Appeals court allows Confederate monument to remain in Gaston County

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — The Confederate monument in front of the Gaston County Courthouse can remain.

An appeals court just sided with the county in a lawsuit by the NAACP to get the statue removed.

Channel 9’s Gaston County reporter Ken Lemon has followed the legal battle for years.

The NAACP and those who want the monument removed say it was established in 1912 to express racial dominance.

The NAACP told the court the monument is a symbol of intimidation, injustice, and oppression. The appeals court said their attorneys didn’t show it is a barrier to open courts or justice.

Lemon met with Chad Brown, chairman of the Gaston County Board of commissioners, just after the appeals court ruling.

“Gaston County is very happy today,” Brown said.

Five years ago, the NAACP and other groups began a somewhat combative fight to have the Confederate monument removed.

Brown said the monument was a gift to honor fallen soldiers who fought for the Confederacy.

“It’s there to commemorate history. It’s not to try to put it in anyone’s face,” Brown said.

Brown said the racial reckoning in 2020, which led to several lawsuits, has passed and the fight over the monument is settled.

“Do you think it’s best for the monument to stay there?” Lemon asked.

“I do. I think it’s quiet. You don’t see anything happening now,” Brown said.

The speaker for the dedication of the monument in 1912 celebrated it as a symbol to white supremacy and spoke against voting rights for Black people.

“It needs to go,” said visitor Larry Baker.

He doesn’t like the monument that’s almost as tall as the courthouse.

“What it says to me, is someone is still stuck in the past,” Baker said.

Ro’Shaun McClendon was one of the voices in the protests to have the monument removed.

“It reflects a very ugly part of our history,” McClendon said. “The court ruling was painful news. While this definitely disappoints, it doesn’t have to end here.”

Lemon reached out to the head of the NAACP and its attorney to see if they will continue the fight in court. He hasn’t heard back.

Lemon spoke to a veteran who asked the question others have asked: “Why is this monument so tall and the monument to Gaston County veterans of other wars barely a foot high?”

VIDEO: Confederate monument will stay outside Gaston County Courthouse, ruling says