Jefferson Davis statue in Memphis
A panel of attorneys and other key figures will discuss the legal issues surrounding the removal of the Confederate statues in Memphis on Tuesday at the University of Memphis School of Law.
Members of the panel will include law professor and state senator Lee Harris, City of Memphis attorney and chief legal officer Bruce McMullen, Memphis City Council attorney Allan Wade, and local activist and leader of the #takeemdown901 movement, Tami Sawyer.
The moderated discussion, scheduled for 11:30, is organized by Demetria Frank, an attorney and professor at the Memphis law school and the Black Law Student Association.
At 3:30, a few blocks away the city council is scheduled to hear and vote on the third and final reading of an ordinance that would let the city immediately remove both the Jefferson Davis and Nathan Bedford Forrest statues from the city.
Approving the ordinance would create a city policy that could allow Mayor Jim Strickland to remove the statues legally regardless of the Tennessee Historical Commission’s decision on Oct 13 and ahead of the next meeting scheduled for February.
