Petition calls for removal of Confederate monument in downtown Lancaster

LANCASTER, S.C. — As Confederate statues are toppling around the country, there’s a movement to remove them locally as well.

Ne-Ne Blakeney has started a petition to take down a longstanding monument in Lancaster.

The statue honoring Confederate soldiers dates back to 1911 and stands in the heart of downtown. Many in the minority community, in addition to other voices, say it doesn’t belong there.

Just weeks ago, a crowd marched nearby, protesting the death of George Floyd. Blakeney led that effort, and now she’s leading another against the statue she sees as standing against her.

“That statue represents the pain, suffering that my ancestors went through,” Blakeney said.

Protests over the last few weeks have been very peaceful, and those behind the new online petition to remove the statue want things to stay that way. They told Channel 9 they want to see the Confederate memorial moved because they think it doesn’t represent the whole community of Lancaster -- and never has.

They said they feel like this is the moment to stand up against what they see as a symbol of racism and division, but they want to make the change in a non-violent way.

“We’ve heard people say they’re going come and take it down and all of that. But you know, we’re a different group, so we want to stand out for that, and we want to do it the right way,” Blakeney said.

Dr. Karen Cox at UNC Charlotte has written about Confederate monuments. She said removing it could be a long road for opponents.

“Those laws. The way they’re designed, they’re designed to make it very, very difficult for removal,” she said.

If the law protecting these monuments -- the Heritage Act -- is changed or tossed out by the courts, then local county governments would have authority over what happens to them.

Channel 9 reached out to people on the historic commission who support this monument, but no one wanted to be interviewed on camera.

Public weighs in on controversial monument Public weighs in on controversial monument

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