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DeKalb commissioners will consider resolution to remove Confederate monument

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DeKalb commissioners will consider resolution to remove Confederate monument

After the Stand With Charlottesville candlelight vigil on August 13. 2017, in Decatur, Ga., attendees gather to discuss the controversial "Lost Cause" monument in Decatur Square.
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After the Stand With Charlottesville candlelight vigil on August 13. 2017, in Decatur, Ga., attendees gather to discuss the controversial “Lost Cause” monument in Decatur Square.

A Confederate monument in the Decatur Square could be removed soon if DeKalb County commissioners sign off on it at their Tuesday, Jan. 23, meeting.

The agenda for Tuesday’s meeting includes a resolution by Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson that will allow the county go begin the removal process. According to the resolution, the county will accept proposals for relocation of the monument, which must remain visible to the public. The county does not have to relocate it within DeKalb County however. It could also be put into storage while the county finds a suitable location.

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State law currently prohibits the removal of these monuments, but the county’s attorney believes it can be moved as long as it isn’t obscured. The resolution also asks the state Legislature to repeal this law.

Activists demanded the monument’s removal after a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va. held in August resulted in the deaths of three people. Opponents of the monument held a rally and a discussion in the city’s downtown to support removing it. The monument has also been defaced several times since the debate began.

These activists are planning to show up in force at the Jan. 23 meeting.

The monument is located by the old DeKalb County courthouse and was constructed in 1908. It is widely seen as a symbol of the Jim Crow era South.

Tuesday’s meeting begins at 9 a.m. and will be held at Manuel J. Maloof Auditorium, located at 1300 Commerce Dr, Decatur, GA 30030. The meeting is open to the public.

Here’s a copy of the resolution commissioners are considering:

Substitute 1-14Transfer Resolution (4)

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