Controversial Confederate Statue In Gaston County Will Be Removed

GASTONIA, N.C. — A controversial Confederate monument in Gaston County will be removed.  

Monday night, Gaston County Commissioners voted 6 to 1 to remove the statue from the county’s courthouse.  

This decision follows months of protests from people on both sides of the issue.  Commissioners got an earful from more than 50 Gaston County residents before they voted to remove the monument.  People on both sides were passionate about why they believe the monument should stay and why it should go.

For the past two months – People stood firm in their conviction of what the statue represents to them.  Some call it a symbol of racism, while others say it reflects an important part of history.  

“It’s so erroneous to protect the hateful past that this statue represents and claim to be God-fearing people,” says Ashley Herrera of Gastonia.  

“There is room in Gaston County for a confederate monument. We have Black History Month, black majority congressional district and Martin Luther King holiday,” says William Carter of Gaston County.

Following the vote, dozens of people chanted outside of the courthouse.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans will have 6 months to move the statue to another location.

The County plans to replace it with a monument to all Gaston County soldiers who have died in the line of duty.