TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Students are voicing their opinions after a controversial statue at Florida State University was removed from Westcott Plaza.
Some students that talked to WTXL said the Francis Eppes statue shouldn't have been removed.
The university replaced it with a large plant pot. Students said it's weird not to see that statue, which had been there for 16 years.
You may have seen the video of the statue being taken away. It was posted on Facebook by a member of the Eppes family. The video has now been taken down.
The statue removal comes after President John Thrasher agreed with an advisory panel's recommendation.
One student that talked to WTXL said no one condones slavery, one of the key arguments for removing the statue, and it's wrong to blame Eppes for a practice that was common at the time.
"We're condemning somebody for beliefs that occurred over 200 years ago and are no longer supported in this country or on this campus," said FSU student Hailey Zeiler. "We have this transition throughout our society, so I don't want to not give him credit. He deserves credit."
But for the Students for a Democratic Society, they have been pushing Florida State to get rid of the statue for years and now, it's a reality.
"If it's still on campus, I think that wouldn't really accomplish all that much. The statue should be moved, ideally, to a museum, where people can remember the horrible things that Francis Eppes has done and remember the shame and horror of slavery," said Katherine Draken, member of Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society.
WTXL also spoke with the sculptor of the statue over the phone Friday.
He said the purpose of it was a "vision for education" and to remove the statue is to forget how FSU has evolved over time.
President Thrasher said the university will still keep the name "Eppes Hall."
Meanwhile, FSU says the statue is safe in "temporary storage."
