Why was Nathan Bedford Forrest's statue removed from a Memphis park in 2017?

The equestrian statue of Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest was removed from a Memphis park in 2017 amid a nationwide movement to remove or relocate Confederate monuments.1

The removal served as a public repudiation of Forrest’s controversial legacy. Forrest is a polarizing figure due to his role as a commander during the Fort Pillow Massacre, where his troops killed African American soldiers attempting to surrender, and his leadership as the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist organization. Given these historical actions, his commemoration has long been a focal point for debate and civil rights demonstrations.21