WRAL-TV
The Silent Sam Confederate statue was toppled in August by student protesters.
The Silent Sam Confederate statue was toppled in August by student protesters.
The Silent Sam Confederate statue was toppled in August by student protesters.
The Silent Sam Confederate statue was toppled in August by student protesters.
The Silent Sam Confederate statue was toppled in August by student protesters.

Protesters topple Confederate statue at University of North Carolina

Aug. 21, 2018
Many students have been calling for the university to remove the Silent Sam statue from the Chapel Hill campus.

About 250 protesters at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have toppled the school's Silent Sam Confederate statue, the university says.

CNN reports that the statue is the latest among several Confederate monuments to be removed as communities grapple with the legacy of a contentious chapter in American history.

A video and pictures from a student show the statue coming down on Monday night.

Video footage from WRAL-TV shows protesters putting up poles and banners around the statue during daylight. By nightfall, the protesters brought down the statue.

"Last night's actions were unlawful and dangerous, and we are very fortunate that no one was injured," UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol L. Folt said on the school's website. "The police are investigating the vandalism and assessing the full extent of the damage."

One person was arrested, UNC spokeswoman Kate Luck says.

"The charges are for concealing one's face during a public rally and resisting arrest," Luck says.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper's office tweeted a statement: "The Governor understands that many people are frustrated by the pace of change and he shares their frustration, but violent destruction of public property has no place in our communities," the statement read.

The felling of Silent Sam came months after students and some faculty called for removal of the statue.

Chancellor Folt says the statue has been a longstanding source of division for students, staff and alumni.

"The monument has been divisive for years, and its presence has been a source of frustration for many people, not only on our campus, but throughout the community," she says.

YouTube video from Move Silent Sam:

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