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New recommendation calls for Confederate monument to remain in downtown Dallas

Dallas city staff has recommended keeping the Confederate War Memorial located in downtown Dallas next to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

Dallas city staff has recommended keeping the Confederate War Memorial located in downtown Dallas next to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

The recommendation, which will be presented to city council on Wednesday, is in direct opposition to the conclusions reached by a 22-member panel last fall.

Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings appointed the Task Force on Confederate Monuments after white supremacist fueled violence in Charlottesville, Virginia last summer led to the death of a counter-protestor.

The task force completed its work last September, but the city council in December voted to delay any final action until early this year.

City councilmember Philip Kingston characterized the decision by city staff to reject a signature task force recommendation as "insane".

"This is so inconsistent with what the city has been talking about and what it’s elected leaders have voted on, it’s really shocking," Kingston said.

City staff recommends keeping the Confederate Memorial in Pioneer Park Cemetery and adding markers to provide historical context at a cost of approximately $25,000.

David Preziosi with Preservation Dallas says he will speak during Wednesday's board briefing and says the city staff recommendation for the memorial is consistent with what several historical preservationists.

“I think leaving the marker here and putting additional contextual and signage to explain it is a reasonable solution," Preziosi says.

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