More than a dozen people on Saturday waved Confederate flags and called for the return of a Confederate monument to its historic location in the Warren County city of Franklin.
The stone-based bronze plaque had sat for decades at the intersection of Dixie Highway and Hamilton Middletown Road before being by city officials overnight last Thursday.
No major incidents were reported at the gathering, which drew honks and waves from passing motorists throughout the afternoon.
Some Franklin residents say they鈥檙e frustrated over the city鈥檚 handling of the situation.
Franklin Township resident Becky Graham attended the rally with several of her neighbors, and told WYSO the Robert E. Lee-dedicated monument should be returned to its rightful place in the community.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been here for 90 years, why remove it down now?" Graham says. "I understand people don鈥檛 like it. Don鈥檛 look at it. There are things that I don鈥檛 like that I just overlook. There are more important things in life, more important things than a monument that has been there for 90 years. It鈥檚 our history. You can鈥檛 change history."
City officials cited public safety concerns as a factor in the decision to remove the plaque from the busy intersection.
Officials did not announce in advance that the monument, originally erected by the organization , would be taken down.
Before its removal, the Dayton branch of SURJ () had announced plans to protest at the site in remembrance of the victims of recent attacks in Charlottesville, Va. Those protests , where over two dozen people took part in a coordinated national day of action.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 not the country I鈥檇 want to leave for my children," said Miami Township resident Brielle Maynor. "I鈥檇 like us to be making progress on these questions of equality and justice for all. That鈥檚 all. It鈥檚 pretty simple. It should be pretty simple, but I guess it鈥檚 not and we keep having to have these conversations."
The protesters said they also hoped to call attention to former Centerville residents who allegedly participated in the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville. But city police confirmed to WYSO those men no longer live there.
At the Franklin Township site, 41-year-old Robert L. Fisher Jr. - who waved a Confederate flag - says it's important to preserve Confederate monuments, even when they may be seen as offensive by others who oppose what Confederate symbols represent.
鈥淗ow will we teach our kids when we no longer have none of our monuments for the history? They鈥檙e erasing our history from right beneath our feet," he says. "No one鈥檚 history should be taken from them, no matter what it is.鈥�
Fisher and other residents say they hope the city of Franklin will hold a meeting to hear public input on the future of the monument. Fisher is offering his own front yard as a potential new home for the stone.
On Friday, a monument to Confederate general Roswell Ripley was removed from a , citing similar concerns about protests. And a canvas painting of Confederate brigadier general John Hunt Morgan was taken down from a in eastern Ohio.
