Nonprofit claims Fort Myers is a ‘cancel culture city’ for Robert E. Lee bust removal

A nonprofit group is asking people to attend the Fort Myers Council meeting Monday to speak during public comment and assert the city’s removal of the Robert E. Lee bust downtown is proof Fort Myers is a “cancel culture city.”

Members of Guardians of American History told us they’ve urged members and other neighbors to go to the public meeting to make sure everyone knows what they believe.

They’ve also encouraged people to call and write Mayor Kevin Anderson to say the nearly $60,000 it cost to take it down was a waste of money.

The city responded saying it was simply the cost of doing business to get rid of the bust’s pedestal plinth.

But Guardians of American History says its mission is to protect monuments and memorials, and saving this one is at the top of its list.

“We do not think things should be taken down just because it offends someone,” said Brian Turner, a spokesman and activist with Guardians of American History.

An email from the nonprofit asks people to call and write the mayor and members of council and speak up at Monday’s city council meeting. The nonprofit then asked if changing the name of Lee County is next in line.

“The cancel culture that they are referring to is blacks demanding equal rights and equal protection under the law and equal opportunity,” said James Muwakkil, the president of the NAACP in Lee County.

“I don’t think that we’re becoming a cancel culture community at all,” Mayor Anderson said. “This has been an issue that’s been debated for years.”

Anderson told us the email blast from the nonprofit members to the city worked. He received many calls and dozens of emails, but he said no amount of public pressure will reverse the city’s decision.

The bust is gone, and the pedestal will go next — even if it does cost approximately $60,000 to remove it from the public space.

“We should be spending our money on more important things,” Turner said. “You can use it in the schools but not on tearing down monuments.”

“We need to move on,” Anderson said. “Whether we like the decision that the council made or not, the decision has been made, and we need to keep moving forward.”

We also spoke to Councilman Johnny Streets on the phone. He echoed the mayor’s words.

Not only are members for Guardians of American History expected to be at the meeting, nonprofit Sons of Confederate Veterans, the organization that has custody of the Robert E. Lee bust, is also expected to attend.