A newly created asphalt patch now rests where the marker of a Confederate soldier was memorialized at Horton Plaza as more and more symbols of controversial historical figures are removed nationwide.
The Robert E. Lee Highway Marker was removed this week, according to San Diego City Councilman Mark Kersey. Last week, he called for the removal of the memorial “to the memory of a vile, murderous traitor” and urged it to be placed in the city’s archives.
Kersey credited the city’s Parks and Recreation staff and Stockdale Capital Partners for the removal.
This wasn’t the first time a contentious monument was removed from the area. In 2017, San Diego removed the Jefferson Davis Highway Marker from Horton Plaza. Davis served as the President of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865.
Just last week in Chula Vista, the city decided to remove the statue of Christopher Columbus at Discovery Park "out of public safety concerns."
Across the country, calls to remove symbols associated with the Confederacy, imperialism and slavery increased following the killing of George Floyd. Some have even taken down statues of Confederate soldiers and Christopher Columbus on their own as politicians mull the removals.
