- More than 500 people packed the Chatham County Agricultural and
Conference Center Monday night to voice their minds on the Confederate memorial
in the center of downtown Pittsboro. - The meeting, which began at 6:02, drew people – young and old –
from Chatham and the surrounding areas. - At the beginning of the meeting, Commissioner Walter Petty
announced his resignation from the board after serving for three terms. He
spoke of his accomplishments, especially bringing money into the town without
raising taxes. Petty half-jokingly urged the board to finally fix “the land
issue at the hospital.” Petty received a standing ovation after he finished
speaking, and fellow commissioners and residents thanked him during the public
comment session of the night for his service. - Before the comments on the Confederate monument began, a large
group of Latino Jordan Matthews High School students spoke about their
experiences in Orgullo Latinx Pride, a youth group run by El Vinculo Hispano
(The Hispanic Liaison). Many of the students spoke about their undocumented
citizenship status in the U.S., and a few cited
fears of deportation by Immigration and Customs enforcement officers.
The students praised the program for increasing their confidence, helping
prepare them for college and engaging them civically in the community through
volunteer work and activism. Many spoke of gaining a “voice” through their time
at OLP. - Also in the meeting, the board unanimously passed a measure which
urged the expansion of Medicaid. Petty spoke out against the bill, but he voted
for it anyway because he said he could not come up with a better solution to
the current state and national medical-care crisis. - A town staff member said 63 people were signed up to speak about
the monument, but not all of them showed up. Before the public comment session
began, Board Chair Mike Dasher urged the crowd to be civil and to follow the
example of a group of fifth graders from Perry Harrison Elementary, who sent
him letters about the statue. - The comment session began with a presentation by Howard Fifer, who
introduced Chatham for All, a group that opposes the statue. The group also
presented the commissioners with a petition signed by more than 900 people,
which asked for the removal and return of the state to the Daughters of the
Confederacy. Fifer argued that, because the statue was privately owned by the
Daughters of the Confederacy but on public land, it could be removed at any
time. - Other speakers for the group included Reverend Carl Thompson, a
pastor at Word of Life Christian Outreach Center and former commissioner, who
cited the Bible and called for dialogue in the spirit of truth and
reconciliation. Thompson, who is black, also said walking past the statue
when he was a commissioner felt “surreal” because he was trying to advocate for
all in Chatham while a statue he said opposed civil rights stood outside. As
Thompson was speaking, one heckler told him to “shut up.” - Emily Moose, a Chatham resident and current planning board member,
also spoke for the group. She said she was raised learning the “Lost Cause”
narrative she said was perpetuated by the Daughters of the Confederacy, but
came to believe it was a way to justify white supremacy. Moose also said the
town is losing potential sources of economic investment because of the
unwelcome message the statue sent. - After a five-minute break, the board returned to hear more public
comments, which were supposed to be limited to three minutes per speaker. Some
speakers on both sides ignored the time limit. - Many of the statue’s supporters said it didn’t represent slavery
or racism, but rather the sacrifice of the men who died during the Civil War
fighting for the Confederacy. Some supporters of the monument also said that
their ancestors didn’t personally own slaves. - Many statue opponents
pointed out that the statue was erected in 1907 by the United Daughters of the
Confederacy, decades after the end of the Civil War. These supporters of the
monument said the UDC maintained a close relationship with the Ku Klux Klan and
helped promote revisionist history about the Civil War. - Throughout the night, the rhetoric became increasingly more
charged. Some pro-statue supporters accused the other side of being paid
activists attempting to get rid of “anything Southern” and asked the board if
they would consider removing other historical sites and monuments to veterans
of other wars. - Those opposing the statue also made comments. Take John Wagner, a
Chatham resident, who said having the statue in front of the courthouse would
be tantamount to allowing the statue of school shooter to be placed in front of
a school. After some audible dissent from the crowd, Dasher made a renewed call
for civility. - Though Steve Marley and Wendy Hayslett signed up to speak, both
were notably absent. The two are part of various groups which have been present
at events at UNC-Chapel Hill since the fall of Silent Sam last year. Hayslett
was among a group of demonstrators who marched armed onto UNC’s campus
earlier this year. - The board motioned to refer the matter of the statue to “staff”
and will check with an attorney about their legal options for removing the
statue. Dasher clarified “this motion is not to remove the statue or anything
close to it.” - The board also discussed a legislative hearing request for a
rezoning of a Moncure property to allow an ABC store to be built there. They
held a quasi-judicial hearing for a conditional use permit, with two speakers
presenting on the issue under oath. - All in all, the meeting stretched more than four hours, with the
board finally adjourning around 10:15 p.m.
Public Meeting Notes
Hundreds debate fate of Pittsboro Confederate Statue
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