Dueling Demonstrations at Confederate Monument on South Side
Dueling demonstrations took place Sunday at Oak Woods Cemetery on the city’s south side over a confederate monument. A large monument topped with a bronze statue that lists the names of thousands of confederate soldiers who died at Camp Douglas - a prisoner of war camp for confederate soldiers during the Civil War - stands in the cemetery, not too far from the grave of African-American journalist Ida B. Wells. Activists with several groups against white supremacy and the Sons of the Confederacy both held demonstrations near the site. “This mound is the only thing left of them,” said Matthew Evans, who dressed up as a confederate soldier alongside several other members of the Sons of the Confederacy. Community activists however, say that the monument is one to racism. “The presence of the statue itself is an insult,” said Joan Auf, a member of Smash White Supremacy Chicago. “We want to build a fighting movement to tackle all forms of white supremacy here in Chicago, and we think fighting this statue is one way not only to build people’s confidence and bring people into the movement, but also to orient ourselves and say we aren’t going to tolerate any form of racism in the community.” (Chicago Tribune)