The City of Orlando has begun removing prominent Confederate statue at Lake Eola Park in the center of the city.
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It will not be destroyed, but moved to the Confederate section of a local cemetery. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer ordered the removal himself last month, according to WESH2.
The removal has begun following a contentious and bitter argument over whether the statue, which is a century old, should stay.
Some Floridians say the statue is a symbol of racism and white supremacy. Others say it represents history, and those advocating the removal of the statue are only erasing history.
As the national movement to take down monuments to the Confederacy gained traction in recent years, the statue attracted graffiti and vandalism.
WESH2 spoke to David Porter, an Orlando resident who fought for the statue’s removal. Porter hoped to have the mural removed before the anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting,
It was inconsistent to have this statue — here at Lake Eola, our iconic park here in Orlando — at the same time we’re talking about Orlando United. That is not a sign of unity, OK. It’s the wrong place for it.