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Community divided over Confederate monument in downtown Salisbury

Some want the Fame statue, which pays tribute to Confederate soldiers, to stay. Others want it to go.

SALISBURY, N.C. — A statue that sits in the center of Salisbury is at the center of controversy. 

There's division among neighbors in regards to its fate and the city argues there's little they can do. 

The Fame statue, which displays an angel holding a Confederate soldier, sits in a median off the intersection of West Innes St. and Church St. It pays tribute to Confederate soldiers from Rowan County. 

For some, it's a reminder of the sacrifice their relatives made. 

"My great-great grandfather fought for what he thought was right," said Mike Sales. "When I drive by Fame, I see an angel holding up a wounded soldier or a dead soldier. What is racist about that?"

For others, the monument is a reminder of the suppression of African Americans, some said. 

"There is a lot of racial undertones with that statue," said Michael Curtsy as he spoke of his ancestors. "As far as someone losing their statue versus a person who's lost their name, their culture, their land, and everything that they had -- that statue means nothing to lose for the suffering that my people suffered for 400 years."

The monument has been vandalized twice. Some of the residents who spoke at Monday's meeting inside the Salisbury Civic Center warned the statue threatens the public's safety. 

"Act on this threat posed by this beacon for White Supremacy," said one woman who pleaded for the statue to be moved. 

But others are concerned that if the statue is removed, it would remove history and be disrespectful to those who fought and died for a cause they believed in. 

"We cannot bury the past," said one man. 

"The statue is an inanimate object," said another. "It cannot physically hurt you and in-and-of-itself, doesn't offer you any danger at all."

"If we move it, then what's next?" another man asked.

The statue is owned by Robert F. Hoke, Chapter #78 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The land it sits on was also granted to them by the city in 1908, according to J. Graham Corriher, the city attorney for Salisbury. 

Thus, he argues by law, the city would need permission from the owner to move the statue. 

Members of the Robert F. Hoke Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) declined to attend Monday's meeting. 

But in a statement, Steve Poteat, with the Sons of Confederate Veterans, said in part, "We do not understand the need for this meeting, as the only discussion that the City Council needs to offer is that they have no jurisdiction." 

He went on to say, "We are of the opinion this meeting is being held as another way to continue to divide the community and create strife where none exists."

We do not understand the need for this meeting, as the only discussion that the City Council needs to offer is that they have no jurisdiction. Our absence should not be taken as a lack of concern for the monument. Quite the opposite ...

After the meeting, council members and the mayor were unsure about further steps. However, they're trying to find a path forward. 

"I say take it down," said one woman. 

"It makes me want to cry just thinking about moving that statue," said another person.

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