Franklin's solidarity vigil promotes love, quietly questions downtown Confederate monument

Burns Tabernacle Pastor John Haynes prayed on the steps of the Historic Franklin Courthouse on Monday afternoon. 

The storms and rain had just subsided as he started to speak, glad that the vigil demonstration for the victims of violence in Charlottesville, Va., had remained peaceful. 

"In the past, we have had rallies and the KKK has shown up," he said. "It had gotten rowdy. I was hoping it would be different today because of what happened over the weekend. This seems really nice. I like the signs that we see: No more hatred, no white supremacy, show love."

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Muggy air and storms looming overhead, dozens gathered on the Franklin square with candles and signs in hand to remember one dead and 19 others injured in last weekend's violence over the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue. 

Once the rain clouds parted way, demonstrators took their efforts across the street from the courthouse, standing in the shadow of Franklin's own Confederate monument. Dubbed as Chip, the monument has been situated in downtown since 1899 after a donation from the Daughters of the Confederacy. According to its inscription, the statue is there to represent soldiers who died during the Battle of Franklin. 

Standing with her candle, Brentwood's Missy Horesh decided to help organize Monday's events not only so her kids could see a good example, but she thought it was a good time to embrace solidarity rather than hate. 

"I don't want hate to win, and I don't want our kids in a community where they see things on TV like they saw this weekend," Horesh said. "They need to see grown-ups in that community to say that's wrong and that they aren't going to stand for that. And we had discussion of our (vigil) being under a Confederate statue and what that represents. It's something that should be considered here." 

Franklin residents demonstrated similar feelings after the killing of nine people in a Charleston, S.C., church shooting in 2015. Protests happened much of the day Monday at the Tennessee state Capitol, with residents calling for the removal of a Nathan Bedford Forrest bust that sits between the House and Senate chambers. 

A handful started chanting for the removal of the Confederate monument on the square. Franklin Pastor Kevin Riggs kicked off the topic of discussion on the courthouse steps, saying the statue no longer had a place in the center of town. 

"I had a hard time even preaching Sunday because I knew that so many people were hurting," he said. "In 2017, we are fighting battles that should have been over with a long time ago."

Reach Emily West at erwest@tennessean.com or 615-613-1380 and on Twitter at @emwest22.