ALERT: Memphis - Save the Parks Guidelines - Letters to the Mayor

Ladies & Gentlemen,

You are aware that the Memphis City Council may shortly undertake a resolution to rename the city’s Civil War parks: Confederate Park, Jefferson Davis Park, & Forrest Park.  Certain factions want to obliterate Civil War history in Memphis, especially anything Confederate, including removing the monuments and statues to Southern heroes.  If it starts here, nothing is sacred or safe.

The “Citizens to Save Our Historic Parks”, along with Forrest Camp 215, our area brother SCV camps, and several other historic groups, are mounting a counterattack and publicity campaign to thwart this tragic attempt on our heritage.

We need your help !!! General Forrest and President Davis need your help.  They never turned their backs on us and now we must step forward and do whatever it takes to preserve those parks.  Help save our history and our heritage, our parks and our monuments.

The mayor of Memphis, W. W. Herenton, has not yet entered the fray but is expected to do so with a press conference next Wednesday, Aug. 3. He is expected to renew the attacks on our parks, statues, and heritage.

Please write to Mayor Herenton:

 
Mayor W. W. Herenton
125 N. Main St.
Memphis, TN 38103

When you write, your first sentence should say in bold text:

"Please do not support a proposal to rename any of our Memphis parks or remove any historical statues."

If he is bombarded with a lot of correspondence, he may only take the time to read the first sentence of your letter.  You need to get your point across immediately.  Keep in mind you're dealing with government officials, so please remain professional and refrain from using any language or name calling that could be used against us in our efforts.  Your help is critical in the fight.

This applies whether or not you live in Memphis. One concern expressed by the sub-committee is that these Memphis Civil War parks and statues reflect negatively on outside visitors and businesses. So the Council is interested in everybody’s perception, inside and outside visitors.

Here are some issue points that you can use. You don’t have to mention all of them:

• These parks are actually a draw to outside visitors. Civil War tourism is a big business.

• The positive attraction to tourists of these historic parks

• Your family, relatives and friends specifically come to Memphis on occasion to visit these parks

• People and businesses don’t NOT come to Memphis because of these parks
  The importance of Memphis history to quality of life

• The importance of “roots” and history to the fabric of life

• The significance of these parks

Other possible points: 

• The city should be concerned with more pressing city issues (high taxes, crime, drugs, failing education system, gangs, etc.

Letter-writing guidelines:

• Be gentlemanly

• Stick to one page

• Be brief and concise

• Make your point in your first sentence. That may be all they read.

• Don’t be negative or apologetic

• Don’t get into long historic discourses

• Mention how the parks benefit Memphis

Don’t let them take our Southern parks and statues !!!! We will fight them all the way.

As General Forrest would say:  “Always show fight” !!!!! And fight we will.
 

Lee Millar
SCV Community Affairs Officer
 

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We are providing a letter writing tool to assist in formatting a letter to the Mayor of Memphis. Just click on the "Take Action" button and follow the instructions to generate draft letter. You can then edit the letter to include your personal comments (be firm but polite, no profanity or other derogatory comments - the Mayor has taken to action yet). Then you can email it to Mayor or yourself.

We recommend that you send both email and send a letter by regular mail. It does require you to register an email and set a password of your choosing.

We also recommend that you send one to each of the members of the City Council click here.