ATLANTA — What was supposed to be a heated debate between state Rep. Jason Spencer and former state Rep. LaDawn Jones ended up with a bipartisan compromise reached by the duo on how to handle divisive Civil War monuments across the state.
“I think we have hit the sweet spot,” Spencer said.
That sweet spot was reached Wednesday after the two got into a racially charged Facebook exchange on removing Civil War symbols.
At one point, Spencer warned Jones that she “could go missing in the Okefenokee Swamp” if she continued to call for the removal of statues in south Georgia.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Atlanta officer shoots armed carjacker 3 times, police say
- State lawmaker's social media post supporting NFL protests sparks criticism
- Atlanta rapper Young Thug arrested in Brookhaven
“I already disagree with Jason strongly on the history. But that’s that purpose of the bill,” Jones said.
“I think it’s important to move forward on the issue,” Spencer said.
Now, they’re hoping lawmakers can rally behind their plan.
Their proposal would allow local community members to decide whether monuments should remain on their grounds, overhauling a provision in state law that makes it illegal to "relocate, remove, conceal or obscure" any Confederate memorial.
The proposal would also make Stone Mountain into a repository for unwanted Civil War monuments.
“Give the Stone Mountain Association the authority to make this a memorial to the Civil War. So all the history will be in,” Jones said. “That’s how the story should end.”
The measure overhauls a 2001 law adopted as part of a compromise aimed at removing the rebel emblem that protects the Civil War monuments across the state from being removed.
It also would declare Stone Mountain a “historical memorial to Georgia’s role during the Civil War era,” excising the previous reference in state law to the site as a “Confederate memorial.”'
Plus, it would add new protections for the three Confederate war heroes enshrined on the mountain’s face from being “destroyed, defaced, demolished.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution contributed to this article.