Surprised? Protesters Reject Winston-Salem Plans to Relocate Confederate Confederate Statue, Want it Destroyed

WINSTON-SALEM – Not long ago we pointed to Forsyth County as the next battleground for Social Justice Warriors to rage against a Confederate statue. The statue in question is located in front of an old court building in Winston-Salem that has been renovated by private developers into a residential property, and protesters want it torn down.

The property owners, too, would rather it be moved than have their tenants’ be constantly subjected to Leftist mobs ranting and raving about the oppression they suffer because of this historical monument to the Confederate dead.

The city initially treated the protesters with kid gloves, electing not to enforce assembly ordinances after the protest organizers scoffed at and refused to apply for a permit to protest at the site. The appeasement of this group, we said, could only serve to embolden them.

The City Council then announced plans to move the statue to a near by cemetery where Confederate soldiers are buried. While that appears perfectly reasonable – satisfying the property owner and placing the statue in a wholly appropriate, relevant location – we predicted that such a reasonable solution would not satisfy those bent on incessant agitation in the name of social justice.

And we were right; at a City Council meeting Tuesday evening focused entirely on the statue debate, Leftist opponents of the statue emotionally slapped down relocation plans, demanding, instead, that the statue be destroyed.

From WFMY:

“Mayor Allen Joines said the clock is ticking for the statue, promising it’ll be taken down and moved to the Salem Cemetery by January 31.

A handful of speakers weren’t satisfied with moving it, instead, they want it completely destroyed. Some expressed their concerns in tears saying the statue is, and always has been, a symbol of hate. 

“I feel like the statue is just the complete opposite of what Winston-Salem stands for,” one speaker said. Another speaker, Alexx Andersen said “When I look at it, I’m reminded that even though the Civil War was centuries ago, I still look at it and I’m reminded that I’m a black person and my life doesn’t matter.” […]”

Give an inch to the Grievance Studies Scholars, and they’ll take a mile. It is not enough to provide reasonable solutions to such controversies; the Left will simply move the goal posts, amplify their feelings-based rhetoric, and demand more.

For one, if a statue honoring those killed in a war 150 years ago makes you feel like your life doesn’t matter, then the issue is not with the statue. It’s you.

There are some that still cling to the unfortunate problems and transgressions of the past, and act as if they are being victimized still in 2019. No matter that we currently live in the freest, most tolerant of times when it comes to everyday people and societal institutions, they willfully blind themselves to reality in order to construct a fantasy in which they too are a victim.

Supporters of the statue also spoke at the meeting, reminding the City Council and those present that this statue is in honor of those that lost their lives in the Civil War, not a blatant symbol of hate. Far from it.

“”To me, it’s not racist and I can understand some people thinking that, but it’s for soldiers that gave their lives,” Howard Snow said. 

Another Confederate monument supporter, Wendy Hayslett, said “I am the great, great granddaughter of a Confederate soldier. I want to remind y’all that my statues represent love, honor and respect.””

While supporters seemed to find the relocation reasonable, they also worried that the new cemetery site would leave it vulnerable to vandalism, much like the much maligned ‘Silent Sam’ statue in Chapel Hill. The mayor downplayed the worry, but the protesters clearly indicated Tuesday that they will not be satisfied until the statue is destroyed.

The statue will be moved to the Salem Cemetery by January 31, but rest assured that won’t be the end of it. The mob will be back to do what they do best – wreak havoc in the name of social justice, impervious to reason.

Read more and watch video from the council meeting from WFMY here.