FORT MYERS, FLA — Marching right up to city hall steps, Dozens of protesters in Fort Myers came to Monday's council meeting, to ask for this:
"The support of the removal of all confederate hate symbols," said protest organizer Andrew Darden.
Namely, they're looking for support for the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee in downtown Fort Myers.
"It's kind of a leftover of from the 60s and it wasn't put there by anybody that was supportive of the whole community," said Lee county commissioner candidate Todd Truax.
The council heard from those for the removal.
"Even he [Lee] didn't want the statue erected in his name," said one demonstrator.
And they heard from those against the statue's removal.
"I love your town and its past, don't be ridiculous," wrote in another man.
And then they received a message from a woman named Keri Hendry Weeg.
"This has always been an icky topic to me because of my great, great, great-grandfather captain F.A. Hendry was a big part of the drive to name this county after Lee," said Weeg.
Weeg went on to tell the council that as someone who has family ties to confederacy, she feels the best place for that statue is somewhere where people can learn from what it represents.
"We're advocating for the statue to be removed to a museum where people can go and learn about the history of this county, the good, the bad, the ugly and most importantly how to never repeat the mistakes of the past," said Weeg.
The council has asked that the city attorney looks into the council's legal options when it comes to what they can and can't do with that statue.
They're hoping for that update at the next city city council meeting on July 20.
