Forrest Park in Memphis was renamed Health Sciences Park in 2013 , amid substantial controversy . In light of the 2015 church shooting in Charleston , South Carolina , some Tennessee lawmakers advocated removing a bust of Forrest located in the state 's Capitol building . Subsequently , then-Mayor A.C. Wharton urged removal of the statue of Forrest in Health Sciences Park and suggested the relocation of Forrest and his wife to their original burial site in nearby Elmwood Cemetery . In a nearly unanimous vote on July 7 , the Memphis City Council passed a resolution in favor of removing the statue and securing the couple 's remains for transfer . The Tennessee Historical Commission denied removal on October 21 , 2016 under the authority granted it by the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act of 2013 , which prevents cities and counties from relocating , removing , renaming , or otherwise disturbing without permission war memorials on public property . The City Council then voted on December 20 , 2017 to sell Health Science Park to Memphis Greenspace , a new non-profit corporation not subject to the Heritage Protection Act , which removed the statue and another of Jefferson Davis that same evening . The Sons of Confederate Veterans threatened a lawsuit against the city . On April 18 , 2018 , the Tennessee House of Representatives punished Memphis by cutting $ 250,000 in appropriations for the city 's bicentennial celebration
church shooting in Charleston , South Carolina
Charleston church shooting
Nathan Bedford Forrest