Black Lives Matter Protesters Demand Confederate Statue Removal From Sam Houston Park

HOUSTON, TX — Hundreds of protesters representing Black Lives Matter and several socialists organizations, gathered outside the gates at Sam Houston Park in downtown to protest the Spirit of the Confederacy Statue, and demand the statue be removed.

Hoisting a bullhorn to be heard over the chants, BLM organizer Ashton P. Woods told the crowd to ignore the counter protesters.

“We are here today for one reason, and one reason only,” Wood said. “We are not here for them [the counter protesters], we will not be addressing them, and they do not exist to us, just like that statue does not exist to us.”

Some people, however, said they didn’t come for the protest, but got caught up in it nonetheless.

Douglas Brown who is originally from Mississippi, was out to enjoy a day in the park with his wife Cynthia, when Vince Powers of New Waverly, showed up waving a Confederate battle flag.

“That doesn’t bother me,” Brown said. “This is just all ignorance to me. Why can’t we just all come to the table and talk about this? Maybe we should put a statue of Martin Luther King or Frederick Douglass next to these confederate statues, so people can educate their children.”

Meanwhile, Powers said he didn’t know there going to be a protest at the park, but came after reading about the recentpetition from the Young Communist League at the University of Hoston to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, and came to show his support for the statue.

“I am out here to educate,” Powers said. “That monument has been there since 1908. Has it harmed anybody? Has anyone died because of that statue? No.”

Regardless, it is the principle and the history that is behind it for Woods, who said building a compensatory statue of MLK or another famous black abolitionist was not the point of their protest.

“Black and brown people are used to being asked to compromise for the greater good, which is whiteness,” Woods told Patch. “That’s not based on racism, that’s based on fact. We’re not the ones walking around with all the privilege.”

Woods added that compromising would positively reinforce everything that is wrong with this country.

Woods said BLM wants the statue removed because of what it stands for, and only when it is gone would BLM consider a dialog with opponents.

“This is symbolic of Donald Trump and what he represents,” Wood said. “This is institutional racism in a city park, and it it must come to an end.”

On the other side of a barricade separated by 1,000 feet and at least 100 Houston Police officers, stood about 20 defiant counter-protesters who were just as passionate about their cause.

Andy Almblad, 19, said he's tired of all the protesting and believes simply tearing down a monument will bot solve the problem.

"They want to erase history, and that is like Hitler burning books" he said.

Laura Lee, who was there to protect the monument, said simply removing the monument would never solve the problem.

Lee took issue with Woods assertion that they would consider a dialog when the statue came down.

"We don't negotiate with terrorists," she said. "What needs to happen is they need to be willing to sit down, be rational and stop using emotions. They don't care about this monument."

Image: Bryan Kirk/Patch Staff

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