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Group calling for Castleman statue's return now proposing new memorial

The Friends of Louisville Public Art want both the reinstallation of the Castleman statue and a new memorial to Black leaders who fought segregation in parks.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A community group locked in a legal battle over the removal of the John B. Castleman monument in Cherokee Triangle is now asking the city for a new memorial. 

Wednesday, Friends of Louisville Public Art announced a proposal for a new memorial at the same intersection where the Castleman statue once stood.

They said it should honor a group of Black city leaders who fought against the segregation of Louisville's parks in the 1920s. 

“We need to honor those Black leaders who struggled against the Jim Crow era. This memorial is long overdue," Stever Wiser with Friends of Louisville Public Art said. 

The group said it also still wants the city to reinstall the Castleman monument. The statue was removed in 2020, after a string of vandalism incidents and criticism of Castleman's connection to the confederacy. 

On May 18, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled the statue was improperly removed in 2020.

Metro Government has signaled it has no intention of replacing the monument. In June, the city filed with Planning and Design Services to permanently move the Castleman statue. 

In a statement Wednesday, Kevin Trager, a spokesperson for the Mayor's Office, wrote Metro Government has "no plans" to put the controversial statue back, "nor any interest in doing so." 

Trager said city officials will participate in a community facility review before the Landmarks and Planning Commissions on July 20 to explain their decision. 

"As we begin to look at new options for that site, we will be soliciting public input in the coming months," he said.

When it was still in place, the monument was vandalized and criticized over Castleman's connection to the Confederacy. He fought as a Confederate soldier during the Civil War. 

Friends of Louisville Public Art argue Castleman later joined the U.S. Army. Castleman is also considered the father of Louisville's parks system, and the group said he supported integrated parks. 

“Instead of continuing this dishonest charade, let’s celebrate how Castleman turned his life around and did great things for Louisville, the African American community, and women’s suffrage," Wiser said.

Friends of Louisville Public Art said it expects a judge's decision on the group's court motion to order the city to replace the statue in the next few weeks.

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