Work to Remove Remains of Nathan Bedford Forrest Begins in Memphis - Articles

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Work to Remove Remains of Nathan Bedford Forrest Begins in Memphis

Posted by: Kate Prince on Jun 1, 2021

A work crew at Health Sciences Park in Memphis this morning began the exhumation process of Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife, the Daily Memphian reports. After private nonprofit Memphis Greenspace bought the park in 2017, the statue of Forrest, which marked his grave, was removed and an agreement was reached with the Sons of Confederate Veterans to transfer the remains for reburial at a Confederate-themed park in Columbia, Tennessee. While speaking to camera crews about the removal, Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer was interrupted by a member of the construction crew who threatened and berated her with profanity, calling her a communist and saying he would physically confront her if she were a man. “So there’s no question about why we need to remove this hateful structure,” Sawyer said. The disinterment process is expected to take several weeks.