The Future of an O.C. Confederate Monument is Questioned
SANTA ANA - The future of a pillar-style granite monument honoring dead Confederate soldiers and erected in 2004 at Santa Ana Cemetery by the Orange County chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has come into question in the aftermath of clashes between white nationalists and counter- protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Tim Deutsch, general manager of the Orange County Cemetery District, which oversees the property, told the Orange County register that he has been contemplating a "proactive approach" since Thursday morning, when an OC Weekly story on the statue generated a buzz.
The district, whose board approved the monument at the site at 1919 E. Santa Clara Ave. in 2000, has reached out to the owners, The Register reported.
"We hope that the Sons of the Confederate Veterans will see what's going on around the country and what's right and remove it for the sake of its protection, as well as the visitors in that area," Deutsch said, "because I'd hate to see someone try to come and try to take it upon themselves and do something that's going to be detrimental to all the other graves that are around it."
More than 750 veterans of all conflicts are interred at Santa Ana Cemetery and of approximately 350 who fought in the Civil War, about 16 are Confederate soldiers who settled in Orange County, Deutsch said. Neither of the cemetery district's two other properties -- Anaheim Cemetery and El Toro Memorial Park in Lake Forest -- have Confederate statues.
On Wednesday, a monument honoring Confederate soldiers was removed from the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood. The one at Santa Ana Cemetery may now be the last Confederate monument in California, according to the Register.
