We the people demand that the Gaston County board chair Tracy Philbeck to schedule another special meeting on the long-standing issue of the confederate monument in front of the county courthouse and we ask that commissioners who have twice voted in favor of relocating the monument introduce a new resolution that places the “Confederate Hero’s Monument” in storage until an appropriate non-profit entity can be gifted the monument by the county.

The following excerpt from an article written by Bill Poteat is a chronological list of events as reported by the Gaston Gazette which had issued an editorial calling for the removal of the confederate monument.

“The monument, which is topped with a Confederate soldier, was first placed in front of the old downtown courthouse in 1912.

At its dedication, speakers praised the idea of white supremacy and bashed the notion of allowing Black people to vote.

Despite this dubious heritage, the monument to an armed and treasonous rebellion against the United State was moved to its place of honor in front of the new courthouse when it opened in the late 1990s.

At least twice in years past, the idea that a memorial to the institution of slavery should stand in front of the county’s hall of justice has been questioned.

This year, following the death of George Floyd, the discussion arose again and peaceful protests and counter-protests went on for weeks in front of the courthouse.

Responding to those protests, commissioners appointed a special committee, the Gaston County Council of Understanding, to study the issue of moving the monument and to come back with a recommendation.

After weeks of hearings and public input, the council made its recommendation, albeit by a split vote of 7-5: move the monument.

After first dilly-dallying with the notion of a public referendum on the issue, commissioners voted 6-1 on Aug. 3 to hand over ownership to the Sons of Confederate veterans and also agreed to spend up to $200,000 to pay for the relocation.

Last week, that organization said it feared taking possession of the statue could lead to a lawsuit against them, an idea that we consider more than a little far-fetched.

But rather than saying, “OK, that avenue is closed, let’s find another,” the board’s majority chose to say, “Let’s ignore the recommendation of the special committee, let’s ignore our own vote to make a change, and let’s keep the monument right where it is.” Source: https://www.gastongazette.com/opinion/20200829/our-view-commissioners-ignore-reality-monument-must-go

Since the August 25, 2020 vote to rescind the decision to relocate the monument and instead keep it front of the courthouse, local organizers and protesters were served an August 3, 2020 court order prohibiting expressive protesting in front of the Gaston County courthouse,  including on the public sidewalk.

However, when the Alamance County officials attempted to suspend first amendment rights concerning protesting a Confederate monument at the Alamance County courthouse, a federal judge on August 14, 2020, ruled “ that the Alamance County sheriff and local officials cannot prohibit protesters near the Confederate monument on the historic courthouse grounds. The Sheriff's office had put a ban on protesters on courthouse grounds, steps, and sidewalks.” Source: https://www.wral.com/federal-judge-rules-protesters-allowed-near-confederate-monument-in-alamance-county/19236613/

Help the US citizens in Gaston County to remove a confederate monument that constitutes hate speech from county property! Sign and share this petition with all your friends and family!  Remove the statute now!