Opinion: It’s time for Old Joe to go - Gainesville Times

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Opinion: It’s time for Old Joe to go

Downtown Gainesville's Old Joe statue is clean of graffiti Monday, June 1, 2020, after vandals painted the base of the monument the night before during protests downtown. - photo by Scott Rogers

06022020 OLDJOE 1.jpg — Downtown Gainesville's Old Joe statue is clean of graffiti Monday, June 1, 2020, after vandals painted the base of the monument the night before during protests downtown. - photo by Scott Rogers

To understand why the issue of the Confederate monument in the Gainesville square is so contentious, one should spend some time researching the history and context of its being there.