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Confederate 'Silent Sam' monument pedestal removed from UNC campus...
USA Today - John Bacon 7 hrs ago
Remnants of a contentious Confederate monument that stood on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for more than 100 years were removed Tuesday, but the controversy over "Silent Sam" was far from over.
The statue itself, constructed in 1913 in homage to "the sons of the university who entered the war of 1861-65 in answer to the call of their country," was toppled in August by protesting students. A pedestal and plaque remained in place and the statue in storage while school officials debated the memorial's fate.
School Chancellor Carol Folt on Monday ordered the removal of the pedestal and announced her resignation, effective at the end of the academic year.
"Overnight, workers removed the base and tablets from the Confederate Monument site," Folt said hours later on Twitter. "I am confident this is the right decision for our community – one that will promote public safety, enable us to begin the healing process and renew our focus on our great mission."
The statue has been a divisive issue for the 30,000-student campus, with both sides conducting sometimes angry protests at the site. Last month, the board of governors rejected a $5.3 million proposal to build a new home for the statue, citing public safety concerns and the use of state funds for the project. But the board promised to review options and come up with another plan.
© Provided by USA TODAY
Folt's decision to remove the pedestal drew fire from the board's chairman, Harry Smith.
"We are incredibly disappointed at this intentional action," Smith said in a statement. "It lacks transparency and it undermines and insults the board’s goal to operate with class and dignity."
Smith said the fate of the statue will be decided "in a way that respects all constituencies and diverse views on this issue."
Folt acknowledged in August that the statue was a “source of frustration” but called its impromptu and violent removal “unlawful and dangerous.”
Foes of Silent Sam said he was a monument to white supremacy and slave owners, and Gov. Roy Cooper has called for removing Confederate monuments from public land across the state. But Sam's supporters say the statue was a symbol of the region's history that should not be forgotten.
Sam was one in a long line of statues to fall or be legally removed across the nation in the wake of a 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. That rally, which turned deadly, had in part been organized as a protest against plans to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee from a Charlottesville park.
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Confederate 'Silent Sam' monument pedestal removed from UNC campus...
USA Today - John Bacon 7 hrs ago
Remnants of a contentious Confederate monument that stood on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for more than 100 years were removed Tuesday, but the controversy over "Silent Sam" was far from over.
The statue itself, constructed in 1913 in homage to "the sons of the university who entered the war of 1861-65 in answer to the call of their country," was toppled in August by protesting students. A pedestal and plaque remained in place and the statue in storage while school officials debated the memorial's fate.
School Chancellor Carol Folt on Monday ordered the removal of the pedestal and announced her resignation, effective at the end of the academic year.
"Overnight, workers removed the base and tablets from the Confederate Monument site," Folt said hours later on Twitter. "I am confident this is the right decision for our community – one that will promote public safety, enable us to begin the healing process and renew our focus on our great mission."
The statue has been a divisive issue for the 30,000-student campus, with both sides conducting sometimes angry protests at the site. Last month, the board of governors rejected a $5.3 million proposal to build a new home for the statue, citing public safety concerns and the use of state funds for the project. But the board promised to review options and come up with another plan.
© Provided by USA TODAY
Folt's decision to remove the pedestal drew fire from the board's chairman, Harry Smith.
"We are incredibly disappointed at this intentional action," Smith said in a statement. "It lacks transparency and it undermines and insults the board’s goal to operate with class and dignity."
Smith said the fate of the statue will be decided "in a way that respects all constituencies and diverse views on this issue."
Folt acknowledged in August that the statue was a “source of frustration” but called its impromptu and violent removal “unlawful and dangerous.”
Foes of Silent Sam said he was a monument to white supremacy and slave owners, and Gov. Roy Cooper has called for removing Confederate monuments from public land across the state. But Sam's supporters say the statue was a symbol of the region's history that should not be forgotten.
Sam was one in a long line of statues to fall or be legally removed across the nation in the wake of a 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. That rally, which turned deadly, had in part been organized as a protest against plans to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee from a Charlottesville park.
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