The statue of a Confederate infantryman that topped a monument in Jacksonville’s Hemming Park south of City Hall was removed overnight.
Crews were seen using a crane to remove the Confederate monument, according to Jacksonville Daily Record news partner News4Jax.
The park and City Hall are the site for a 10 a.m. protest June 9 by Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette, part of the wave of nationwide protests against racial inequity in reaction to the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.
Floyd was an unarmed black man who died May 25 in police custody after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee onto Floyd’s neck.
Mayor Lenny Curry is expected to be at the protest.
City Director of Public Affairs Nikki Kimbleton said officials will address the details of the statue’s removal at 10 a.m. June 9.
The park was named for Charles Hemming in 1899, the year after he donated the monument as a memorial to soldiers and sailors from Florida who served during the Civil War.
The park has been a focus of debate in City Hall. In 2017, a bill that would have designated the park a historic site was withdrawn.
