MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Greenspace Inc. may have violated an order of protection after removing the base for the Jefferson Davis statute in downtown Memphis on Saturday afternoon, the Sons of Confederate Veterans said.
Over the weekend, crews loaded the pedestal onto the back of a flat bed truck and driven to Front Street.
In a statement sent to WREG, Memphis Greenspace Inc. said they were temporarily relocating the statue pedestal and two additional Confederate markers, and that those items “will eventually be moved to an undisclosed, safe location.”
A sculpture of the Ten Commandments, the battle cannons, the fencing around the statue pedestal and the MPD SkyCop were also moved from the park. Those items will be returned to the City of Memphis, the group said.
But the Sons of Confederate Veterans told WREG on Monday that ongoing litigation should have prevented the group from removing anything from the park.
According to the group, they are in the process of appealing a recent decision allowing the non-profit to remove the items.
As part of that appeal, they said they were under the impression that a temporary order of protection was issued effectively preventing the group from taking any sort of action.