Angry Students Tear Down ‘Silent Sam’ Statue At The University Of North Carolina

Ugh. We’re doing this again? I thought we were past angrily tearing down historical statues?

Guess I was wrong.

On Monday night, about 250 angry students from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill tore down the “Silent Sam” Confederate memorial statue. As National Review notes, the statue was put up by “the Daughters of the Confederacy to remember Confederate alumni who died in the Civil War.”

It sounds like protesters did this to combat “white supremacy,” which shows how little they know about history. As we’ve mentioned before, slavery was an issue, but the underlying reason for the Civil War had more to do with state rights. Slavery happened to be one of the HUGE issues that fell under that category. I’d also like to remind everyone that not EVERYONE who fought on the Confederate side was a raging racist. Were there true racists? Yep. Were there people on the Confederate side who WEREN’T racists? Also yep.

But, history. Who needs it? Certainly not these protesters, who knocked the statue down and held up banners with the words, “For a world without white supremacy.”

One person was arrested for “concealing one’s face during a public rally and resisting arrest,” a UNC spokesperson told CNN.

“Tonight’s actions were dangerous, and we are very fortunate that no one was injured. We are investigating the vandalism and assessing the full extent of the damage,” UNC told CNN.

RAW VIDEO: Students topple Silent Sam Confederate statue on campus of UNC-Chapel Hillpic.twitter.com/NdFTk2U9yQ

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 21, 2018

Police stood guard after the confederate statue known as "Silent Sam" was toppled by protesters on campus at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill on Monday. pic.twitter.com/vCRq4F1Mwr

— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 21, 2018

JUST IN: Protesters have toppled and poured dirt on "Silent Sam" at the Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; the monument was erected in 1913 in honor of soldiers who died while fighting for the Confederacy. https://t.co/sRpLbz5D6R

— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 21, 2018

Using ropes, a crowd of about 250 students, faculty and local residents at carrying banners condemning white supremacy brought the "Silent Sam" monument at UNC Chapel Hill crashing down. https://t.co/CqVVd7V8u3

— NPR (@NPR) August 21, 2018

UNC students just brought down Silent Sam, the statue of a confederate soldier on campus. https://t.co/MOhuy7XPFC

— Tarini Parti (@tparti) August 21, 2018

BREAKING NEWS: Silent Sam is down! Protesters have toppled the controversial statue on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. #WRAL pic.twitter.com/JLOAERUI5P

— WRAL NEWS in NC (@WRAL) August 21, 2018

You can not like a statue and what it stands for, but if you’re going to protest it, do it the right way. Showing up out of no where and tearing it down by force is NOT the answer.

North Carolina’s Gov. Roy Cooper said it best. He said he “understands that many people are frustrated by the pace of change and he shares their frustration, but violent destruction of public property has no place in our communities.”

Governor Cooper has been in contact with local law enforcement and UNC officials regarding tonight's rally and appreciates their efforts to keep people safe. 1/2

— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) August 21, 2018

The Governor understands that many people are frustrated by the pace of change and he shares their frustration, but violent destruction of public property has no place in our communities. 2/2

— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) August 21, 2018

Bingo. That’s all it comes down to. I’m not saying I personally like the statue or anything. In fact, it makes me sick that Julian Carr, a white supremacist, spoke at the dedication of the statue. But does that change what I said earlier? No.

Hate the statue, fine. But this was not the way to do it.