Friends of Lauren Giddings want to put up a memorial for the Mercer law grad at a Macon park, but not everyone is in favor.

Community members asked the city to name a bench at Washington Park, but coucil president James Timley spoke out against the dedication.

"My heart goes out to the Giddings family," he says. "But my thing is, when we start naming benches, I don't care who pays for it, for people who have been murdered in the city, how far do we go back? What level of tragedy does it require?"

Other members fired back arguing that the bench will not come out of the city's pocket.

Giddings' friends plan to hold a memorial celebration at Washington Park on August 25th, and council member Lauren Benedict says she sees no harm in at least considering their request for a bench.

She says, "I understand that we can't put up a memorial bench of a plaque up, unfortunately, for every tragedy that occurs in this city or any other, but that being said, this is an organized group that has come to us and asked us to place a memorial bench for something that was very serious in our community."

Four other members of the ordinances and resolutions committee agreed with Benedict. Both Timley and Henry Gibson opposed.

The request will go before the full council Tuesday night before heading to the public properties committee.