On the night of Monday, Aug. 20, students and activists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) tore down Silent Sam, a monument on campus to alumni who fought and died for the Confederacy. Zachary Kosnitzky is a UNC student in the class of 2020. Osborne, a 26-year-old graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was one of about 250 protesters who helped … The monuments may be gone, but structural racism is still intact. According to the release, four people were charged with helping to topple the monument during the August 20 protest. On the first day of classes at UNC-Chapel Hill, exactly a year after protesters tore down the Silent Sam Confederate statue, hundreds of students, faculty and community activists commemorated a new year by celebrating the fall of the statue. “Throughout history, protests aren’t meant to be simple. This time, it was total anarchy. You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. There, the students and community activists stood side by side with linked arms, blocking each road at the intersection. Protests over the UNC statue erected in 1913 have flared in the past year, and another Confederate monument in nearby Durham was torn down shortly after the Virginia protest. Multiple speakers praised the power of the protesters who brought down the monument to UNC alumni who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. A masked group of around 50 people surrounded the statue and erected banners to obscure their work. Now Northerners Need to Tear Down Confederate Flags. Tuesday night’s “Silent Sam is Down: Anniversary Party!,” hosted by Defend UNC and Take Action Chapel Hill activist groups, was a marked contrast to Aug. 20 last year. Roy Cooper had called for removing Silent Sam and other rebel symbols on public land. They will blur the line between civil disobedience and anarchy. Removing Confederate statues in North Carolina is not easy. Their efforts were aided by police, who stopped traffic around them. It’s time to tear down UNC’s institutional white supremacy.” G/O Media may get a commission. University of North Carolina students tear down Silent Sam statue on first day of class. It would be ridiculous to assume that North Carolina’s Democratic governor, its overwhelmingly left-leaning faculty, and the governors and trustees responsible for Silent Sam’s preservation up to this point are all white supremacists. For now, the remains of the Confederate monument are stored away in an undisclosed location. Activists encouraged other students and community members to join them in pressuring the university to reckon with its history and to work for the removal of other tributes to white supremacy. “I hope it’s because you know that you can follow in the steps of anti-racist activists who came well before me... and will continue to fight this university,” she said. #SilentSam was a prominent figure on UNC's quad. This is forAll the adult CHILDREN that feel this is the way to make progress, to gain attn. Iconic pizza, legendary barbecue, new chicken sandwiches and a suburban shift. UNC alumni who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, UNC Silent Sam statue’s fate undecided one year after protesters toppled it, Interim UNC system president says Silent Sam should not return to its original spot, The unfinished story of Silent Sam, from ‘Soldier Boy’ to fallen symbol of a painful past, Silent Sam pedestal removed after order from UNC Chancellor Carol Folt, who is stepping down, Support my work with a digital subscription, What will the Triangle restaurant scene look like in 2021? Now Northerners Need to Tear Down Confederate Flags. Dozens of students, faculty and community activists are starting to gather for the #SilentSam is down anniversary party just off @UNC campus. Ted Soqui / Getty Images Confederate iconography has proliferated in the North — a development of the last 25 years that accelerated in the 2000s. University of North Carolina students tear down Silent Sam statue on first day of class. Like Post Dislike Post Think barbecue and the burbs, What to Watch on Wednesday: A live prime time Inauguration concert special tonight, Retiree buys NC lottery ticket hoping for $500,000 prize and ends up winning $642,767, The many memes of Sen. Bernie Sanders and his mittens, Tom Hanks hosting ‘Celebrating America’ inauguration primetime special. Gov. I am not opposed to removing Silent Sam in principle. To much applause, two graduate students vowed to wear nooses around their necks until Silent Sam fell. It's time to tear down UNC's institutional white supremacy." Only one arrest was made by the end of the night, though additional charges were filed against protesters not affiliated with the university in the following days. The university sits upstream of regular society in many ways. CHAPEL HILL, N. C. – (WNCN) – Several hundred people gathered on the University of North Carolina’s campus Monday night to protest the “Silent Sam” statue. Protesters toppled the Silent Sam Confederate statue on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill on Monday night. They marched to the Unsung Founders Memorial, meant to honor the enslaved and free people of color who built the university, and on to the Old Well, where dozens of students had lined up earlier in the day for a good luck sip, a first-day-of-school tradition. by: CBS 17 staff. When night finally fell, the protesters were able to physically pull the statue from its platform. Tag "silent sam torn down" Back to homepage. Posted: Aug 20, 2018 / 08:14 PM EDT / Updated: Aug 22, 2018 / 09:34 AM EDT. Three others have later court dates on the same charges of helping to tear down “Silent Sam” at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Aug. 20. It happened while the group stood around the Unsung Founders Memorial and placed flowers on the monument, not far from where Silent Sam once stood for 105 years. Protesters knocked down the statue around 9:20 p.m. Monday. Silent Sam was and is a war memorial to a bunch of dead young men who fought for a stupid cause, but those dead kids were the sons and fathers and brothers of the people that put up that statue. Fatima Konsouh, a 19-year-old freshman who plans to study business and global studies, responded similarly when she ran into the activists while hanging out with friends on Franklin Street. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A state law passed in 2015 makes it impossible for local governments to decide what to do with the monuments in their own communities. The Confederate Monument, University of North Carolina, commonly known as Silent Sam, is a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier by Canadian sculptor John A. Wilson, which stood on the historic McCorkle Place of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) from 1913 until it was pulled down by protestors on August 20, 2018. Protests are meant to make people angry and make people listen.”. #SilentSam was a prominent figure on UNC's quad. A crowd of 250 protesters at the University of North Carolina has torn down a controversial Confederate statue that was erected in 1913. Protesters toppled the statue Monday night on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill. Cheers erupted as the metal groaned and seemed to give. This year, the activists led the crowd on a walking tour — from Peace and Justice Plaza on the edge of campus through McCorkle Place to the site where the Confederate monument once stood. Multiple speakers praised the power of the protesters who brought down the monument to UNC alumni who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. Pictures quickly circulated on social media showing the statue lying face down in the dirt. That night was riddled with conflict and scuffles with police. The point of keeping Silent Sam standing is not to offend African-American students. The students who now attend our colleges will, in a few years, hold positions of power in the real world. That decision should not be made by professional activists bused in from other parts of the country. Silent Sam, the Confederate statue that stood on UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus before it was torn down by protesters in 2018, is now in the hands of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The last video clips and photos of the evening showed a crew hauling the statue into a dump truck and driving off under the cover of darkness, leaving behind … He is a columnist for the campus paper, The Daily Tar Heel, and is an online editor for the conservative/libertarian journal, Carolina Review. Kate Murphy covers higher education for The News & Observer. Then, they all headed home, back to their cars and dorm rooms, to get ready for the second day of classes. Specifically, a law passed in 2015 requires … The Confederate monument on the UNC Chapel Hill campus was torn down by activists one year ago. A judge this week scrapped a deal to give the Confederate statue, which was torn down by protesters in August 2018, to the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Reporters, students and passerby passed stopped by McCorkle Place to see the pedestal from which Silent Sam was torn down the night before CHAPEL HILL— Tim Osborne considered Silent Sam a plague that needed to be cured. He was frustrated with the question and the police clearly had no intention of protecting the statue. On the night of 20 August, radical leftist students, including elements of Antifa and Black Lives Matter, tore down the statue of Silent Sam on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. Protesters Monday night toppled Silent Sam, the Confederate statue at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Contrary to what a Confederate sympathizer would tell you, it is not an erasure of history to remove a Confederate monument. Instead, my objection is to an angry mob tearing down and destroying state property by force. UNC police told CBS 17 that one person who attended the rally was arrested and charged with resisting arrest. Last week, Silent Sam–one of the most visible Confederate monuments in the South–came off its pedestal. Shortly thereafter, Silent Sam came crashing into the dirt. Southerners Tore Down Silent Sam. Carli Brosseau is a reporter at The News & Observer who often analyzes databases as part of her work. The police followed the rally when participants took to the streets from the Old Well, making their way through campus to the intersection of East Franklin and South Columbia streets. "Silent Sam" had stood on a main campus quad from 1913 until it was torn down by protesters who decried what they described as its racist origins. But for those with a deep emotional investment in removing the statue, Silent Sam is seen as veneration of white supremacy. To respond to a column, submit a comment to [email protected]. Protesters Tear Down ‘Silent Sam’ Statue at UNC-Chapel Hill Protesters used ropes to tear down the Confederate statue that many say represents white supremacy; one person was arrested. Police stand guard after the confederate statue known as "Silent Sam" was toppled by protesters on campus at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. “I support them, and I understand why they’re doing this now, because people are around and will listen,” said Davis, who studies history and public policy. pic.twitter.com/etQ7Mt6Tlo. Southerners Tore Down Silent Sam. The Confederate Monument, University of North Carolina, commonly known as Silent Sam, is a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier by Canadian sculptor John A. Wilson, which stood on the historic McCorkle Place of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) from 1913 until it was pulled down by protestors on August 20, 2018. Silent Sam has been torn down. World; News; Fate of 'Silent Sam' Confederate statue torn down by protestors to be decided by university in three months. I spoke to one protester who identified himself as a comrade in some kind of “anarcho-communist organization.” He had just come from Washington, D.C., and seemed to be travelling around the country joining left-wing demonstrations. Protesters and students have torn down the Silent Sam statue on UNC's campus. “I support them,” she said. Since attending Carolina, I have been a voice against the demonstrations to destroy Silent Sam. They encouraged us to wear pins depicting a lynching and handed out bandannas for the protesters to obscure their faces. Shockingly, police stood back apathetically for most of the night. CHAPEL HILL. It is the … PHOTOS | 'Silent Sam' Torn Down During Protests On UNC's Campus UNC police told CBS 17 that one person who attended the rally was arrested and charged with resisting arrest. Not everyone agreed with the activists. Protesters have torn down the Silent Sam statue on UNC’s campus. Protesters have torn down ‘Silent Sam’ Confederate monument in Chapel Hill, N.C. — and social media has a lot to say about it Published: Aug. 21, 2018 at 3:34 p.m. The Board of Governors hasn’t found a solution for Silent Sam, but UNC is … Michelle Brown, who graduated from UNC in 2018, asked for a moment of silence to honor “the black and brown people who built this university and honor the black and brown people who have the courage to go to this university, especially first-years.”. More: Yellowstone grizzly bears are not an endangered species — but ranchers like me are, The fight against rising hatred and bigotry must begin with teachers and students, My family escaped socialism, now my fellow Democrats think we should move the party in its direction. When I asked the protester if he was close to UNC or Chapel Hill he said, “I wish I was.”, “So you just bused in with your buddies from D.C.?”. Several hundred people gathered on the University of North Carolina’s campus Monday night to protest the “Silent Sam” statue. This was an angry mob composed of a minority of the student body along with outside activists. Protesters Tear Down ‘Silent Sam’ Statue at UNC-Chapel Hill Protesters used ropes to tear down the Confederate statue that many say represents white supremacy; one person was arrested. When the statue fell, people cheered. He was with other protesters who certainly were not students but they stood shoulder to shoulder against the police present that evening just the same. Breadcrumb Trail Links. ADVERTISEMENT . Instead, they must seek approval … Protesters knock down controversial "Silent Sam" Confederate statue at UNC campus. “It’s time to tear down Silent Sam. On Monday night, he saw his remedy first-hand. All of this the night before roughly 5,000 new undergraduates pulled on their backpacks for their first day of college classes. Students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill took down the controversial Confederate statue Silent Sam on Aug. 20. What we saw Monday night was a classic example of mob rule. The monument was ripped down after 9:15 p.m. Ted Soqui / Getty Images Confederate iconography has proliferated in the North — a development of the last 25 years that accelerated in the 2000s. The official count from the chancellor’s office stands at about 250 protesters. Chanting and throwing smoke bombs, a few agitators at the front violently clashed with police while fights broke out around us. How the administration chooses to handle this situation is more important than it seems. After all the controversy, abuse and drama, it seemed like the officers were just happy to let the mob have their way. Previously, she covered higher education for the Cincinnati Enquirer on the investigative and enterprise team and USA Today Network. He fled a war and found sanctuary in Durham. Many also recognize it as a distinctive campus landmark like the Old Well and the bell tower. Before the statue was torn down, protesters marched down Franklin Street towards Carrboro following the rally at Silent Sam on campus. In the weeks after Silent Sam was torn down, demonstrations for and against the statue continued, leading to arrests. What the state & UNC has failed to do, the students took care of. Fall semester classes begin Tuesday at UNC. This is … Historical Commission. The group then marched across the street toward the monument. SBI To Investigate After UNC's 'Silent Sam' Statue Torn Down During Protests Protestors were calling for the statue's immediate removal. Pictures quickly circulated on social media showing the statue lying face down in the dirt. Its former location has been described as "the front door" of … If no students, faculty agitators or outsiders are held accountable, we will be setting a dangerous precedent. BlitzWolf 10" LED Ring Kit. Before the statue was torn down, protesters marched down Franklin Street towards Carrboro following the rally at Silent Sam on campus. Video posted by The News & Observer shows … A man on Franklin Street yelled, “Bring it back!” The line at the Old Well gradually melted away after activists flooded the area, holding signs about 28 places on campus “dedicated to enslavers and white supremacists,” including Kenan Stadium. Activism Commentary News League statement on Silent Sam at UNC Chapel Hill. UNC … … The. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File) People rushed to take their photos with the fallen statue and stomped on it. Crowds toppled the Confederate statue. "It's time to tear down Silent Sam.