By the afternoon, they weren’t.
By nightfall, the parks with the statues had been sold to the newly minted nonprofit, which sent in the cranes. …
A cheering crowd sang as Davis was placed in the back of a truck at 10:45 p.m. and driven away. Among the songs, according to the Commercial Appeal, was that old standby: “Na na na na, na na na na, hey, hey, goodbye.” [WaPo]
Needless to say, the Tennessee Division of the Sons were furious. Tough shit, boys. Traitors deserve no honor.
