Protests Erupt At UNC Following ‘Silent Sam’ Building Proposal

CHAPEL HILL, NC — Hundreds of protesters converged on the campus of University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill overnight, following a multi-million dollar proposal by school officials to return the controversial Confederate statue “Silent Sam,” which was pulled down from its pedestal by protesters earlier this year.

The proposal includes building a $5.3 million building on the Chapel Hill campus to securely house the controversial statue honoring soldiers of the Confederacy.

In August, 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.

"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," UNC Chancellor Carol Folt said following its toppling. While Folt, as well as some university trustees, were in favor of removing the statue from campus, a state law bars regarding Confederate monuments bars that option.

The plan put forward Dec. 3 calls for placing the “Silent Sam” statue in a new building, which was put forward by Folt and approved by UNC campus trustees, now faces a Dec. 14 by the state Board of Governors.

Monday night, several hundred protesters peacefully gathered on campus and took to social media to speak out against the plan to relocate the statue on campus.

“They are building a safe space for white supremacy and forcing us to pay for it,” Angus Johnston said on Twitter.

“This is an outrageous proposal from the UNC Board and Chancellor,” said former Charlotte mayor Jennifer Roberts. “A shrive to house a confederate statue on campus? Really? Is this fake news?”

“It’s hard to imagine a solution that makes UNC look more out of touch,” tweeted Charlotte Observer editorial page editor Taylor Batten.

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.

Over a 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.

When the statue was erected on the school's commencement day in 1913, UNC trustee Julian Carr gave a speech in praise of the Confederacy, saying that its efforts insured "the purest strain of the Anglo-Saxon is to be found in the 13 Southern States -- Praise God."

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.

RELATED:

• UNC Seeks New $5M Building For Controversial ‘Silent Sam’ Statue
• 'Silent Sam' Confederate Statue To Be Reinstalled: UNC Official
• Protesters Pull Down UNC 'Silent Sam' Confederate Statue
• 'Silent Sam' Protest: 7 Arrests In 'Highly Charged' Demonstration

Photo: Demonstrators rally for the removal of a Confederate statue coined Silent Sam on the campus of the University of Chapel Hill on August 22, 2017 in Chapel Hill North Carolina. (Photo by Sara D. Davis/Getty Images)