Two members of San Antonio City Council have filed a former 'Council Consideration Request' to have the towering monument to Confederate veterans removed from Travis Park downtown, where it has stood since 1889, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
They have to get two more members of Council to sign on, and then the proposal will go to the full Council, to first be considered by a work session committee.
Downtown Councilman Roberto Trevino said the goal is not to demolish the 40 foot tall column which is topped by a representation of a Rebel soldier pointing skyward, but to move it to a 'more appropriate location.'
"San Antonio is a city rich in cultre and diversity, so our public spaces should reflect that by being welcoming to everyone," Trevino said. "The relocation of this monument is not an attempt to wash away the hard truths of our history, but rather to ensure that our diverse array of citizens and tourists can enjoy Travis Park, one of the city's most prominent parks."
Trevino and East Side Councilman Cruz Shaw say the community, as well as City officials, will determine where the 'more appropriate location' should be.
The monument was built with funds raised by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and was unveiled in Travis Park in 1889, before a crowd which, according to reports at the time, gave the 'Rebel Yell' and sang 'Dixie.'
While the statue does not honor any one specific Confederate, the column is covered with slogans like 'Our Cause is With God' and 'Lest We Forget.'
The monument was raised as part of what later came to be known as 'the Lost Cause movement,' which glorified the Confederat cause, leaders and soldiers, while airbrushing away slavery.