Removing Civil War markers is wrong

In reading the Aug. 20 edition of The News-Herald, I came across the article regarding Ohio cities removing Civil War markers because of the Charlottesville, Virginia, violence a week prior.

This is to voice my concern that we are becoming swept away by fear of what the neoNazis and other radical groups are doing in response to our honoring the past. I am saddened when I read the stories of destruction wrought by these groups.

Tearing down monuments that honor soldiers who fought and died on American soil is a criminal offense. The taxpayers own those monuments and statues.

Many of us have ancestors who fought in the Civil War on either the Union side or the Confederate side. That’s part of our history and just removing monuments cannot erase that. And what about the Underground Railroad? We have those sites in Ohio, and we need to respect and honor the men and women who made them possible. They are part of our history, too.

The assistant city manager of Worthington, Ohio, said that his community “promotes tolerance, respect and inclusion.” But who is being intolerant, who is showing disrespect and who is not being inclusive? Is it not those hate groups that are trying to add even more discord and division among us?

We the average citizens need to stand up to those who would seek to destroy the markers of our history. Call or write your congressman, your governor, your newspaper and make yourself heard.

We are one people, one country. Show your respect for this country and its history.

Sandy Levine Eastlake