The clock is ticking for Johnny Reb.
San Antonio City Council will vote on Thursday on the emotional issue of whether to dismantle the 120 year old Confederate Soldier monument in Travis Park and move it to a 'more appropriate location.'
Usually Council proposals first go through the Council's Governance Committee, but Mayor Nirenberg says there has been plenty of opportunity for public comment on this issue.
“We have received extensive input from citizens who support and oppose relocating moving the statue,” Mayor Nirenberg said. “Hundreds of San Antonio residents have voiced their views directly to council in ‘citizens to be heard’ portions of our meetings and through phone calls and emails.”
The Mayor also took a jab at monument supporters who have appeared at City Hall armed, saying 'all residents should feel comfortable expressing their opinions openly without fear of intimidation as this discussion continues."
The monument was erected in the late 19th Century by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Unlike other Confederate monuments which have become the focus of controversy, the monument in Travis Park does not honor any particular individual, but instead includes a statue of a Confederate soldier and is engraved with slogans like 'Our Confederate Dead' and 'Our Cause is With God.'
Nirenberg says he supporst the removal of the monument.
“It is time for San Antonio to relocate the statue in Travis Park and ensure that monuments to the Confederacy are placed in their proper context," Nirenberg said.
The statue will not be demolished, but will be moved to a new location, like the Confederate Cemetery on the city's east side.