Two Confederate statues removed from downtown Wilmington

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Two confederate monuments in Downtown Wilmington were removed overnight.

According to the Wilmington Police Department, the statue honoring George Davis and the memorial to the soldiers of the Confederacy were taken down by city workers early Thursday morning. The removal began at around 2 a.m. and finished at approximately 3:10 a.m.

Confederate monuments partially removed in downtown Wilmington overnight without any warning. — Confederate monuments partially removed in downtown Wilmington overnight without any warning.(WECT)

The statues have been the center of debate recently, after the removal of other monuments to the Confederacy in states across the country. A nightly curfew in the areas around the statues had been in place since Saturday. Wilmington City Council discussed the future of those monuments in a closed session on Tuesday, and was set to take up the issue again Wednesday, but that business was supposedly pushed back to an unknown date.

The City of Wilmington posted a short message on its Twitter account explaining the removal.

In accordance with NC law, the city has temporarily removed two monuments from the downtown area. This was done in order to protect the public safety and to preserve important historical artifacts.
— Wilmington, NC (@CityofWilm) June 25, 2020

The signs for the statues and their platforms are still in place. It is unknown when or if they will be moved.

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