Confederate monument unveiled in Alabama

BRANTLEY, Ala. — A monument called “Unknown Alabama Confederate Soldiers” was unveiled in southern Alabama.

Security was tight as several hundred people attended the ceremony Sunday in Confederate Veterans Memorial Park in Crenshaw County, Alabama, 55 miles south of Montgomery.

The monument is surrounded by a black metal fence and flanked by two other monuments. As a red cloth was pulled to reveal it, five cannons were fired.

Confederate flags were flown throughout the park, and several attendants were dressed in Confederate garb. governor’s motorcade died when their helicopter crashed.

Louisa Candelario, whose voice rose as she addressed the crowd Sunday, said she was just feet from Heyer when the car struck.

“I’m very nervous right now. I’m scared for everybody for my community,” she said.

The town hall was hosted in conjunction with the Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service. Suzanne Buchanan, a DOJ conciliation specialist, told the crowd the meeting was about “moving forward” and stressed that it wasn’t the place they would get “all the answers to your questions.”

“We’re here to understand what the underlying issues are and how we can resolve them,” she said.

But Don Gathers, who was among the first to speak, told Buchanan the people in the room couldn’t trust her because they didn’t trust Attorney General Jeff Sessions or President Donald Trump.

“The city is hurting and I’m not sure exactly how the healing trickles down from D.C., but we need answers,” Gathers said.