Protesters Pull Down UNC ‘Silent Sam’ Confederate Statue

CHAPEL HILL, NC — The “Silent Sam” statue honoring the Confederacy located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, long controversial among the student body and community, was destroyed Monday night after protesters pulled the hulking bronze down to the ground.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of protesters gathered on the campus to demonstrate in support of a student facing criminal charges after defacing the statue with red ink and blood in April, the News and Observer said. Protesters surrounded “Silent Sam” with tall banners, which covered protesters lashing ropes around the statue. “It fell with a loud clanging sound, and the crowd erupted into cheers,” the newspaper said.

According to UNC officials, the statue of depicting the silent Confederate sentinel was pulled down around 9:20 p.m. by a group among a crowd of about 250 protesters.

“The monument has been divisive for years, and its presence has been a source of frustration for many people not only on our campus but throughout the community,” said UNC Chancellor Carol Folt. “However, last night’s actions were unlawful and dangerous, and we are very fortunate that no one was injured.”

The sentiment was shared by Gov. Roy Cooper.

“The Governor understands that many people are frustrated by the pace of change and he shares their frustration, but violent destruction of public property has no place in our community,” said a statement from Gov. Roy Cooper Monday evening. (For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

For years, pressure has mounted to remove Confederate statues throughout the U.S., and has led to the removal of numerous statues throughout the south, including those in Dallas, Kansas, as well as several monuments in New Orleans.

One year ago, in the wake of violence in Charlottesville, temporary fencing was erected around “Silent Sam” after protesters toppled a statue of a Civil War soldier outside the Durham County Courthouse and a statue of Robert E. Lee was found vandalized outside a chapel on the campus of Duke University.

University leaders said at the time they were afraid the "Silent Sam" Confederate soldier statue that was erected on the campus grounds in 1913 will become "a flash point for violence that could spiral out of control," they wrote in a 2017 letter to Cooper requesting security resources.

"Given the substantial security threats that we face at UNC-Chapel Hill in connection with Silent Sam, we believe it is essential that the State of North Carolina take necessary steps to ensure safety," UNC officials said at the time. While university officials said last year they felt removing the statue was in the best interest of campus safety, they said the school could not legally make a unilateral decision to remove the statue.

The school has spent $390,000 to secure the statue this past year, the News and Observer reported.

Main Image: CHAPEL HILL, NC - AUGUST 22: A Confederate statue, coined Silent Sam, is guarded by two layers of fence, chain and police on the campus of the University of Chapel Hill on August 22, 2017 in Chapel Hill North Carolina. Demonstrators rallied for its removal. (Photo by Sara D. Davis/Getty Images)