A California town named after a Confederate general keeps its name after a year of debate.
Fort Bragg, named after slave-owning Confederate General Braxton Bragg, has formed a citizens’ commission to study a name change following the death of George Floyd in 2020.
Located on California’s northern coast, the town of 7,300 was founded in 1857 and was used as a military post to suppress rebellious Native American populationsthe Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported.
The question of whether to keep the controversial name had sparked fierce controversy and no consensus has been reached, the group said.
“As a committee, we have come to the conclusion that at this point, because citizens are so divided, this committee cannot unanimously recommend a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’,” Commissioner Cesar Yanez told City Council this week. The Guardian reported:.
During their investigation, the committee agreed to a number of other ideas for correcting what they said were past injustices against indigenous peoples, including the return of land to coastal tribes and new agreements recognizing tribal sovereignty.
