It’s 9:30 pm, Tuesday evening. For the past two-and-a-half hours I’ve been watching the live WRAL.com video feed of students and activists from UNC Chapel Hill calling for the removal of landmark campus statue, Silent Sam. The statue, erected on the campus in 1913 to memorialize alumnae on both sides who fought in the war and students who fought in the Confederacy, has been criticized by campus groups for encouraging racism.
But let’s talk about the rally. The rally started at 7 pm. By 7:45 pm, the crowd was already dissipating, some to march down Franklin St., others went off into the night.
Why WRAL.com is still broadcasting a live feed two hours after an event essentially ended is a good question. Maybe the protestors are waiting for the police leave and for the barricades to come down. Maybe WRAL.com really, really, really is hoping that something happens. Honestly, it’s hard to believe how any TV executive would deem any of the last 90 minutes newsworthy. (It sounds like things picked up later in the evening as protestors and started pounding on a police car)
Still the video does allow you to make a number of observations:
A strong police presence was clearly visible. I’d estimate maybe 200 protestors from the camera shot around the statue, and I could clearly see 15-20 officers inside a police barricade; not to mention those outside the camera shot. Police also erected barricades to keep people a safe distance away from the monument. Viewers can also hear a police helicopter hovering about throughout the rally.
Clearly the police were prepared.
Another thing you notice is that there seemed to be as many observers as participants. Cameras and by-standers were everywhere. It makes you wonder was this a rally, event, or spectacle?
The rally had numerous speakers. But they didn’t speak. They ranted. They ranted against Silent Sam. They ranted against Chancellor Carol Folt. They ranted against white people. And the rants were filled with expletives.
“1,2,3, f**k the Confederacy; 4,5,6 f**k the Confederacy,” “Where the f**k is Carol Folt” and “F**k white supremacy”
If you were looking for a strong arguments, you didn’t find them.
Chancellor Carol Folt earned the scorn of protestors earlier in the day for saying that short of the statue endangering the physical safety of those at the University, the university doesn’t have the power to remove Silent Sam. Earlier in the week Gov. Roy Cooper said UNC could remove the statue if it merely provoking the threat of physical harm to others. Obviously, Gov. Cooper had a far more expansive interpretation than the UNC.
The video also seemed to make clear that UNC was determined to avoid what happened in Durham last week.
There, an unruly mob toppled a confederate statue in downtown Durham. Across town at Duke University administrators are still trying to identify the individual or individuals who vandalized a statue of confederate General Robert E. Lee in Duke Chapel last week. A statue the university removed from the chapel a day later.
It is more than interesting to me that no one seems to know who planned the rally. If that’s the case, that’s significant. If there is no campus organization behind the event, it may indicate – that aside from the activists — there really is no groundswell of support pushing for the removal of the statue. That’s a view that’s been steadily emerging from various national and local press accounts that say many of the recent protest rallies haven’t been led by college students but by members of far-left organizations skilled in lathering up left-leaning college students.
Whether you agree with the knee jerk policy of removing all confederate statues, you have to agree the support of Gov. Roy Cooper and Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger has accelerated the mayhem.
Are the statues the real threat? Silent Sam has been standing for over one-hundred years. Let’s be clear: the statue and what it represents is not the threat. The real threat is the mob mentality that inevitably takes over such events and short circuits democracy.
How to proceed in the aftermath of Charlottesville is a tricky question. No one condones or encourages racism. Neither do we encourage the knee-jerk response of removing confederate statues and attempting to erase history. Statues have already been removed in many places for years. Doing so only seems to validate that doing such is no antidote for racism.
What happened – or didn’t happen – tonight in Chapel Hill was instructive.
Things were orderly. No chaos broke out. About 9 pm protestors started leaning on and moving steel barricades only to be quickly met by about 10 uniform police officers with masks. The mischief ended. Fences, combined with a large effective and civil police presence, seemed to work.
Whoever made the decisions to increase the police presence should be applauded. We should also be thankful that Gov. Cooper and Mayor Hemminge weren’t in charge. Removing a statue only emboldens the mob and guarantees they will be back for more. It merely distorts history and does nothing to reduce racism.
For tonight at least Silent Sam was safe. What happens when the police leave and fences are removed may be another story.
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No story, why waste cyber space here…
” no one seems to know who planned the rally” NCCivitas off target interpreting the significance.
“No one condones or encourages racism.” WHAT!
“No one condones or encourages racism.”
Except for leftbots like George, we mean, obviously.
Typical NC Civitas partisan propaganda…make fun of WRAL, mock any protest that doesn’t align with Civitas’ brand of Religious Fascism, and slam Gov. Cooper.
It is fascinating that the NCGOP pretends to be the Party of Lincoln and is committed to Statues and Monuments of ‘white men’ who fought against President Lincoln. Honoring these vile secessionists were who White Supremacists and fought to defend and create a Slave-Holding Republic was against everything Lincoln stood for.
Most of the vile Statues and Monuments were erected in a time (1895-1915) known as the Lost Cause of the Confederacy, when African Americans protested their very existence along with Republicans.
To be sure, there are many reasons why Scott should love Abe Lincoln:
He believed blacks would never be the equal of whites, and conceived plans to ship them to a colony in Africa resulting in a “whites only” United States (much like his home state of Illinois codified).
He sent armies into independent states to kill and plunder, starting an aggressive war of invasion that killed nearly a million Americans.
He tried to silence free speech by shutting down dozens of newspapers in the north who opposed his tyranny.
He ordered the arrest of political opponents in Congress and on the Supreme Court.
He presided over genocide of the Plains Indians in order to clear the way for the railroad companies he represented.
He was a perverse, God-mocking heathen, who as a young man shared a bed with another man.
He “united” a nation by sheer force and brutality, and laid the foundations for the bloated, all-powerful national government that taxes those who work to finance the parasites who do not, and bullies its own citizens and the rest of the world through endless regulations and wars.
He was, in sum, a professional troublemaker, an ancestor of those foul-mouthed, mindless, uneducated sexual perverts running wild all over the country tearing down monuments, beating people with contrary opinions, and causing general mayhem.
Those who fought a defensive war against what Lincoln “stood for” should be honored with even more monuments. However, perhaps Confederate monuments should be removed, as the ground most of them now stand is unworthy of their presence. A more fitting monument for UNC, Duke, or a courthouse in this “liberal” age would be a cluster of men (multi-racial of course) engaged in sodomite orgy. Or, a large statue of Lucifer in drag would suffice.
I can’t help but wonder how many of these protesters are actual North Carolinians born and bred. Or the fact that the war of northern aggression was mainly about economics, slavery was but a by-product as most of the poor southern men could ill afford slaves. Or the fact that many slave holders in the northern territories did not want to give up their slaves after the war including General Grant. Robert E. Lee owned no slaves. I am in no way advocating for that vile practice as did many people of the time, however there is so much history that is completely twisted or left out. The confederacy was more about self rule than being dictated to by a gov’t that seemed foreign to most southerners. Strikingly familiar….today we have a govt that does not seem to understand most working Americans, hence we have a president Trump.
Love to read NCCivitas minions explain history…. where is John Stewart when we need him?!
“We hold as undeniable truths that the governments of the various States, and of the confederacy itself, were established exclusively by the white race, for themselves and their posterity; that the African race had no agency in their establishment; that they were rightfully held and regarded as an inferior and dependent race, and in that condition only could their existence in this country be rendered beneficial or tolerable.”
Texas Declaration of causes for secession, February 2, 1861
“Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery — the greatest material interest of the world.”
Mississippi Declaration of causes for secession
“Our new government is founded upon … the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition.”
Alexander H. Stephens, Vice President of the Confederacy
Cornerstone Speech, March 21, 1861
“A geographical line has been drawn across the Union, and all the States north of that line have united in the election of a man to the high office of President of the United States, whose opinions and purposes are hostile to slavery.”
South Carolina Declaration of causes for secession,
December 24, 1860
I wonder why the hero of Scott and George,Obama never seemed to be interested in being the American Taliban and pulling down statues and our history.He seemed to be more interested in spending us into bankruptcy and letting grown men pee in little girls bathrooms than tearing down statues.Maybe that was because he was half white.
I wonder how Larry is going to explain the Republican control of the White House, US House and US Senate when the Debt Ceiling is raised next month.
No doubt it will be Obama’s fault. Ridiculous nonsense from delusional partisan idiots.
Scott,I guess when Ostupid almost doubled the debt you think he had nothing to do with this.I guess you never took high school civics or you would know that you can’t get anything done when you don’t have 60 votes.The Gimmedats will vote lockstep to stop anything Trump does.The Gimmedats had 60 votes the first 2 years of Obama and that’s when they spent us into bankruptcy.Trump has cut 100 Billion off the national debt with executive orders.You might try to do a little research before you call people idiots.Makes you look small.
I understand perfectly Larry. The National Debt became an issue with Ronald Reagan who tripled it. George W. Bush doubled it in 8 years and left Obama to pay for much of the wreckage done.
I don’t see this as a ‘Partisan’ issue. Every President has increased the Debt since Reagan. And the Debt has increased regardless of the Party in control.
I guess that leaves you lost because all you can do is shout your partisan ignorance and insults. Maybe you will grow up someday.
And BTW…I notice you still have not mentioned the Racist Secession letters I posted. I understand why.
You are the one calling people idiots when you are getting your butt kicked in an argument.I see you didn’t mention the 60 votes in the Senate.I understand why.The secession letters have nothing to do with anything now.The people involved in the civil war have been dead a long time.Anybody that thinks tearing down statues is going to make their life better is a retard.
https://me.me/i/fb-com-capitalists-records-set-on-obamas-watch-1-u-s-sovereign-debt-4479290
So Larry needs to bring Barack Obama into comments of Statues that were erected as White Supremacy ‘campaign of fear’ to rewrite the history of the Civil War after Reconstruction.
Silent Sam @ UNC Campus 1913
Confederate Monument @ State Capitol 1895
North Carolina Women of the Confederacy @ State Capitol 1914
Since you cannot defend these Abominations you bring up Obama. That’s hysterical.
I’am not defending anything.I am just pointing out this destruction of history is not going to do anything but increase hate on both sides of the argument.Destroy history and it will be repeated.History is full of examples.If this destruction makes you happy,I think it says volumes about you.
I think this shows just how crazy the racist craze has become.https://downtrend.com/71superb/university-event-cancelled-after-black-students-find-racist-banana-peel?utm_source=fn3&utm_medium=facebook
I think Larry needs Mental Health counseling. He says he isn’t Racist and does not support White Supremacy, but he can’t let go of Statues and Monuments that were specifically erected during the “Campaign of Fear” and are now being marched on by Nazi’s and the KKK. Most of these abominations were dedicated by KKK leaders. Amazing!
You just can’t make this stuff up.
Scott,I don’t really care if you think I’am racist or not.Who died and left you as the judge of who is racist or not?I have a great grandson who is one quarter black so you can take that racist crap and put it where the sun doesn’t shine.When a bunch of lazy bums have nothing better to do than destroy our history that has nothing to do with the world 150 years later,they and you have a problem.
Scott,why don’t you do something good and go find some of those racist bananas,milk,white horses,or what ever you nut cases think are racist today.
Is this guy a racist since according to you he makes racist statements.http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/08/31/ex-nfl-star-burgess-owens-flag-and-why-stand.html
Oh, poor Larry still ranting about ‘lazy bums’ because that’s what Hannity told you. So sad.
No Larry, Citizens, Towns, Community leaders, Mayors, Governors and Statesman are taking the abominations down.
You are too delusional to converse with.
I have never conversed with anyone that’s a perpetual victim before you.You are the most pathetic person I have ever heard of.Go peddle your poor old Scott racist garbage somewhere else.
Again Larry, not a single defense of the Abominations that are the Statues and Monuments erected during the NC Democratic Party ‘campaign of fear’ that sought to destroy Reconstruction, African Americans and the Republican Party.
All you can do is name call Obama, support the Birthers (which is Racist), and ape what idiots like Hannity and Rush (two entertainment ‘shock-jocks’ with High School diploma’s only) tell you.