DeKalb County Commission votes to remove Confederate monument
DECATUR, Ga. - DeKalb County commissioners have voted 6-1 to remove the Confederate monument in Decatur Square.
%INLINE%
The approved resolution not only calls for the monument's removal but also now gives county attorneys 30 days to determine if the county owns the statue.
During public comment at the DeKalb County Commission meeting Tuesday, several residents spoke to request the statue's removal, saying it was a monument to white supremacy. One person, a retired history and social studies teacher at Decatur High School, argued that the monument should stay. He said that thousands will vote against the county's SPLOST measure on the Nov. 7 ballot if the commissioners voted to remove the statue.
Commissioner Nancy Jester cast the only vote that opposed the measure.
Earlier this month, DeKalb County Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson filed a resolution advocating for the removal of the monument, which was erected in 1908.
RELATED: DeKalb County commissioner files resolution for removal of Confederate monument
"Those monuments are being used to empower hate groups," said Johnson, who explained that her resolution was prompted by the violence in Charlottesville, Va. in August.
According to Johnson, the county has not been able to locate any paperwork that proves the monument belongs to DeKalb County.