Pinback
Pinback's JournalLOCAL UPDATE: The Confederate monument in Decatur comes down
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After years of pressure and a recent court order, the Confederate monument in the downtown Decatur square has come down.
By 10:30 p.m. Thursday, a large, energetic crowd had gathered near the 30-foot obelisk, which a DeKalb County judge ordered last week should be removed and put into storage. Word had spread quickly as law enforcement and construction crews gathered in the area and a crane was brought in to pluck the monument from its perch outside the historic DeKalb County courthouse.
Police officers on the scene moved observers away from the gazebo near the monument, which was erected in 1908 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
By 11:30 p.m., the crowd had grown to a few hundred. And like that, the obelisk was pulled from its pedestal.
Read more: https://www.ajc.com/news/local/breaking-confederate-monument-decatur-appears-coming-down/1SfeR7g7YZdScfGI5NVfSJ/
Erected in 1908 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, this 30-foot monument to white supremacy stood for 112 years as a reminder of which lives matter. No more. Happy Juneteenth!
More coverage:
https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/confederate-memorial-removed-decatur-square/2EONBLRIWNFK3J7IOD7HQBIUB4/
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/19/us/decatur-square-confederate-monument-removed/index.html?utm_content=2020-06-19T09%3A29%3A01&utm_source=twCNN&utm_term=link&utm_medium=social
Decatur white supremacist monument to be placed in storage, per DeKalb County judge order
BREAKING: DeKalb judge orders Confederate monument to be moved- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
(cross-posted from Late Breaking News)
“In short, the Confederate obelisk has become an increasingly frequent target of graffiti and vandalism, a figurative lightning rod for friction among citizens, and a potential catastrophe that could happen at any time if individuals attempt to forcibly remove or destroy it,” Seeliger wrote.
Georgia state law makes it extremely difficult for local governments to relocate or remove Confederate monuments, though the updated law adopted last year does include language that allows for “appropriate measures for the preservation, protection and interpretation” of monuments. Seeliger’s order references a more general section of state law that allows local judges to address public nuisances that are “manifestly injurious to the public health or safety.”
DeKalb County has been trying to get rid of the Lost Cause monument — which was installed nearly 50 years after the Civil War and suggests that Confederate soldiers were fighting solely for states’ rights — but has had little luck. Last September, the county added a contextualizing marker near the obelisk, which stands near the old county courthouse. The marker says that the monument was erected to “glorify the ‘lost cause’ of the Confederacy” and has “bolstered white supremacy and faulty history.”
- more at link: https://www.ajc.com/news/local/breaking-dekalb-judge-says-confederate-monument-should-removed/L6pwyzbEiLmEQ9w2mXnGmK/
This is a great day for the "blue dot" city of Decatur, for DeKalb County, and for anti-racists everywhere! Congratulations to Hate Free Decatur and the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights, and thanks to city attorney Bryan Downs for keeping up the pressure to make this happen.
BREAKING: DeKalb judge orders Confederate monument to be moved
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In an order issued Friday afternoon, a DeKalb County judge said the “nuisance” Confederate monument in the Decatur square should be “immediately relocated.”
Judge Clarence Seeliger issued the order in response to a complaint that Decatur’s city attorney filed against DeKalb County. The order said the 30-foot obelisk — which has fallen back in the spotlight during recent protests about racism and police violence toward black people — should be placed into storage until further notice.
“In short, the Confederate obelisk has become an increasingly frequent target of graffiti and vandalism, a figurative lightning rod for friction among citizens, and a potential catastrophe that could happen at any time if individuals attempt to forcibly remove or destroy it,” Seeliger wrote.
Georgia state law makes it extremely difficult for local governments to relocate or remove Confederate monuments, though the updated law adopted last year does include language that allows for “appropriate measures for the preservation, protection and interpretation” of monuments.
Read more: https://www.ajc.com/news/local/breaking-dekalb-judge-says-confederate-monument-should-removed/L6pwyzbEiLmEQ9w2mXnGmK/
This is fantastic news! For the past few years, there has been a persistent movement to get rid of this thumb in our collective eye. Last year the DeKalb County Commission installed a historic marker making it clear that the monument was erected in 1908 as part of the southern Jim Crow backlash against black liberation (see DeKalb’s Confederate monument to receive contextualizing marker, March 2019).
Congratulations to Hate Free Decatur and the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights for their great work in bringing attention and shame to this disgusting monument! This is a great day!!
Profile Information
Gender: Do not displayHometown: GA
Home country: USA
Member since: 2002
Number of posts: 12,154
