DeKalb County leaders take steps toward removing Confederate monument (Atlanta: attorney, law)

[Born 2 Roll]

In a move that is sure to stir up much controversy and add even more fuel to the fire in the ongoing heated debate around Confederate statues and memorials on public property in areas where many members of the public currently may be less than enthusiastic the continued presence of such memorials, DeKalb County commissioners on Tuesday voted to start the process of removing a Confederate monument on the Decatur Town Square.

From CBS46 Atlanta:

DEKALB COUNTY, GA (CBS46) - DeKalb County commissioners voted Tuesday to take steps toward the removal of the Confederate monument on the Decatur Town Square.

County commissioner Mereda Davis-Johnson introduced the measure, which calls for the monument's removal or relocation. It also directs the county's attorney to find out who actually owns the monument.
County commissioners voted six-to-one to approve the resolution.

However, at the moment, the resolution does nothing more than show that DeKalb County leaders want the monument to be removed. State law restricts the removal of Confederate memorials on public property, leaving an unresolved question -- who actually owns the monument and the land on which it sits?

With the approval of the resolution, county leaders vow to get to the bottom of it. For now, the county clerk has not been able to find any documentation to prove that the county formally accepted the monument as a gift when it was erected in 1908.

The monument, presented by local chapters of the Daughters of the Confederacy and Confederate Veterans, is engraved with the initials C.S.A., which stands for Confederate States of America. Inscriptions on the monument praise Confederate soldiers and sailors...

...The Decatur monument is one of several Confederate memorials across metro Atlanta.

"DeKalb County leaders take steps toward removing Confederate monument" (CBS46 Atlanta)
DeKalb County leaders take steps toward removing Confederate mon - CBS46 News


From WABE 90.1 FM radio Atlanta:

DeKalb County commissioners approved a resolution Tuesday calling for the removal of a Confederate monument from Decatur Square.

The “Lost Cause” monument sits by the old DeKalb County Courthouse in downtown Decatur.

Georgia law prohibits the removal of Confederate monuments on state property. But Decatur officials argue the county owns this property.

DeKalb’s legal team now has 30 days to verify that. And if the county does own it, the next step is to decide where to move it.

"DeKalb County Signals It Wants To Move A Confederate Monument"
https://www.wabe.org/dekalb-county-s...rate-monument/

[Born 2 Roll]

Of course there are some who are not all that happy about the prospect of Confederate memorials being removed from public property no matter how unpopular they might be with local residents in a largely black and progressive urban county like DeKalb.

Michael Williams of Cumming, who is a state Senator that is running in the 2018 GOP primary for governor, pushed back against the notion of the DeKalb County commission voting to take steps to remove the Confederate statue that is unpopular with many residents of late-2010's DeKalb County.

Williams pushed back against the idea to remove the Confederate statue from the Decatur Town Square by accusing the DeKalb County commission of conspiring to defy the spirit of Georgia state law, if not actual state law itself, that says that Confederate monuments and statues on public property may not be relocated, removed, covered, obscured or altered in any way.

Sen. Michael Williams, Republican candidate for Georgia Governor:

“The DeKalb County Commission is openly seeking to defy state law regarding Georgia’s Confederate monuments. In last night’s Commission meeting, it was decided to seek a way around the spirit of the law to remove a Confederate monument in the City of Decatur. While they may attempt to play word games with the law, it is very clear that Confederate monuments on government property may not be ‘relocated, removed, concealed, obscured, or altered in any fashion.’”

"Michael Williams: DeKalb County Planning to Defy State Law on Confederate Monuments" (GeorgiaPol.com)
https://www.georgiapol.com/2017/10/2...ate-monuments/

[arjay57]

I don't have a problem with them moving it, although I wonder how many people are upset by it, or even aware of it?

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I don't have a problem with them moving it, although I wonder how many people are upset by it, or even aware of it?

That is an excellent question.

Taking streets named after Confederate leaders and renaming them after non-Confederate figures seems to have been a tradition for decades in the City of Atlanta proper, particularly African-Americans and progressives took control of Atlanta city government... So it should be no surprise that a similar movement appears to be afoot in a largely black and progressive-controlled DeKalb County.

I don't know if the displeasure with the statue is widespread in DeKalb County, but enough people seem to be upset by the presence of the Confederate monument on public property in the Decatur Town Square for the issue of removal to come up.

I also don't know how many people in DeKalb County even seem to be aware of the presence of the Confederate monument in the Decatur Town Square, but after the reports of the DeKalb County commission's plans to remove the monument were reported in the news over the past few days, many more people are probably aware of the statue than might have been before.

I get the feeling that even many more people are about to become aware of the presence of the statue over the coming days, weeks and months, particularly with a major statewide election occurring next year.

State senator and gubernatorial candidate Michael Williams' pointed response to the DeKalb County commission's vote to remove the status probably means that this simmering controversy is likely about to become a big issue in the already socially and culturally-charged Georgia governor's race during a time when there is a culture war battle of national proportions going on over the presence of Confederate monuments and statues in urban areas where many of the local residents may no longer look favorably on the presence of those statues.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

That is an excellent question.

Taking streets named after Confederate leaders and renaming them after non-Confederate figures seems to have been a tradition for decades in the City of Atlanta proper, particularly African-Americans and progressives took control of Atlanta city government... So it should be no surprise that a similar movement appears to be afoot in a largely black and progressive-controlled DeKalb County.

I don't know if the displeasure with the statue is widespread in DeKalb County, but enough people seem to be upset by the presence of the Confederate monument on public property in the Decatur Town Square for the issue of removal to come up.

I also don't know how many people in DeKalb County even seem to be aware of the presence of the Confederate monument in the Decatur Town Square, but after the reports of the DeKalb County commission's plans to remove the monument were reported in the news over the past few days, many more people are probably aware of the statue than might have been before.

I get the feeling that even many more people are about to become aware of the presence of the statue over the coming days, weeks and months, particularly with a major statewide election occurring next year.

State senator and gubernatorial candidate Michael Williams' pointed response to the DeKalb County commission's vote to remove the status probably means that this simmering controversy is likely about to become a big issue in the already socially and culturally-charged Georgia governor's race during a time when there is a culture war battle of national proportions going on over the presence of Confederate monuments and statues in urban areas where many of the local residents may no longer look favorably on the presence of those statues.

Its one of several monuments to DeKalb County war veterans in front of the court house. Its more prominent than the others. Unlike a statue of say, Jeff Davis, it actually honors local people.

[JPD]

You gotta love it when a Republican tries to argue something based on "the spirit of the law." I wonder (actually, I don't) if he also considers "the spirit of the law" when dealing with second amendment issues.

[GatorsZ71]

Funny how "people" are so offended by a statue, why not just ignore it, not like it's reaching out and smacking you. There are many things I see that are offensive, but I just ignore them. It's very strange how people want to pick and choose what history they want to erase.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by bu2

Its one of several monuments to DeKalb County war veterans in front of the court house. Its more prominent than the others. Unlike a statue of say, Jeff Davis, it actually honors local people.

Zillions of people walk by it all the time and I'd wager that the vast majority don't know anything about it and have never paid any attention to it. I knew from the dates that it had something to do with the Civil War but I figured it was just a memorial to soldiers who'd been killed.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Zillions of people walk by it all the time and I'd wager that the vast majority don't know anything about it and have never paid any attention to it. I knew from the dates that it had something to do with the Civil War but I figured it was just a memorial to soldiers who'd been killed.

Yeah, someone questioned some people in Decatur about it and most didn't care or didn't know about it.

I was on jury duty one time and stopped and looked at all the monuments during lunch. I've forgotten now, but I think there were also WWI, WWII and Korean monuments with no Vietnam. But it might have been Korea that wasn't marked instead of Vietnam. Really they are more "markers" with only the Civil War veterans marker qualifying as a "monument."

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by JPD

You gotta love it when a Republican tries to argue something based on "the spirit of the law." I wonder (actually, I don't) if he also considers "the spirit of the law" when dealing with second amendment issues.

You're making too much sense.

Originally Posted by GatorsZ71

Funny how "people" are so offended by a statue, why not just ignore it, not like it's reaching out and smacking you. There are many things I see that are offensive, but I just ignore them. It's very strange how people want to pick and choose what history they want to erase.

Relocating a monument doesn't "erase history."