Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 7-4-17

Feature
Confederate Statue Sparks Filing Of Lawsuit
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
The recent vote of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners to keep the Confederate statue in front of the old courthouse has resulted in public outcry.
Commissioner Les Miller, Jr., made the mo- tion to relocate the statue from its current position. Commissioners Pat Kemp and Al Higgin- botham supported Com- missioner Miller.
Commissioner Stacy White led the vote to keep it in place. Commissioner White also made a motion to prevent all war monu- ments in Hillsborough County from being removed. That motion passed as well.
His motion was sup- ported by Commissioners Ken Hagan, Sandra Mur- man, and Victor Crist. Their vote carried in favor of keeping the statue 4-3.
All four of these Commis- sioners’ terms are up and must run again in 2018.
In a statement after the vote became public, City of Tampa Mayor Bob Buck- horn said, “There is no honor in treason and there is no valor in enslaving people
Confederate Statue Florida Public Archaeology Network
because of their race. That statue represents the worst of humanity, not the Tampa we aspire to be. This decision doesn’t speak for our city or the people that I represent.”
Now, a Civil Rights ac- tivist plans to take the issue
CLARENCE FORT ... Civil Rights Activist
to court.
Civil Rights Activist
Clarence Fort plans to en- list others to join him in fil- ing the lawsuit. He has contacted Dr. Bennie Small, President of the Hillsborough County Branch of the NAACP. He is also inviting like-minded people to join the lawsuit.
After attending the meet- ing on Wednesday, June 20th, Fort said, “This vote was a symbol of hatred and racism perpetuated by a mind-set of four Commis- sioners that are still living in the past. Speaker after speaker shared their opposi- tion of a people that suffered inhumane treatment for hundreds of years.
“It was painful to watch the outcome as the ratio of people that expressed their disapproval for keeping the monument was at least 2 to 1. I question the logic of the four Commissioners and the type of people they are repre- senting remains a mystery in 2017. I pray that this is not the mindset of the majority of Hillsborough County resi-
LES MILLER, JR.
In favor of removing statue
dents.”
Fort said one of the argu-
ments presented at the meet- ing in favor of keeping the statue was that their relatives fought and died to preserve the Confederate Union. However, he said, “history will reveal that for every Con- federate soldier that lost his life fighting to save the Con- federacy, hundreds of African Americans lost theirs through lynching and other forms of killings. Where was justice?”
He further stated he is considering drafting letters to all sporting events sched- uled to be held in Tampa the next two years, including the NFL and the “Super Bowl.”
Pertaining to the monu- ment, his question is, “Why not have town hall meetings, followed by a vote of Hills- borough County residents on the removal of the monu- ment?”
Fort is all too familiar with issues pertaining to Civil Rights. As a youth leader, he participated in sit- ins in downtown Tampa in 1960. His activism continued
STACY WHITE Against removing statue
when he led students from Middleton, and Blake High Schools, along with students from Booker T. Washington Junior High School to sit-in at the lunch counter of F. W. Woolworth Department store.
He worked with Mayor Julian Lane, Rev. A. Leon Lowry, and Bob Saunders, along with stu- dents Arthenia Joyner, Shafter Scott, Terecia Vann and others to help de- segregate businesses in downtown Tampa.
As an adult, he became the first African American to be hired in Tampa to drive for Trailways Bus Company.
Fort later became a deputy with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and brought his employment to a close with a longevity retire- ment.
He and his wife, Mrs. Yvonne Fort, are active members of New Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church.
Anyone wishing to be- come part of the lawsuit can contact Clarence Fort at fortlaw4@aol.com.
Local
Police Find Body Of Missing Swimmer
On Saturday afternoon, the family of a Tampa man re- ported him missing to the Tampa Police Department. He had last been seen shortly be- fore 3 p.m., swimming at Cy- press Point Park, 5620 Cypress Drive.
Police said Mr. Robert A. Lucas had gone to the beach with family members and at one point they saw him swim- ming in the water. After he did not resurface and the family members could not locate him, they called 9-1-1.
According to the Tampa Po- lice Department, an extensive search was launched involving the Tampa Police Department
MR. ROBERT A. LUCAS 10/15/1980 --- 7/1/2017
Air Service, the Marine Unit and the Dive Team. As the search continued, they were joined by Tampa Fire Rescue,
the U. S. Coast Guard, and the Florida Wildlife Commission.
Mr. Lucas had not been lo- cated at 8 p.m., when police suspended the search for the evening.
Law enforcement resumed the search for Mr. Lucas at 8 a.m. Sunday. At approximately 9:40 a.m., an officer observed a body in about 10 feet of water about 50 feet from where Mr. Lucas was last seen. It is be- lieved that it is the body of Mr. Lucas. However, the Hillsbor- ough County Medical Exam- iner’s Office will determine the man’s identity and the cause of death. Police said it appears that the man drowned.
PAGE 2 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, JULY 4, 2017