CRENSHAW COUNTY, AL (WSFA) - A new Confederate monument was unveiled Sunday in Crenshaw County, and some find the timing ironic.
“If they had to unveil it, why would they unveil it on the hill of such a tragic event that happened in Charlottesville, Virginia,” said Benard Simelton, president of Alabama State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
But David Coggins, owner of Confederate Veterans Memorial Park where the new monument is located, said that’s not the case.
"This was planned several months ago. Matter of fact, the monument was ordered last year and it's taken this long to get it in the ground and ready to unveil," said Coggins.
Over 500 people attended the ceremony; however, Coggins was worried.
“We had some concerns. There are people who are opposed to what we do. Our intentions are good,” said Coggins.
Some people who are opposed to the monuments include members of the NAACP, who believe all monuments should be taken down.
"We think the monuments all should be removed as well as the flags because they're a symbol of hatred and bigotry," said Simelton. "If he supports, and if he rallies around the Confederate flag and monuments then you know he's a racist."
Coggins doesn’t consider himself a racist.
“There’s nothing racist about us. We’re not white supremacists, matter of fact, we have members in our organization who are black. We have Hispanic members, we have Native American members, we have members from all over and all nationalities and they shouldn’t be concerned about any sign of offense here from us, because we honor all of those veterans. We’re color-blind as far as that goes. We make no distinction,” said Coggins.
Coggins continued on saying all of the monuments on his property, including the confederate flags, represent heritage, not hate.
“It’s important that we remember our heritage, and it’s very important to remember our history. Those people who have no history and forget their heritage they’re doomed to repeat it again,” said Coggins.
Coggins is planning on expanding the park and adding more monuments.
“We have plans to expand and put much more out here in the park and keep it educational where people can come and learn about their heritage,” said Coggins.
Copyright 2017 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.
