FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Historic Properties Advisory Commission has voted to remove a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis from Kentucky's Capitol to Fairview, Kentucky, his birthplace.
The vote took place in a meeting that was held via video teleconference. The motion passed in an 11-1 vote.
Brandon Wilson was the sole member of the Historic Properties Advisory Commission to vote against the motion.
"It isn't out of hate or adoration of anybody, of Jefferson Davis, it isn't that," Wilson said. "It's that, our history is our history."
Wilson called to put a motion in to remove all statues from the Capitol building, saying they will always be divisive.
"The government needs to get out of the statue and the monument business altogether," he said.
His motion was denied as the meeting was focused solely on the removal of the Jefferson Davis statue, but the motion could be considered at another time.
Two years ago, a plaque calling Davis a hero was taken down, but the statue has remained.
The process of taking down the statue began on Friday. Efforts are expected to begin again at 8 am on Saturday morning.
Attorney General Daniel Cameron agrees the statue should be moved. The statue will be moved to Jefferson Davis' birth site which is the Jefferson Davis Historical Site in Fairview, Kentucky.
I applaud the decision today by the Historic Properties Advisory Commission to relocate the Jefferson Davis statue. This decision reflects the current values & ideals of our Commonwealth & signals to all who enter our capitol that we are committed to moving forward together.
— Attorney General Daniel Cameron (@kyoag) June 12, 2020
Kentucky State Senator Chris McDaniel says the statue should be replaced with a statue of Carl Brashear, a Kentucky African American Navy sailor and master diver who died in 2006.
