Monday, October 2, 2017

Norton to Introduce Bill to Remove Statue of Confederate General Pike from Judiciary Square

Washington, D.C. - October 2, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that she will introduce a bill to remove a statue of Confederate General Albert Pike located in the District of Columbia after she had the opportunity today to meet with Sovereign Grand Commander Ronald Seale of the Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, USA, which originally donated the Pike statue to the federal government. Norton sees a difference between the Pike statue, located on federal land under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service (NPS) near Judiciary Square, and similar Confederate statues located in the U.S. Capitol and around the country, particularly given the Freemasons publicly-expressed support for removing the statue. Because the statue was installed by an act of Congress, congressional action must be taken for it to be removed.

“I appreciate the meeting I had with Mr. Seale today to discuss General Pike’s statue in Judiciary Square,” Norton said. “Mr. Seale had already said publicly prior to our meeting that the Freemasons ‘strive to bring people of all races and creeds together in harmony,’ and that, because of its potential divisive nature, his organization would support an ‘action…to remove the statue.’ Our meeting was very amicable and productive, and bodes well for future action.”

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