Less than a month after a decision to move the John B Castleman statue from Cherokee Triangle, a new group formed to fight it. The Friends of Louisville Public Art circled around the statue to announce their plans.
They call themselves a group of concerned citizens who want to protect public art, and they have three goals. They want to promote correct historical data for public art, assist in restoring public art and provide input into future public art decisions.
The Friends of Louisville Public Art plan to appeal the decision to remove Castleman from Cherokee Triangle, as well.
“We think it's been based on mischaracterizations and false facts. We want to get the proper word out about the history of the Castleman. He was not the bigot or the segregationist the most have portrayed him to be. In fact, he was an advocate for African American rights. He protected African Americans from being killed during the lynching period,” Steve Wiser said.
In response to the decision to remove the statue from Cherokee Triangle earlier this month, Mayor Greg Fischer has said, “We cannot and should not erase our history, but it is important that art and monuments displayed on public property reflect our values today as a welcoming city.”
The thought was to move it to Cave Hill Cemetery, where Castleman is buried.
The Friends of Louisville Public Art are offering a $1,000 reward to anyone with information leading to an arrest of those responsible for vandalizing the statue.
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