Over 5,000 people sign a petition to remove a statue in downtown Jackson

As protesters continue to demand justice, they are now asking for the removal of a confederate soldier statue in downtown Jackson.

22 year old, Iyad Abdi, started a petition last week to remove a statue of a confederate solider from in front of the Madison county court house.

With in days hundreds of signatures turned into thousands.

“It’s amazing we’ve garnered about six thousand signatures in about a week and so we really feel like the community supports this effort.", says Abdi.

The statue stands in the northeast corner of the front entrance of the county courthouse with words describing the war.

Abdi says they started the petition to have the statue removed the right way.

“So, we are trying to go about it the right way here in Jackson rather than just tear it down. We don’t deny the historical significance that some might say this represents, so we are trying to go about it the right way and work with the county to have this removed.”

He offered that if removed it could be placed in a museum for historical reference, but Abdi said it should not sit in front of a courthouse.

“Other than in front of a court a house of justice and we think it is incompatible with the notion of justice and our values as a community to stand in a public square.”

They have now passed their first goal of 5,000 signatures and set a new goal for 7,500.

The organizer of the petition says he is still waiting to hear from the county commission and the county mayor, Jimmy Harris. Imani Williams for 39 news, in downtown Jackson.