Charleston Legislators Vote To Remove Statue

by Stefan Bos, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Legislators in the South Carolina state city of Charleston voted Tuesday unanimously to remove a statue of former vice president and slavery advocate John C. Calhoun from a downtown square, amid widening anti-racism protests.

The announcement came after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to issue an executive order protecting statues and other historical monuments from destruction by “hoodlums” and “anarchists.”

“We are looking at long-term jail sentences for these vandals and these hoodlums and these anarchists and agitators,” Trump told media on the White House South Lawn before departing for a trip to Arizona.

“Call them whatever you want,” he added. “Some people don’t like that language, but that’s what they are. They are bad people. They don’t love our country. And they’re not taking down our monuments.”

Trump’s remarks came a day after protesters tried to tear down a statue of former President Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Park just across the street from the White House. The figure is one of several across the country that has been targeted by protesters following the death of the unarmed black man George Floyd in police custody.

RESTING PLACE

Back in Charleston, the ultimate resting place of the statue of the former U.S. vice president and South Carolina senator has yet to be determined, a decision that will be left up to a special panel. The mayor has anticipated it would go to a local museum or educational institution.

About 40 percent of enslaved Africans brought to North America came through the port city of Charleston, which formally apologized in 2018 for its role in the slave trade.

In its resolution, the city says the statue, in place since 1898, “is seen by many people as something other than a memorial to the accomplishments of a South Carolina native. But rather it is seen ]a symbol glorifying slavery and, as such, a painful reminder of the history of slavery in Charleston.”

Calhoun’s support of slavery never wavered. He said in several speeches on the U.S. Senate floor in the 1830s that slaves in the South were better off than free Blacks in the North while calling slavery a “positive good.”

In the heart of downtown Charleston, Calhoun towers over a sprawling square frequented by locals and tourists. And it is a frequent venue for festivals and significant public events. However, organizers have said recently that they would no longer use the space while the statue remained.

A video posted on Twitter also showed signs and spray-painting on the monument. Police said they made several arrests for vandalism and ultimately closed off the area overnight.

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