A committee put together by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed met for the first time Wednesday to discuss Confederate monuments and streets named after Confederate figures. The group, which is headed up by Atlanta History Center CEO Sheffield Hale, will hear from the public at three more meetings over the next month before delivering their recommendations on how to address the historical monuments to the Atlanta City Council on November 20th.
Many Democrats in recent months have called for the removal of Confederate monuments and street names, with gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams going so far as to recommend sandblasting the famous carving of Southern Civil War Generals at Stone Mountain. Opponents have argued against any such removal, pointing out that the monuments serve as an important reminder of the state’s history and that many museums and exhibits exist, (including at Stone Mountain) to teach the public about the horrors of slavery and wartime.
Even if the committee does recommend removing some monuments and changing some street names, though, Reed and the city council may be powerless to make any changes. According to a section of the Georgia Code written in 2010, “It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, corporation, or other entity acting without authority to mutilate, deface, defile, abuse contemptuously, relocate, remove, conceal, or obscure any privately owned monument, plaque, marker, or memorial which is dedicated to, honors, or recounts the military service of any past or present military personnel of this state, the United States of America or the several states thereof, or the Confederate States of America or the several states thereof.”
It goes on to protect Stone Mountain specifically, reading, “Any other provision of law notwithstanding, the memorial to the heroes of the Confederate States of America graven upon the face of Stone Mountain shall never be altered, removed, concealed, or obscured in any fashion and shall be preserved and protected for all time as a tribute to the bravery and heroism of the citizens of this state who suffered and died in their cause.”
The statute was implemented in 2001 as part of the agreement to change the Georgia state flag, which previously used part of the famous battle flag of the Confederacy.
Other southern states have dealt with similar issues. In Lexington, Kentucky earlier this month two statues of Confederate generals were removed from the state courthouse following a brief legal battle wherein the city council was granted full authority to move historical monuments. The statues will be moved to a local cemetery where the pair are buried.
Republican Governor Matt Bevin lashed out at the move, saying “I think it is a very dangerous precedent to pretend that your history is not your history. That doesn’t mean you have to embrace it. It doesn’t mean you agree with it or even like it. But to pretend it does not exist, to remove it from the landscape of discussion and the ability to learn from (it) is a very dangerous proposition.”
It remains to be seen whether the city, should it decide it wants to remove Confederate monuments and/or street names, has any legal recourse in light of the Georgia code noted above. We’ll keep you updated as this story seems to be one that isn’t going away any time soon.
