Confederate monument protest ignites profane rant in Orange

A billboard seen through the Confederate monument in Orange requests that the monument be repurposed. Photo taken Monday, 11/12/18 A billboard seen through the Confederate monument in Orange requests that the monument be repurposed. Photo taken Monday, 11/12/18 Photo: Guiseppe Barranco/The Enterprise Photo: Guiseppe Barranco/The Enterprise Image 1 of / 35 Caption Close Confederate monument protest ignites profane rant in Orange 1 / 35 Back to Gallery

The latest skirmish over Confederate monuments erupted this week in Orange, where video of a stranger's profanity-laden rant galvanized both sides of the ongoing debate.

The verbal barrage was filmed by a husband and wife who were protesting the 5-year-old Confederate Memorial of the Wind off Interstate 10 near Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. It is one of an estimated 68 such monuments remaining in the state.

WARNING: Video contains explicit language

"What gives you the right to be (expletive) protesting America," the unidentified man says as he approaches. He berates the couple as "stupid idiots" and at one point screams that he would "feel better if you (expletive) Democrats would go to hell."

The couple, Orange native Tracie Parzen and her husband, Jeremy, have been picketing the site periodically since last December. They raised money through a Go Fund Me campaign to purchase billboard advertising urging the Sons of Confederate Veterans to "repurpose" the site because it "doesn't reflect Orange, Texas community values."

The Parzens posted the 2-minute video of this weekend's encounter to Youtube, where it generated upward of 30,000 views. A copy shared on the Beaumont Enterprise's Facebook page spread the news even farther.

One commenter said she "totally" agreed with the man "with the exception of his language." She thanked him "for stopping and standing up for our country and our heritage." Her post was liked, and even loved, by more than 500 people.

"Yeah," a commenter with a different view responded. "Thank him for standing up to the history of the confederacy and their love of slavery."

A small minority noted "a difference between remembering and celebrating" history, which "this guy clearly does not get."

Comments supporting the attack on the protesters seemed to predominate, however. One man said he "love(d) every word of" the rant and suggested the man run for public office.

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The stranger first yelled at the Parzens while driving by, then circled back and parked his truck at a convenience store. He walked across the street to confront them.

As the man walked away following his tirade, Tracie Parzen told him that Jesus loves him. He agreed, but assured them that "Jesus (expletive) hates you."

Parzen said that and the reaction to the video reinforces the need for people to stand up against the monument.

"It just tells us we're doing the right thing," she said. "There is this undercurrent of hatred where there are a lot of good people in Orange, a lot of good people who do not want this monument representing their town."

Parzen said they also represent "the people who may be too scared" to protest. She and her husband live in Houston but frequently visit their immediate and extended families in Orange.

"We believe those type of things belong in museums," she said. "We don't want to forget and repeat our history, but at the same time, a memorial is glorifying that history rather than educating about it."

Marshall Davis, spokesman for the Texas division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which owns the memorial to 32 Texas regiments of the Confederate Army, said the group is not trying to incite controversy.

"We have no agenda other than to honor our Confederate ancestors and preserve true history," he said.

Davis called the man's behavior in the video "deplorable" but said he agreed with some of his statements about heritage. He said Confederate history advocates "would like to be treated with the same tolerance and diversity that has been extended to other groups."

Davis said he does not believe the man is a member of the organization.

Tracie Parzen said protests are planned for December and Martin Luther King Jr. Day next year.

The $50,000 monument has long been a point of contention in Orange, a community of nearly 20,000 people barely 30 miles from the Louisiana border. The city passed a resolution opposing it in 2013.

City Attorney Jack Smith on Monday called the memorial "odious," but he said both sides have the right to freely express themselves. There's not much the city can do, he said, other than "try to keep the peace."

"This thing is very unpopular," Smith said

Thurston "Louis" Ackerman, Orange County Democratic Party chairman, said there has been bipartisan support for removing the Confederate tribute.

"This is something that can pull our community together, regardless of who you vote for because it doesn't represent values that we share as a community," Ackerman said in an email.

He also said he worried major companies would refuse to invest in a place "with a Confederate memorial on the highway."

But David Covey, who chairs the county's GOP party, said local Republicans are not focused on the Confederate issue but on road and drainage maintenance, "issues that will help make Orange County better."

The monument's supporters are not involved in the local GOP group, Covey added.

"We encourage Republicans to be adults and be mature about issues," Covey said. "Generally, Republicans respect history and are not about changing history, but it's not a primary focus at all for the local Republican party."

phoebe.suy@beaumontenterprise.com

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