Denmark Vesey

I stumbled on this article regarding a proposed statue to Denmark Vesey AKA Telemaque. Those who object state:

Darby's timing for a Vesey memorial was ideal. Three books were published in 1999 about Vesey and his thwarted rebellion. But as the memorial gained notice, talk radio lines lit up, with callers referring to Vesey, said talk show host Rocky Disabato, as "the guy who wanted to kill all the white people."

The local Post and Courier newspaper was inundated with letters, many from people aghast that Vesey could be memorialized.

One called Vesey an "advocate of ethnic cleansing." Another called his scheme "a Holocaust."

"The lore passed down is he had intentions of raping and pillaging," said Robert Hutson Jr. , past president of the South Carolina Historical Society, whose family dates to Charleston's first mayor. "We don't memorialize people with intentions of that nature

There is a documentary you can get here:

http://www.innervisionsproductions.com/product/vesey/index.html

A sample is available here:

http://www.innervisionsproductions.com/product/vesey/finalweb/veseyplot.html (QuickTime required)

We don't deny that Vesey wanted to kill white people. It's not entirely surprising given the history of Charleston.

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