Two Grenada residents filed a lawsuit in Grenada County Circuit Court today “seeking judicial review” after the Grenada City Council voted last Monday night to proceed with moving the Confederate Monument – once located on the Downtown Square – “to an unsuitable and inappropriate location.”
James L. Jones and Susan M. Kirk, who are represented by John W. “Don” Barrett of Barrett Law Group, P.A. in Lexington, filed the paperwork just before 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18. The lawsuit stems from the Council’s 5-2 vote on Monday, Sept. 9, to proceed with moving the statue, which has stood on the Square for 114 years. The vote was made in Executive Session regarding agenda item Potential Litigation – Downtown Monument.
After the meeting, Mayor Charles H. Latham, said that Warren B. Cox (Ward 1), Fredreick “Pete” Wilson (Ward 2), Lewis Johnson (Ward 3), Michael D. Smith (Ward 4) and Eric Harris (Ward 5) voted to proceed with the monument’s relocation. Ward 6 Councilwoman Lori Chavis and Ward 7 Councilman Ronald J. Merriman both cast no votes.
According to the nine-page lawsuit, a “permanent injunction” is sought. An injunction is a court order requiring a person or organization to do or cease doing a specific action. There are three types of injunctions: Permanent injunctions, Temporary Restraining Orders and preliminary injunctions. TROs and preliminary injunctions are equitable in nature.
The lawsuit also states that Jones “is the descendant of a Confederate veteran and serves as the camp chaplain of the Sons of Confederate Veterans 2287, a national organization dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of Confederate soldiers. As such, he has a direct and personal interest in the preservation of the Confederate Monument at the Courthouse Square in Grenada, which honors the service and sacrifice of his ancestors and other Confederate veterans.”
As a longtime resident of Grenada, Kirk “has an interest in preserving the historical and cultural heritage of the community, including the Confederate Monument at the Courthouse Square,” the document reads. “Appellant Kirk believes the monument’s removal would irreparably alter the cultural landscape of the city, diminishing its historical value and undermining the local identity and heritage.”
The Confederate Monument was commissioned by the Daughters of the Confederacy in 1910. Throughout the day, last Wednesday, Sept. 11, the statue was uncovered after four years, disassembled and placed piece by piece on a flatbed trailer where it was strapped down and transported to the fenced-in lot behind the city’s maintenance building for storage. It remains there today uncovered.
Mississippi Rep. Stacey Hobgood-Wilkes (Rep.-Picayune) was on hand during the City meeting last Monday night and urged the Council to wait to move the Monument until a “suitable location” was “acknowledged” by the Mississippi Department of Archives & History. Rep. Hobgood Wilkes’ pleas, along with several residents that stood before the Council expressing concerns over the statue’s relocation, fell on deaf ears.
If not overturned the Statue will be tucked away in a small patch of woods behind Grenada Fire Station 3 not visible to the public. Preparations on the site began several weeks ago and near completion.
“The decision to relocate the monument to 4333 Commerce Street is arbitrary and capricious and should be overturned by this honorable court,” the lawsuit reads.
Three copies of the lawsuit were mailed via the United States Postal Service as well as hand delivered to the City of Grenada, Ward 3 Councilman Lewis Johnson and City Clerk Lois Freelon, all to the address of 108 S. Main St., which is City Hall.
To read the complete lawsuit, click HERE.
For more on this story, see next week's edition of The Grenada Star.
