Share
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A 115-year-old Confederate monument that was the subject of protests in Alabama this year was removed from outside a county courthouse early Friday.
News outlets reported that a small group of onlookers cheered at the Madison County Courthouse in Huntsville as crews took away the stone memorial, which was topped by the likeness of a soldier, in pieces. Music blasted during part of the work.
“I’m speechless, literally speechless. It’s an amazing time for our culture and for people of all colors. I’m excited that I’m able to watch this event happen during this time,” said Joretha Wright.
Demonstrators sought its removal amid nationwide protests against racial injustice following the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota in May. City and county officials went back and forth over legal authority to take it down.
Madison County Commissioner JesHenry Malone, in a statement, said the county finally took action after a state commission created in 2017 to protect historic monuments failed to respond in a timely way to the commission’s request to remove the memorial.
“The staff of the Madison County Commission executed the plan outlined in my June 2020 resolution for the legal removal of the Confederate Monument,” he said.
First erected in 1905 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the monument is expected to be moved to a cemetery. It went up at a time when Confederate descendants were trying to portray the South’s cause in the Civil War as noble rather than linked to slavery.
It’s unclear whether the county will have to pay a $25,000 state fine imposed in 2017 to discourage the removal of Confederate memorials.
RELATED TOPICS:
Gomez Guilty of Murdering Los Hooligans Bass Player
10 hours ago
Biden Says It Was a Mistake to Say He Wanted to Put Trump in a ‘Bull’s-Eye’
11 hours ago
Tesla CEO Elon Musk Appears to Confirm Delay in Aug. 8 Robotaxi Unveil Event to Make Design Change
13 hours ago
Smittcamp Asks Court to Drop His Lawsuit Against Controversial NW Fresno Project
14 hours ago
Measure P Arts Grants Spark Debate and a Meeting Tonight
14 hours ago
Tedford Exits Fresno State Football. Tim Skipper Is the Next Bulldog Up.
14 hours ago
Trump Receives Enough Delegate Votes to Officially be Republicans’ Nominee
16 hours ago
Man Dies After Rescuing His 2 Children in Mississippi River
10 hours ago
Categories
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/15173402/A-photo-provided-by-Jesse-Pope-shows-Cody-Jay-Pope-right-with-him-in-2012.-The-authorities-found-the-body-of-Cody-Jay-Pope-a-41-year-old-Minnesota-man-who-had-disappeared-two-days-earlier-after-1024x538.jpg)
Man Dies After Rescuing His 2 Children in Mississippi River
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/15150557/AP24197467333843-1024x576.jpg)
Is Inflation Finally Corralled? Powell Says Federal Reserve Believes It’s Close
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/15171647/Los-Hooligans-court_1280X720-1024x576.jpg)
Gomez Guilty of Murdering Los Hooligans Bass Player
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/15172819/President-Joe-Biden-arrives-to-speak-to-members-of-the-media-in-Rehoboth-Beach-Del.-about-the-shooting-incident-at-Donald-Trumps-rally-in-Pa.-on-Saturday-July-13-2024.-President-Biden-said-o-1024x538.jpg)
Biden Says It Was a Mistake to Say He Wanted to Put Trump in a ‘Bull’s-Eye’
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/15144853/AP24197697589922_-1024x576.jpg)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk Appears to Confirm Delay in Aug. 8 Robotaxi Unveil Event to Make Design Change
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/15120621/lawsuit-against-respiratory-care-facility_1280X720-1024x576.jpg)
Smittcamp Asks Court to Drop His Lawsuit Against Controversial NW Fresno Project
![The Wines of Fresno: Tony Kirk, Birdstone Winery](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/12152749/Tony-Kirk-Birdstone-Winery-016-1-1024x576.jpg)