North Carolina governor wants Confederate monuments gone

DURHAM, N.C. — North Carolina’s governor said Tuesday that he wants to bring down Confederate monuments around the state, thrusting himself into a debate stoked by violence in Virginia and the toppling of a statue in his own state.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s call to remove the monuments from public property came as a sheriff began arresting people responsible for tearing down a nearly centuryold Confederate statue in Durham on Monday night.

North Carolina is among three states with the most Confederate monuments, but the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed a law in 2015 preventing their removal without legislative approval. Cooper is likely to face an uphill battle against legislative leaders, who hold veto-proof majorities.

“We cannot continue to glorify a war against the United States of America fought in the defense of slavery,” Cooper said in a statement. “These monuments should come down.”

Around the time of Cooper’s announcement, deputies were arresting the woman who climbed the statue in Durham and attached the rope that was used to tear it down.

During a news conference Tuesday held by protest organizers, Takiyah Thompson identified herself as the woman who climbed the statue. She said her actions were a justified response to white supremacists.

“The statue had to go, and it’s linked to white supremacy that we see today,” said the 22-yearold college student.

After the news conference, sheriff’s deputies arrived and took her away in handcuffs. The sheriff’s office said she’s charged with two felonies related to inciting and participating in a riot that damaged property, along with two misdemeanors. Investigators said late Tuesday that they expect to make other arrests.