A plaintiff in a federal lawsuit involving the removal of a Confederate monument from Travis Park is publicly speaking for the first time about the lawsuit.
Robin Terrazas, president of the Albert Sidney Johnston Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, talked to KENS 5 on behalf of the organization and said that the removal of the statue is a violation of the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments.
She added that the city did not give them enough time to challenge the vote.
"It violated our property rights and it also violated our right for the statue to be there in Travis Park,” she said. “We were given an ordinance in 1899 that gave us use of the land and it was voted unanimously by the city council at this time. We own the statue, we have a right to have it in Travis Park."
Terrazas believes that the city was open to discussion after a brief conversation she had with Mayor Ron Nirenberg the night before city council voted to remove the monument.
"I spoke to the mayor and I said, ‘Let’s work together,’ and he looked at me, shook my hand, and said, ‘Yes, we will include you.’ Then no one contacted me after that. Next thing I knew, they were taking the monument down," Terrazas recalled. "I fully expected that even if the city had voted to move the statue, that the next step would be, ‘Okay, let's talk to the owners and let's see what we can work out.’"
The local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy said that the city has refused to give them information on where the monument was stored or if it's still in good condition. The city is unable to comment on pending litigation but said that the statue is intact and in a safe location.
Terrazas is one of three plaintiffs listed in the federal lawsuit. The suit is also seeking monetary damages.
There is no hearing date scheduled yet.