Memphis Greenspace, the Non-Profit That Bought the Parks, Removed the Confederate Statues

Memphis Greenspace is the non-profit that on Wednesday purchased the two city parks where Confederate statues once stood.

Greenspace, headed by Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner, was formed in October with a mission “to start, strengthen and support community involvement surrounding park-based recreation.” It was a conspiracy to remove public statues without the public’s input.

Wednesday evening the sale of the parks for $1,000 each was complete and the parks were officially privately owned and in the hands of Greenspace. The transfer of Health Sciences Park and Memphis Park to the organization made removing the statues a legal action, Turner said in a press conference Thursday morning near the spot where Nathan Bedford Forrest’s equestrian statue once sat.

Removing the statues “liberates the park from the barriers that prevented it from truly being for the public,” he said.

However, the graves of Forrest and his wife still sit in Health Sciences Park, and Turner said they will remain until an agreement is reached with the members of the Forrest family about where to relocate the bodies. Elmwood Cemetery is a strong contender, he said.

Turner also expects lawsuits from the Sons of the Confederate Veterans and other supporters of the statues.

But for now, Turner said the focus should be shifted from the statues and toward the future of the parks and the city.

“In the shadow of MLK50, the question on our minds is, where do we go from here?” he said.

Health Sciences Park and Memphis Park will remain open to the public and operate as parks. The group will work with the community to plan, envision, and “amplify our new set of expectations.”

Turner said he anticipates the transfer of other city parks to Greenspace in the future in order to assist in making them better and more accessible to the public.

“This is only the beginning,” he continued. “They’re other parks that need to be liberated from mediocrity and return to the people as a unifying asset.”

3 thoughts on “Memphis Greenspace, the Non-Profit That Bought the Parks, Removed the Confederate Statues

  • December 22, 2017 at 2:43 pm
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    If I were a white resident of Memphis, I would get out of that cesspool of black crime, black dependency, white race-traitors and Cultural Marxism as fast as I could get my home listed and sold. I would move at least two counties away from the Black Plague, and NEVER look back!

    The smartest thing I’ve ever done was get out of St. Louis, an equally odious city that has been taken over by the same evil and despicable forces as Memphis.

  • January 2, 2018 at 4:22 pm
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    Van Turners reason is hospital expansion and the fact you and possiblyTami are running in an upcoming election. The real untold reasons go deep and far. Typical liberals using fabricated racism as a tool to keep blacks voting for promises never delevered. Memphis is the anus of mother earth and Van..your a piece of feces spreading your stinking lies and yes you did break the law, Everyone knows the AG is on the payroll. Your going down by law or God and the ghost of Nathan Bedford Forrest! He was more man than you will ever be.

  • November 10, 2018 at 2:33 pm
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    Was the sale of these parks conducted illegally? Isn’t the sale of public property supposed to be done publicly, and allow anyone to make an offer? Maybe the Sons of Confederate Veterans would have been willing to buy these parks to protect the Confederate statuary. At best, this is underhanded.

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