2019 Protest Rally
2019 Vigil
2020 Peaceful Meeting
Pastor Mike Watkins Speaks at Interfaith Council
"This is exactly the type of “shady” one-on-one politics that gives politicians a bad name. A presentation on the statue COULD have been given by Mr Grenier to the entire Commission at once, giving the public a chance to weigh in at the gitgo. Sounds to ME like Mr Grenier KNEW this was going to be unpopular from the beginning."- Laurence T. "Why cause more trouble? The people have spoken against it. We do not need to stir up more trouble by bringing this statue here." - Dawn R. "Confederate statues do not belong belong in public buildings. This just perpetuates the racist stereotype that should not be promoted." - C. Smith "Keep up the fight - this statue does not represent Lake County and does not belong here." - Susan H. "I think the statue should be in a neutral place.... The Lake County Commissioners should not do the underhand business of bringing the statue to Lake County." Ola O. "It's wrong to hold on to a past fraught with hatred and bigotry. America is better than that." Donna M. I agree that this statue should not be brought to Lake County. - M. McDaniel Bringing this statue to Lake County's old courthouse is like erecting a statue of Andrew Jackson in a Native American town center! - C.E. "Hi Lake County Voices of Reason, I read this morning an article on CNN.com regarding your efforts to prevent the instillation of a Confederate Statue. I just wanted to say thank you, for your hard work, dedication, and insistence that the statue cannot stand. There is simply no room for statues like these in the United States. I’m sorry for all the grief you had to go through to win this battle, and I appreciate deeply your tireless work to create a better country. Sending all my love and support from Brookline, MA." - C. N. "Let everyone's voices be heard!!!" - F. Edwards "I'm glad to see this website. It provides a space for Lake County citizens to receive needed information and to express their views on this subject." - Pat S. "I love these projects in Lake County and fully support this work" - Catherine H. "Please NO confederate statue. We have enough divisiveness in this country, why create more." - Karen S. "Leave it to Lake County be tone deaf and utterly backward and plan a statue to offend all bit the lunatic fringe." - Joe T. "Happy to continue to support your efforts in any way I can." - E.P. "I know this statue doesn’t belong here. At this time in our history, we need To have solidarity to fight the Pandemic. We need to be united to find a cure. Don’ t allow this statue in our county." - Vivian C. "The statue will only serve to preserve the reputation of Lake County as one of the most racist counties in Florida. The statue will bring us us back to the 1950's." - Marvin J. "Thank you for this information! Agreed that Confederate Statues have no place in public spaces." - Reyna W. "Thank you Lake County Voices of Reason for all of your hard work." - Ornetta S. "That statue is racist and should be buried with the confederacy! I DO NOT WANT IT BACK HERE IN FL. I will do all I can to register as many voters in Lake County , Clermont. Those three commissioners will pay for their votes for that statue with new members who live in the 20th Century. It’s time for change and I promise you I know how important that VOTE is!" - Cyd M. "Please, please reconsider the placement of the Edmund Kirby Smith statue in Lake County. We, as a country, are struggling to move past our troubled racial history and this just fans the flames." - Maureen E. "There is no reason nor place for the statue of Confederate General Edmond Smith here in Lake County at the Historical Museum. It is an offensive reminder of the cruel treatment of African Americans in Lake County throughout history. That is not something we need to feel any pride about." - Janet M. "I am not in favor of erecting the statue of the Confederate General in Lake County. This is totally wrong." - Candice W. "Either you idiots or you're blatant sadistic Communists. Likely Both of those items. LEARN THE TRUTH. http://www.marionlightartillery.com/southernholocaust.html" - Bob S. "No! No statues anywhere that glorify Treason and those that supported human beings as collateral!" - Shawn S. "Looking good thank you for all of your work to stop the statue." - Mark O. "Either you idiots or you're blatant sadistic Communists. Likely Both of those items. LEARN THE TRUTH. http://www.marionlightartillery.com/southernholocaust.html" - Bob S. "No! No statues anywhere that glorify Treason and those that supported human beings as collateral!" - Shawn S. "Looking good thank you for all of your work to stop the statue." - Mark O. "I'm glad to see this website. It provides a space for Lake County citizens to receive needed information and to express their views on this subject." - Pat S. "I love these projects in Lake County and fully support this work" - Catherine H. "That statue is racist and should be buried with the confederacy! I DO NOT WANT IT BACK HERE IN FL. I will do all I can to register as many voters in Lake County , Clermont. Those three commissioners will pay for their votes for that statue with new members who live in the 20th Century. It’s time for change and I promise you I know how important that VOTE is!" - Cyd M. "Please, please reconsider the placement of the Edmund Kirby Smith statue in Lake County. We, as a country, are struggling to move past our troubled racial history and this just fans the flames." - Maureen E. "I know this statue doesn’t belong here. At this time in our history, we need To have solidarity to fight the Pandemic. We need to be united to find a cure. Don’ t allow this statue in our county." - Vivian C. "The statue will only serve to preserve the reputation of Lake County as one of the most racist counties in Florida. The statue will bring us us back to the 1950's." - Marvin J. "Confederate statues do not belong belong in public buildings. This just perpetuates the racist stereotype that should not be promoted." - C. Smith "Keep up the fight - this statue does not represent Lake County and does not belong here." - Susan H. "Thank you for this information! Agreed that Confederate Statues have no place in public spaces." - Reyna W. "Thank you Lake County Voices of Reason for all of your hard work." - Ornetta S. "I think the statue should be in a neutral place.... The Lake County Commissioners should not do the underhand business of bringing the statue to Lake County." Ola O. "It's wrong to hold on to a past fraught with hatred and bigotry. America is better than that." Donna M. "This is exactly the type of “shady” one-on-one politics that gives politicians a bad name. A presentation on the statue COULD have been given by Mr Grenier to the entire Commission at once, giving the public a chance to weigh in at the gitgo. Sounds to ME like Mr Grenier KNEW this was going to be unpopular from the beginning."- Laurence T. "Why cause more trouble? The people have spoken against it. We do not need to stir up more trouble by bringing this statue here." - Dawn R. "There is no reason nor place for the statue of Confederate General Edmond Smith here in Lake County at the Historical Museum. It is an offensive reminder of the cruel treatment of African Americans in Lake County throughout history. That is not something we need to feel any pride about." - Janet M. "I am not in favor of erecting the statue of the Confederate General in Lake County. This is totally wrong." - Candice W. I agree that this statue should not be brought to Lake County. - M. McDaniel Bringing this statue to Lake County's old courthouse is like erecting a statue of Andrew Jackson in a Native American town center! - C.E. "Hi Lake County Voices of Reason, I read this morning an article on CNN.com regarding your efforts to prevent the instillation of a Confederate Statue. I just wanted to say thank you, for your hard work, dedication, and insistence that the statue cannot stand. There is simply no room for statues like these in the United States. I’m sorry for all the grief you had to go through to win this battle, and I appreciate deeply your tireless work to create a better country. Sending all my love and support from Brookline, MA." - C. N. "Let everyone's voices be heard!!!" - F. Edwards "Please NO confederate statue. We have enough divisiveness in this country, why create more." - Karen S. "Leave it to Lake County be tone deaf and utterly backward and plan a statue to offend all bit the lunatic fringe." - Joe T. "Happy to continue to support your efforts in any way I can." - E.P.
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We recently received the following comment: FROM: BJ Zinn – Did you know the him and his wife put their slave to school and college to become the first black physician in Florida. OUR WELL RESEARCHED FACTUAL RESPONSE: Thank you Mr. Zinn for sharing; however, your information is misleading. It is a documented fact that after the South’s defeat and emancipation of slaves, Dr. Alexander Darnes with support from a daughter of the Kirby Smith family, Mrs. Lucien Webster, was helped to gain an education. Mrs. Webster was the widow of a U. S. Army officer, and retained her loyalty to the Union during the war. After preparatory work, Darnes attended Lincoln University, a historically black college in Pennsylvania. Darnes went to medical school at Howard University, a historically black college founded in Washington, D.C.. He graduated in 1880 with a medical degree. While many would state without proof that Edmund Kirby Smith and his wife paid for Darnes’ education, as a freedman, it was more than likely that Darnes’ education was paid for by the Freedmen’s Bureau. We strongly encourage you to become more familiar with background of the relationship between Dr. Darnes and Kirby-Smith by reading the academic article here. |