ORLANDO, Fla. — A 100-year-old statue of a Confederate soldier at Lake Eola Park will be moving to Greenwood Cemetery, following protests outside City Hall on Monday.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer’s decision was applauded by several people, but many wanted it gone for good.
Orlando resident Joel Dixon Jr. said he lived through the days of segregation.
“I think anything that reminds me of that, it should be taken down,” he said.
Photos: Protests erupt over Confederate statue at Lake Eola Park
A local blogger helped lead the effort to have statue taken down.
“We teach our children not to hate,” said Jeff Brower.
He thinks associating the statue with hate is unfair.
Photos: Confederate soldier statue at Lake Eola Park
“Every confederate soldier didn’t hate. That’s now that the war was about,” he said. “It was for liberty and for self-determination.”
Watch: Protesters outside City Hall as leaders discuss fate of Confederate statue
More than 50 city and county streets, roads, lakes and neighborhoods still bare confederate tributes.
Interactive Map: Confederate monuments in Florida
There are six confederate monuments still standing across Central Florida.
Porter said he’s happy with the outcome of the battle at Lake Eola.
“Hopefully other people will decide on their own to change that stuff,” Porter said.
The statue first stood on Magnolia Avenue before moving to Lake Eola a century ago.
[ A similar effort to remove the statue failed in 2015. ]
Watch: People gather outside City Hall to protest possible removal of Confederate statue