(ETH) – There is a rising group of people that are calling for the total removal of Confederate monuments in north Alabama, in the wake of George Floyd’s death. One of these monuments is the monument in Birmingham this week. Back in 2017, the state of Alabama passed a law stating that it’s illegal to remove Confederate monuments.
On Monday night, the city of Birmingham defied this law and began to remove one of its monuments. According to a report from ABC 30/40 The city will be required to pay a $25,000 fine. “It was freedom,” that’s how Shoals Activist, Camille Bennett described seeing Birmingham take down its Confederate monument to WAAY-TV in Huntsville.
“I think that Alabama has a responsibility regardless of how long ago that was to atone.” On Tuesday afternoon the Confederate monument outside of the Lauderdale County Courthouse reportedly had a sign placed on it from a protester that read “White silence is white violence.”
“It’s right there at the courthouse so if you’re going there to plead your case oh by the way you have to walk past a symbol of racial terror and it’s not OK,” said Bennett. In the past, Gov. Kay Ivey called these monuments a part of Alabama history that can’t be changed or erased but it looks like things have quickly changed.