I visited the Confederate monument in Mount Hope Cemetery today and it was removed.

I am in the middle of the response period for public records from the city and learned the monument was vandalized at least three times in the last two years. It was heavily painted in June 2019, painted and vandalized apparently with a hammer on June 12th and then again on June 18th of this year.

We have been pleading with Mayor Kevin Faulconer for nearly three years now, asking him to remove this monument. It shouldn't be on public lands, nor should it be maintained, such as paint being cleaned, by city staff.

My belief is the monument was removed to prevent further damage from vandalism. That means there is a possibility it may be returned. I will continue trying to understand the policy in this area, and update this petition asap. Without a definitive answer this is likely just a maneuver to buy time until things cool down. That said, I will do my part to be sure this issue never cools down.

We do not need monuments celebrating slavery, especially on public lands. We do not need monuments to remember history. Have you forgotten the first time we had a man landing on the moon? Did you need a monument to keep that moment secure in your memory? Of course not.

Confederate monuments are sacred to some but, to many they are a painful taunting of a horrific time in our history.

Just to be clear, this was a monument installed in 2006, not a gravestone marking an individual. There is a big difference.

Thank you for signing this petition. The politicians are still afraid to stand up for their constituents. Let's not let them off the hook. They must be held accountable.