Two Sides Collide | Palatka Daily News, Palatka, Florida

Advocates for, against moving statue protest at courthouse

LaToya Robinson, who is organizer Tevel Adams’ mom, exchanges words with someone in support of leaving the statue at the courthouse.
Seber Newsome wears a White Lives Matter shirt while waving flags in support of the Confederacy and President Donald Trump.
Tevel Adams and Dar'Nesha Leonard speak out in support of the Confederate statue being moved.
Counterprotesters state their case in why the statue should stay at the courthouse.
Both sides of the issue confront each other on the Putnam County Courthouse lawn.
Advocates against moving the statue do not agree with Antifa.
Both sides of the issue confront each other on the Putnam County Courthouse lawn.
Both sides of the issue confront each other on the Putnam County Courthouse lawn.

By Sarah Cavacini and Brandon D. Oliver

Palatka Daily News

scavacini@palatkadailynews.com

boliver@palatkadailynews.com

It was a battle of stances over the controversial Confederate monument Saturday at the Putnam County Courthouse despite both sides calling for harmony.

Screaming matches and megaphone tirades dominated the atmosphere as advocates for and against relocating the statue came face-to-face to exercise their right to protest. The Take 'Em Down protest was in response to the Board of County Commissioners' vote relocate the monument to Veterans Memorial Park under the following conditions:

n the private sector in favor of the relocation must raise $200,000 to move the statue.

n the money must come from Putnam County.

n the money must be collected within three months.

Saturday’s protest marked the third such event in six months against the Confederate monument on the courthouse lawn. Palatka residents Tevel Adams and Dar’Nesha Leonard organized the June and August protests advocating for the statue relocation, but Leonard did not plan Saturday's rally. Unlike previous protests, no agenda was set, and no speakers were designated to present for either side of the issue.

“We’re out here for unity,” Adams said. 'We’re not out here to be violent. We’re out here to have a peaceful assembly and exercise our First Amendment right.”

He said although the Board of County Commissioners voted to relocate the statue to Veterans Memorial Park, the stipulations placed on its relocation are “ridiculous.” Adams would not comment on if the fundraising process had begun.

“We’re out here because the Putnam County Board of Commissioners, I feel like, are taking this as a joke. They feel like this issue or this statue here at the Putnam County Courthouse on the steps of justice isn’t an issue and isn’t dividing our community,” Adams said.

However, members of a group called Stand Your Ground Putnam County, which also called for unity, said the stipulations are fair.

“The Board of County Commissioners decided and gave them what they wanted, and we were OK with that,” Stand Your Ground organizer Sheila Beck said. “Now, it’s something different. This is never going to stop.”

Many members of Stand Your Ground attended board meetings where commissioners discussed relocating the monument. Beck said the group accept the decision but were concerned because a flyer circulated from Adams’ group showed the monument being removed with a large crane. Beck said members of Stand Your Ground often drive by the monument to make sure no one has damaged it.

“I just wish the community would come to unity. They asked for relocation. They got relocation. Why are we here again?” Beck said. “This should have been a unity rally. It really should have been.”

Also at the courthouse were deputies and officers of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office and Palatka Police Department.

At about 12:40 p.m., the protest had remained peaceful despite yelling and heated conversations, but Police Chief Jason Shaw said he and his officers would remain vigilant to ensure nothing got out of hand.

Unlike previous protests in June and August, protest organizers did not meet with law enforcement prior to the event Saturday. Shaw said he didn't know how that would affect the protest turnout or behavior. It would be something he will determine after the fact, he said.

“We didn't get a meeting with them at all this time,” Shaw said. “After the event is over, we'll be able to look back and see what was more beneficial.”

Despite the Board of County Commissioners voting Nov. 10 to move the statue under certain conditions, the protest occurred more than a month later. Shaw said he was surprised to learn about the protest, but he understood the reason for the event.

In the days leading up to the June protest, owners of businesses near the courthouse expressed fear of property damage because a handful of protests throughout the nation eventually turned violent. But this time around, local business owners didn't voice the same concerns, Shaw said.

The flyer advertising the most recent protest was made public six days before the event occurred, something Shaw believes is the reason his office hadn't received calls from business owners.

“We (operate) on the worst-case scenario and not “what's our pattern here locally?'” he said. “The first two (protests), we had a lot more time to prepare. The third one, we didn't have much time to prepare, and people didn't have much time to express concern.