Stone Mountain Action Coalition Releases Legal Support For
Changes at Country’s Largest Confederate Memorial
Document Concludes Stone Mountain Park Has Authority and Obligation to Enact Changes
DATE: November 12, 2020
CONTACT: Gabrielle Rogers, media@stonemountainaction.org
STONE MOUNTAIN, GA - The Stone Mountain Action Coalition (SMAC), a network of concerned citizens, political leaders, community organizations, faith-based groups, and businesses who are dedicated to advocating for changes at Stone Mountain Park released a 192-page memorandum of law with exhibits detailing the Park’s legal authority and obligation to make changes.
In analyzing Georgia laws, court decisions, and actions taken by local governments to address Confederate symbols, SMAC’s legal team concluded the following:
The history of Stone Mountain Park and the SMMA underscores the urgent need to make changes at the Park.
SMMA has discretion to decide how to maintain “an appropriate and suitable memorial for the Confederacy.”
SMMA can make multiple changes to the Park without violating Georgia’s Public Monuments Law because the changes are not to “monuments” as defined under state law and the items in question are neither “appropriate” nor “suitable.”
SMMA can make other changes to the Park without violating Georgia’s Public Monuments Law because the changes will allow for the “preservation, protection, and interpretation” of the monuments.
As a matter of public safety, the SMMA must remove the Confederate items from the Park.
Additionally, SMAC makes the case that, if the SMMA believes that certain changes to the Park cannot be made without legislative intervention, the Board has full authority to advance such action through the Governor’s office and the Department of Natural Resources’ Recreational Authority Overview Committee regarding any legislative changes or revisions that may be needed to assist the SMMA in accomplishing their duties and functions.
As SMAC co-chair and local attorney, Sheri Lake, states, “In the year 2020, the SMMA Board has a duty and obligation to the citizens of the State of Georgia to make changes that will result in a Park that is a welcoming, inclusive and safe space for everyone who visits. The Board cannot continue to ignore this pressing issue and avoid exercising the responsibility of which it is charged. It must and can act now.”
The SMMA is facing increasing demands for immediate change after numerous heavily armed demonstrations this summer and the recent announcement that the Park’s management company is terminating its contract and pulling out citing concerns over frequent protests and racial tension.
The legal document is available to the public online and will be shared with the Park’s stakeholders, the SMMA, and Governor Kemp’s office. SMAC’s legal team also plans to present the document to the SMMA board at their next public meeting on November 16.
About the Stone Mountain Action Coalition
The Stone Mountain Action Coalition is an advocacy network of concerned citizens, political leaders, community organizations, faith-based groups and businesses who are dedicated to supporting constructive solutions and ideas that reflect a new, shared vision for the Stone Mountain Park. The Coalition is advocating for short and long-term changes to help build a path forward by developing a community-driven approach to transform the park into a more inclusive, and economically sustainable destination.
For more information visit: www.stonemountainaction.org
Media contact: Gabrielle Rogers, media@stonemountainaction.org