On Friday August 18, 2017, the Hernando County Sheriff and Brooksville Police Department prepared for what would hopefully be a peaceful protest. The object of this protest was protection of the 100-year-old Confederate soldier statue at the southeast corner of the courthouse. The monument which has stood since 1916 was commissioned by the Brooksville Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Would the statue be standing after the protest? Would it be peaceful?
Luckily the answer to both was yes. The Sheriff’s Office and the Brooksville Police worked together to keep the peace and be prepared in case it took a different turn. The downtown portion of Brooksville at Broad and Jefferson, along with the courthouse closed at 3 pm and was blocked off to traffic in preparation. The ‘Back to School Bash’ that was scheduled for that night was postponed for a week to make sure all residents would be as safe as possible. Barricades were set up around the monument and yellow crime scene tape could be seen. Both the Sheriff’s Office and the Police department were on hand to make sure that the peaceful protest was just that. They were prepared to take the necessary actions if public or personal property was destroyed. As stated in the press briefing Friday their number one priority was the safety of the people, and next to keep the property safe.
Who were these protesters? An alleged Antifa group member took to Facebook proclaiming for the need of the statute’s removal in Brooksville. These threats came after the removal of the Confederate monument at a Tampa courthouse was removed by the City. Local citizens also gathered to defend the right for the statue to stay in its place. It is our history, the Civil War did happen and soldiers whether Confederate or Union lost their lives fighting for what they believed in. The monument represents those lives that were lost.
As it turned out the media, deputies, and police officers far outnumbered the protesters. Those that did show up to stood for their position peacefully, and by the time Friday came to an end the monument stood. Is this the end? For this protest it is. A round of applause should be given to both the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office and the Brooksville Police Department for being pro-active to make sure the gathering was a place you could express your views freely, because you felt safe doing so.