“We will not allow anarchy to reign on our campuses.”
The controversial “Silent Sam” statue at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill was brought to the ground earlier in the week during a violent protest over “white supremacy.” Now, according to the school, it’s about to be put back up.
On Monday, more than 300 protestors toppled the Confederate statue at the university, as previously reported by IJR .
The statue, placed on the campus in 1913, stood in memory of 321 alumni who served in the Confederate Army.
The UNC System Board of Governors declared that the statue will be reinstalled within 90 days, according to WNCN .
“We will make sure the laws of our state are enforced,” Board member Thom Goolsby, a UNC School of Law graduate, stated Thursday. […] ”We will not allow anarchy to reign on our campuses.”
“Criminals who destroyed state property at UNC and police who did nothing will be held accountable,” Goolsby wrote on Twitter:
Silent Sam Will Be Reinstalled as Required by State Law WITHIN 90 Days. Criminals who destroyed state property at UNC and police who did nothing will be held accountable. https://t.co/u1uPxSyph4 #unc #silencedsam #silencesam #hatecrime #ncgop #wunc #wect #wral #wtvd #wway #ncgop
— Thom Goolsby MBA, JD (@ThomGoolsby) August 23,2018
The UNC System and UNC-Chapel Hill also said in a joint statement:
Safety is always paramount, but at no time did the administration direct the officers to allow protesters to topple the monument. During the event, we rely on the experience and judgment of law enforcement to make decisions on the ground, keeping safety as the top priority.
Maya Little, a doctoral student, is facing criminal charges after “covering Silent Sam in paint and her own blood.”
“It’s time to build monuments to honour those who have been murdered by white supremacy,” Little told Express. “It’s time to tear down Silent Sam. It’s time to tear down UNC’s institutional white supremacy.”
Police have since charged three people with misdemeanors of rioting and defacing the statue.
In more than 30 cities around the U. S., Confederate statues have been taken down or moved elsewhere. Here are a few:
Taney statue is officially gone from the State House in Annapolis. #TaneyTakeDown pic.twitter.com/tSClKrEWed
— Pamela Wood (@pwoodreporter) August 18,2017
Happening NOW: It’s up! stature of Robert E. Lee removed from spot in Lee Park in #Dallas. pic.twitter.com/HbIy3WDZsw
— Amanda Guerra (@AmandaGuerraTX) September 14,2017
This morning we removed plaque in @HortonPlazaPark honoring Jefferson Davis. Monuments to bigotry have no place in #SanDiego – or anywhere! pic.twitter.com/FoXPALk98H
— Christopher Ward (@ChrisWardD3) August 16,2017
People have taken strong actions in the removal of these historical statues .
