Police Harassment after ministers event.

About half the group had dispensed all ready and some people still hadn't left and were talking and the group was gradually leaving as people wrapped up their conversations.

However, the police showed up and told us we had to leave. This is a public park and people just told the police that they were going to be staying.

What was interesting is that the police did this with media people still there with TV cameras. The police backed off when they realize they were being filmed, not just by me, but by the media.

The video is unedited. People come up to talk to me not realizing that I am taking video of a developing situation.

WARNING: Some bad language.

https://youtu.be/vYQX5kuPVIY


Click on the image to see the whole video.

Confederate Monument a Bad REFLECTION on Dallas, Texas

This is the Confederate War Memorial reflection on the windows of the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. Took it 3/29/2018.  What organization wants their event reflecting the Confederacy.

https://youtu.be/Klxrs0H_fVk

Click on video to see the whole thing.




https://youtu.be/NTOHsij2Dhc

Click on video to see whole thing.

Mentioned in article in "Dallas Weekly," working on Dallas.

I am given a mention in this article in the Dallas Weekly.

http://www.dallasweekly.com/opinion/article_b67080e4-1033-11e8-b70b-afc8ad98c639.html

I have just finished rough drafts of two papers. One is on Fair Park, the other on the Confederate memorial at Pioneer park.

I had heard that the Confederate memorial at Pioneer Park was coming up for consideration in late February, but I don't think that is going to happen.

However, I decided to write up a draft to be prepared if and when the Confederate memorial at Pioneer Park comes up. The paper is 24,097 words long. There is a real racist history involved.

The Fair Park paper is more modest at 5,744 words.

In both cases there is additional material, but I wanted to have fairly comprehensive papers readily available if either Fair Park or the Confederate monument issue comes up.

My plan is to research and write up Dallas and there is a fair amount to be written up.

I am going to get back working on the streets and get the 2nd version of the map done.

I don't think the issue of Confederate named schools is going to come up until I make it an issue so I am holding off researching the schools.

Letter to Mayor Rawlings about Pioneer Park

This is the letter I sent by certified mail. The arguments to keep the statue there have been two fold.

1. The statue might be damaged in a move. But it was moved once before in the early 1960s. We have much more advanced technology now in 2017. I think we can move the statue. I think the whole issue of trying to fear monger that there is some risk is just a ploy to keep the monument in place without going on record as defending the Confederacy.

2. In 1966 the Sons of Confederate Veterans asked that the Confederate soldiers buried in the Confederate cemetery be dug up and moved to Pioneer Park. The whole fear mongering and pious heavy breathing over disturbing graves is just another ploy to keep the Confederate monument in place.

Copies of this letter and the Dallas Morning News articles were sent to all 14 city council members.

I would say that the organization Preservation Dallas should change its name to Preservation White Dallas.

                                                                                    October 14, 2017

                                                                                    

                                                                                    edwardsebesta@gmail.com

Mayor Mike Rawlings

City of Dallas

Mayor and City Council City of Dallas

1500 Marilla St.

Dallas, TX 75201

Dear Hon. Rawlings:

There have been three arguments raised in opposition to removing the Confederate memorial at Pioneer Park.

1.       The Confederate monument might be damaged in being removed from Pioneer Park.

2.      There is an alarmist apprehension that graves might be disturbed.

3.      There is an argument that keeping the monument in place is some type of preservation activity.

I think these arguments are pretexts to prevent removal.

In regards to the first and third argument:

The Confederate Memorial was moved there from what was City Park to make way for a highway. This move was praised in that more people would see it and thus the neo-Confederate message of the monument would be more widely received. I enclose an article from the Dallas Morning News, April 16, 1961, page 8. If this monument can be moved for a highway, and it can be moved to promote the Confederacy, I submit that it can be moved because supposedly Dallas doesn’t support white supremacy anymore.

Further this monument was moved in 1961 without problems. In 2017, fifty-six years later, I argue that the technology in almost every field has advanced and it is probably likely that this monument can be moved without damage more easily today than when it was first moved in 1961.

This isn’t a preservation issue in terms of location. It was moved once, it can be moved again.

In regards to the second argument:

I enclose an article from the Dallas Morning News, July 6, 1966, page 12, in which the Sons of Confederate Veterans request that the City of Dallas dig up all the bodies buried at Confederate cemetery and have them moved to Pioneer Park. This is an obvious attempt of promoting the Confederacy through symbolic accretion. Apprehension over disturbing graves seems to be conditional over whether the Confederacy is promoted or not.

I attempted to bring this to the attention of the Public Art Committee of the Cultural Affairs Commission and had a set of articles with a cover sheet but they refused to accept the documents.

                                                                                    Sincerely Yours,

                                                                                    Edward H. Sebesta

CC:

Office	Name	Address	Address
Mayor Pro Tem	Dwaine Caraway	Mayor and City Council	Dallas City Hall
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem	Adam Medrano	Mayor and City Council	Dallas City Hall
District 1 Council Member	Scott Griggs	Mayor and City Council	Dallas City Hall
District 3 Council Member	Casey Thomas II	Mayor and City Council	Dallas City Hall
District 5 Council Member	Rickey D. Callahan	Mayor and City Council	Dallas City Hall
District 6 Council Member	Omar Narvaez	Mayor and City Council	Dallas City Hall
District 7 Council Member	Kevin Felder	Mayor and City Council	Dallas City Hall
District 8 Council Member	Tennell Atkins	Mayor and City Council	Dallas City Hall
District 9 Council Member	Mark Clayton	Mayor and City Council	Dallas City Hall
District 10 Council Member	B. Adam McGough	Mayor and City Council	Dallas City Hall
District 11 Council Member	Lee Kleinman	Mayor and City Council	Dallas City Hall
District 12 Council Member	Sandy Greyson	Mayor and City Council	Dallas City Hall
District 13 Council Member	Jennifer Staubach Gates	Mayor and City Council	Dallas City Hall
District 14 Council Member	Philip T. Kingston	Mayor and City Council	Dallas City Hall

Rally in Dallas to take down Confederate monuments

This is the link to the Facebook event.

https://www.facebook.com/events/315156162228508/?acontext=%7B%22action_history%22%3A[%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22bookmarks%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22bookmarks_menu%22%2C%22extra_data%22%3A%22[]%22%7D%2C%7B%22surface%22%3A%22dashboard%22%2C%22mechanism%22%3A%22calendar_tab_event%22%2C%22extra_data%22%3A%22[]%22%7D]%2C%22ref%22%3A46%2C%22source%22%3A2%7D

It is at Pioneer Park in Dallas from Thursday, August 10th, 6:30 to 7:30 pm.  I definitely plan to be there.

It is being hosted by In Solidarity.


https://www.facebook.com/InSolidarityMovement/