Silent Sam ‘vandalized again’

The organizer of this Sunday’s pro-Confederacy rally at UNC claims the Silent Sam statue was vandalized this week.

UNC’s Public Safety Crime Log records an act of vandalism on McCorkle Place, though it does not name the controversial statue.

Tensions are running high on campus ahead of the rally, which organizers hope will attract 200-300 people. The activists will gather around Silent Sam in support of the monument at 2pm.

The Tab first learned of the alleged vandalism from rally organizer Gary Williamson, 36, who says he was told about it when he met police on campus this week.

He said: “The media didn’t get ahold of it, but it was actually spray painted again as of Tuesday. I had a meeting with the campus police and the Chapel Hill police just to go over everything. I asked them why it was boarded up and they were the ones who told me it was vandalized Monday night.”

UNC-Chapel Hill’s Student Government released a statement today acknowledging the rally and asking everyone to “respect their fundamental right to express their beliefs.”

Immediately following, the Office of the Chancellor emailed a statement to the entire student body, explaining the details of the rally and the safety precautions put in place.

“Two groups not affiliated with Carolina have informed us that they plan to gather on our campus and share their views in support of the Memorial to Civil War Soldiers of the University. There are some members of our campus community who have also said that they plan to gather and share their opinions at that event.

The entry from UNC Chapel Hill Public Safety Crime Log

“How our past is remembered and represented on our campus is important to us all, and people have different opinions about how best to do it.

“First, safety is our highest priority. If you choose to attend, please use good judgment and help us make this event safe.

“We truly believe differing views can and should be shared in open debate and discourse and we hope all participants will honor this aspiration.”

Police will be present at the event.

The organization behind the rally, Alamance County Taking Back Alamance County, says their intention is to “take back the rights of our history and heritage together as one.”

The Facebook event created for the rally says: “You mess with history or go against the greater good of our state or nation, we will come in numbers.”

In an interview with The Tab ahead of this weekend’s demo, Williamson said:  “We’re a historical preservation group. We are not a hate group or a white supremacist group or anything like that.

“The police are going to be there. A lot of students seem to be wary of coming out because they are scared something is going to happen.”

Earlier this year, the Alamance County Taking Back Alamance County defended the Confederate monument outside the Alamance County Courthouse, which was described as “a symbol of racism” by those who wanted it removed.

Silent Sam has been extremely controversial, especially in recent years. Last month, the Real Silent Sam group described the statue as “a glorified symbol of slavery.”

At the University Day protest against the statue, a participant was quoted saying: “How can Confederate Sam represent anything but the degradation of black humanity?”

The Tab UNC will be covering Sunday’s rally in full.