Confederate Statues Are Being Removed
In the days following the violent protests in Charlottesville, many cities are have chosen to remove monuments to and statues featuring Civil War figures from public spaces.
In 2016, the Southern Poverty Law Center estimated there were at least 1,503 "symbols of the Confederacy" located on public grounds. Here is an updated list of the monuments that have been removed since Saturday, August 12.
Durham, North Carolina
On Monday, a crowd pulled down the confederate statue in front of the old Durham County courthouse. At this point, eight people are facing charges in conjunction with the destruction of the statue. Despite facing felony charges, Elena Everett, 37, isn't ashamed of the role she played in the monument's removal. "If I am a part of the Durham community and taking down the Confederate statue then I hope that I've played a role in history and I think a lot of people here feel that way," she said.
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore Mayor Catherine ordered confederate monuments to be removed in the middle of the night Tuesday, an act she felt was "in the best interest of my city."
“I said with the climate of this nation,” Pugh told the New York Times, “that I think it’s very important that we move quickly and quietly.
“The mayor has the right to protect her city,” she said. “For me, the statues represented pain, and not only did I want to protect my city from any more of that pain, I also wanted to protect my city from any of the violence that was occurring around the nation. We don’t need that in Baltimore.”
Activists have already replaced a memorial to Robert E. Lee with a statue of a pregnant black woman.
Brooklyn, New York
Two plaques dedicated to Robert E. Lee were removed from a tree he planted in Brooklyn during the 1840s on Wednesday. The tree is located on a church property, and religious leaders were the ones who decided to remove the memorials.
“For us, it wasn’t a decision that needed more than a minute of thought,” Bishop Lawrence Provenzano of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island said to the New York Daily News. “I think it was the right thing to do, because (the plaque) just being there was offensive to the African-American community.”
St. Petersberg, Florida
A marker honoring Stonewall Jackson was removed by the city of St. Petersberg on Tuesday. "The plaque recognizing a highway named after Stonewall Jackson has been removed and we will attempt to locate its owner," said Mayor Rick Kriseman about the issue. The plaque may not have elicited the same attention or emotions as the offensive statues and monuments that glorify the Confederacy, but that's no reason for it remain on public land and serve as a flashpoint in this national debate."
San Diego, California
A plaque honoring Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy was removed from a park in downtown San Diego on Wednesday. “When I heard about the plaque, I texted Councilman [Chris] Ward and the mayor, and it was removed within a few hours. Glad it's done," Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher told the Los Angeles Times.
Franklin, Ohio
A statue of Robert E. Lee was taken down in Franklin, Ohio at some point on the evening of August 16.
Las Angeles, California
According to the New York Times, "A once little-known Confederate monument in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery was taken down early one morning this week after the cemetery's owners hear numerous requests for its removal."
Boston, Massachusetts
While a Confederate monument in the Boston Harbor has yet to be removed, the state has decided to cover it up until a decision is made.
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