Voters to decide whether to relocate Confederate monument
Published 11:49 am Tuesday, October 20, 2020
(AP) — Voters will have a voice is deciding whether to relocate a Confederate monument that’s outside the Forrest County courthouse.
The Hattiesburg American reports the referendum was placed on the Nov. 3 ballot after the Forrest County Board of Supervisors couldn’t agree on what to do with the monument in June.
The monument question on the ballot reads: “Please vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on whether the Confederate monument should be moved to a more suitable location.” The non-binding measure is meant to give supervisors guidance on where their constituents stand.
Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker and City Council members have voiced their opposition to the monument remaining downtown, but the city doesn’t have any authority to move it.
Multiple other Confederate monuments have been removed across the South since the police killing of George Floyd earlier this year in Minnesota. Many Forrest County residents advocated for the removal of the memorial during protests calling for change.