Read on Twitter
Full room in Allendale where the discussion of statue featuring confederate solider is underway at regular township board meeting. Activists are calling for its removal. Some say it needs to stay. @WOODTV
Here’s our last @WOODTV story on the topic. https://www.woodtv.com/news/ottawa-county/confederate-statue-controversy-in-allendale-township/amp/
First Speaker: Says Civil War had nothing to do with slavery. He called those wanting statue removed “chicken shits” and “cowards”. He says they should focus on removing statue of Pres. Obama in North Dakota. @WOODTV
Second speaker: “The removal of the statue will not erase history.... “ She says statue sends signal that the community is not welcoming to people of color.
Third Speaker: “When we say liberty and justice for all the confederacy stands in direct opposition to that...” – bei Allendale Township Office
Update on first speaker: He just threatened someone in the crowd. Said he was going to “whip your ass”...
Fourth Speaker: A Native American man points out that none of the memorials featured in the park depict soldiers of color.
Fifth Speaker: Says the statue is not about supporting slavery but is about honoring veterans who “served this country”... “If we start tearing down this statue what else are we going to be taking next?”
Fifth Speaker: Says that confederate soldiers are American veterans too. Wants the statue to remain as is.
Sixth Speaker: “No matter what war the fought in, what side they were on, it’s our history...”
Seventh Speaker: “We need to get past the hatred... Keep the statue. Learn from it...”
Eighth Speaker: Criticising Mitch Kahle for his past activism and the public changes he has caused. He says Kahle and his followers “only exist to cause division”....
Ninth and Tenth speakers: They are family members of the woman who created the statue in controversy. They want the statue to stay. The artist’s sister said she “hates” the activists who are trying to have the statue removed.
11th Speaker: “What else are we going to tear down ‘cause someobody from out of town doesn’t like it? ... If you don’t like the statue, don’t go and look at it.”
12th Speaker: Talks about Taliban in comparison to those wanting monument removed... “What happens after they start destroying monuments? They start destroying people...”
13th Speaker: “History cannot be altered. Keep history.”
14th Speaker: “When we stopped talking about difficult, divisive things, we forgot how.... If you’re comfortable removing things because they offend you, but you’re not comfortable talking to someone vividly who disagrees with you, then you are part of the problem.”
15th Speaker: Says the statue to stay and that critics have misrepresented it publicly.
16th Speaker: Just implored the crowd to look around — pointed out that community members of color aren’t present. She wants the board to ask people of color for their input on the issue.
17th Speaker: “Is that what you want to stand behind?” Speaker mentions the fact that confederate soldiers fought for the enslavement of black people. – bei Allendale Township Office
18th Speaker: Wants the statue kept as a reminder of history the nation should not repeat.
19th Speaker: “That statue doesn’t offend anybody... cannot offend anybody... This community invested money to put that memorial in...”
20th Speaker: Wants statue you stay says its meant for us “to learn from and not destroy”...
Shucks. Just realizing I did the fifth speaker twice. So my numbers are off. You guys get the picture though. #IKnewThisWouldHappen
22nd Speaker: “I love your monument... If you don’t like it, move it to Fruitport and look me up.”
23rd Speaker: “You take some of these things down... they destroy your local history.” – bei Allendale Township Office
24th Speaker: “We want to keep the statue.” She says the memorial is a reminder that will help keep history from repeating itself.
25th Speaker: “This doesn’t happen in Allendale — not here, not now, and not ever.” Speaker voices concerns about potential vandalism to the monument he thinks should stay.
26th Speaker: Wants monument to stay. Says God loves everyone.
27th Speaker: Points our the lack of young people at meeting to support monument. “I don’t know if people my age really understand the sacrifices... I just don’t understand why people want to disrespect our country.... We need to move forward in remembrance...”
28th Speaker: “There is an agenda out there to totally take America away.... It’s time for everybody to stand up and take what is ours and take it back... So many things have been crushed, basically, under the feet of the devil...”
29th Speaker: “We need to stand together and continue to uphold our beliefs.” She wants the statue to stay and feels Twp. shouldn’t allow out-of-towners to push removal of statue.
30th Speaker: Says her son is black but she wants monument to stay. She wants to sit at the statue with her son and talk to him about the history it represents.
31st Speaker: “We need our community to make the decision.... I would like the statue to stay...” Points out that majority of those at meeting want statue to stay.
32nd Speaker: Wants monument to stay says he lives near the monument within “shotgun distance” of the statue....
33rd Speaker: Points out the “God-fearing” Christians in the room... He compares the wisdom of the Confederate statue to the wisdom of Christians having statues of Satan.
34th Speaker: Says she’s not offended by statue and it should remain standing.
35th Speaker: “Strongly supports” keeping monument. Says that the statue shows the duality of the war.
36th Speaker: Says the statue and symbolism “looks bad”. Says the statue needs to be removed or changed to reflect the community’s values.
37th Speaker: Mitch Kahle addresses the board and is heckled by the audience. He brought complaint about the statue forward. – bei Allendale Township Office
38th speaker: “A negro boy! Yes I said Negro”.... Speaker talks about the child featured in the monument. He defends the monument saying “it takes guts” for soldiers (on both sides) to fight for what they believed in.... – bei Allendale Township Office
39th Speaker: “This is a monument to white supremacy.... Please removes the confederate solider and slave child...” – bei Allendale Township Office
40th Speaker: Talks about the fact that blacks represent a significant portion of the military yet are only represented by a “slave child” in the confederate statue on display.
The Township board decided not to vote on the matter today. They want to seek other input before making a decision. Some on the board seemed to like the idea of adding a plaque to the statue as opposed to removing or changing it altogether.
Here's a full wrap up of tonight's meeting with a video report. https://www.woodtv.com/news/ottawa-county/allendale-township-board-confederate-soldier-statue-debate/
For those wondering, there was only one black person at the meeting. This reporter.
