Robert McKinley seems to have the perspective that removing the Confederate statue from Munn Park would constitute an attempt to rewrite Lakeland’s history ["We should not rewrite history," Nov. 26].

A change in perspective would demonstrate that we’ve learned from it.

The removal of the statue would indicate that Lakeland as a whole has moved forward from its roots with cross burnings on the lawns of Florida Southern College, that we’ve decided as a town to remove a symbol glorifying and celebrating a society that relied on and celebrated the labor of slaves.

The statue, whose watchful eyes have gazed over Munn Park, represents a bygone era of oppression and institutional racism. I’d like to think we could leave it behind.

With the removal of said monument, we’d be acknowledging that it isn’t right to glorify the Confederacy or its ideals. But instead to realize that we made a mistake in leaving the statue up this long; the removal simply constitutes an attempt to create a Lakeland that welcomes everyone.

As for the ISIS comparison, it’s utterly nonsensical because ISIS’ mission is to overthrow the West and install an Islamic caliphate through their monument-destroying efforts. None of this could happen in Lakeland because the people attempting to take down the statue already are in a place of power.

Geoffrey Tacinelli, Lakeland