Meeting over streets named for Confederate generals ends with five arrests in Florida

Five people were arrested during a city council meeting in Hollywood, Florida, on Wednesday amid a debate surrounding the potential renaming of several local streets currently honoring Confederate Army generals.

Hollywood police spokeswoman Miranda Grossman said authorities arrested five individuals for “being disruptive” during Wednesday’s meeting, the Miami Herald reported afterwards.

The arrests capped off a day of protests surrounding three local streets named after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee., Gen. John Bell Hoo and Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, the latter widely regarded as a founding member of the Ku Klux Klan.

About 150 people attended a Wednesday afternoon rally, on the steps of City Hall, held in support of renaming the streets, the Herald reported. Organizers encouraged protesters afterwards to attend the public comment portion of a scheduled City Commission meeting, according to the newspaper.

A total of 36 people ultimately signed up to speak, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

During the meeting, “five protesters in the audience began shouting about racist street signs,” the Sun-Sentinel reported.

“I believe they were yelling, but because I was not there I cannot comment or confirm on whether or not they were being violent,” Ms. Grossman said.

Authorities did not immediately identify the individuals arrested.

Elsewhere during Wednesday’s meeting, attendees said speakers both for and against the renaming effort raised their concerns with the commission.

“There’s been three streets in Hollywood, Florida, that are named after Confederate generals that fought to protect the institution of slavery, and we’re saying that we want those streets changed immediately,” said resident Tiffany Burks, Miami’s WSVN-TV reported.

“Robert E. Lee was a great, and is still a great role model for people,” countered Sons of Confederate Veterans Raymond Hatfield, according to the network.

“These streets have important names in history,” added Jim Odel, a fellow member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Approval from five of the commission’s seven board members is needed to rename the streets, but only three have agreed so far to support the effort, WSVN reported.

Across the state, meanwhile, city workers in Orlando began removing a Confederate statue known as “Johnny Reb” a day earlier over similar concerns involving its ties to racism.