Confederate monument removed in dark of night in east Alabama city
Published 2:03 pm Monday, September 28, 2020
The Confederate monument in the median of a busy east Alabama city street is gone.
Anniston city workers took about 20 minutes to remove the monument after Midnight Monday on Quintard Avenue. The marble obelisk had been a landmark of the busy city street since 1905.
The Anniston City Council voted twice to remove the monument, which bears the name of John Pelham, a Confederate officer who was killed in the Civil War.
In a resolution passed in a 4-1 vote in August, council members said the monument “is inextricably intertwined with the South’s historical support for slavery and racial segregation” and would be removed to “create an inclusive environment in … public spaces.”
The council’s decision drew little public opposition in Anniston, a majority-Black city.
The monument is reportedly being moved to Janney Furnace, a Confederate-themed park in Ohatchee.
