The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
City takes down statue from grounds of old courthouse
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A North Carolina city removed a Confederate statue Tuesday from the grounds of an old courthouse, a rare move in a state where such monuments are largely protected by law.
Construction crews in Winston-Salem spent more than an hour attaching a harness and a cage-like metal frame to protect the statue of an anonymous soldier, then hoisted it from atop its pedestal with a large crane. A small group of onlookers clapped and cheered as the statue was taken down and placed on a flatbed truck.
Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines said he hoped work to remove the pedestal and base would be finished by the end of the day.
Joines said the statue will eventually be moved to historic Salem Cemetery. Before that, it will be put into temporary storage while a site at the cemetery is prepared.
“We realize that there are very strong feelings on both sides of this issue, so what we’ve tried to do is devise a solution that recognizes both sides,” he said, describing its eventual home in
the cemetery as “a very dignified and appropriate location for the statue.”
Wearing a jacket and hat with Confederate symbols, Howard Snow came to watch from across the street. He said the city was wasting money by taking the statue down and that the money could be put to better use.
Winston-Salem had more leeway than most North Carolina cities because the old courthouse property had passed into private hands. A 2015 North Carolina law all but prohibits the permanent removal of Confederate statues from public land.
In January, a judge denied a request by the United Daughters of The Confederacy to prevent the removal of the Winston-Salem statue. City officials had given the group until the end of that month to move the statue from the grounds of the building that now houses apartments, or the city would take action.
The approximately 30-foot high monument includes a granite statue atop a base and column and was dedicated in 1905. It depicts an anonymous soldier in a Confederate uniform resting his rifle stock against the ground.
North Carolina has been at the forefront of the debate over what to do with Confederate monuments as one of three southern states with the most statues.