County: No statue talks yet

A statue honoring the Confederate soldiers of Sampson County was damaged in the early morning hours Sunday and was subsequently removed, with county officials citing “public safety.” The statue atop the monument, at the heart of controversy and the subject of recent protests, was leaning backward on Sunday morning, pried partially from its pedestal with a piece of rope left around its neck.

The statue portion was removed later Sunday morning by crews with heavy machinery, but it was not immediately clear where it was taken. The base of the monument still remains,

The Sampson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident. No arrests had been made as of Tuesday.

“When the county was notified regarding the vandalism, we discovered the statue was leaning over at a 90-degree angle. At this point, our primary concern was public safety,” County manager Ed Causey stated in reference to the statue’s removal.

The Clinton City Council just last week adopted a resolution urging county leaders to begin exploring options to remove the Confederate monument from the courthouse steps and relocate it. The issue has not yet been addressed by the Sampson County Board of Commissioners (BOC), who would be responsible for any decision on its relocation.

The county board has yet to have any formal discussions on the topic. Causey said no plans for discussion or the statue itself — its repair and/or removal — have been established.

“Today is Tuesday. This event occurred on Sunday morning. Likewise, the BOC has not met to discuss,” he stated. Regarding the statue, he noted, “There have been no plans established at this point. There have been no formal discussions by the board. Some of the board members have met with individual people in the community.”

According to initial reports, “after midnight” Sunday, Sampson County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a reported vandalism at the Sampson County Courthouse. Upon arrival to the scene, deputies learned that a Clinton Police officer was conducting a routine business check of downtown businesses when the damage to the statue on the front courthouse lawn was discovered.

As the courthouse is on county property, the matter is being investigated by the Sheriff’s Office. Clinton Police Chief Donald Edwards said the city agency is working close with the county.

“The Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating the criminal incident,” Sheriff’s Lt. Marcus Smith confirmed Sunday to The Independent. “As for the particulars of the evidence in the case, I will refrain from comment. It is still early into the investigation and (there are) a lot of moving parts.”

On Sunday evening, the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office released a statement noting that numerous inquiries were received regarding the vandalism. It stated that “lawlessness” would not be tolerated, and asked for patience during the ongoing investigation.

“In recent weeks, several peaceful protests have occurred regarding the monument and the desire for it to be relocated offsite from the Sampson County Courthouse,” the statement read. “While we respect and advocate for all citizens’ First Amendment Rights to peacefully protest, as a society we must equally ensure that the rule of law is carefully followed. As a Sheriff’s Office, it is our responsibility to enforce all laws; to include vandalism — and vandalism is a crime. There is a legal process to follow for things in which we may disagree with and in this instance, proper procedures were overstepped, the law was ignored and a criminal act occurred.”

“As we move forward with our investigation, we ask for patience and understanding on this sensitive issue,” the statement continued. “Make no mistake, as a Sheriff’s Office we will not tolerate lawlessness and will work closely with the City of Clinton and the District Attorney’s Office to seek full prosecution for those responsible.”

Clinton Mayor Lew Starling on Sunday called on local law enforcement to “investigate fully and charge those guilty to the full extent of the law.”

City Councilman Darue Bryant led a protest on Monday at the base of the monument, and similar demonstrations endured the rest of the week, protesting the statue. It was erected to honor soldiers who died during the Civil War, 1861-65, spearheaded by the Ashford-Sillers Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. It was unveiled in May 1916.

To date, nearly 3,000 people have signed an online petition through Change.org in favor of the removal of the Sampson statue. Others have made their opposition to the statue’s removal known, pointing to it as a piece of history and Southern heritage, erected to honor soldiers.

Bryant said just last week that the Sampson County History Museum’s board was willing to receive the monument as a part of the museum’s Civil War exhibit, and he and others said that was a compromise they were willing to make. He said he felt the museum’s military building was a good place for the statue for people who want to see it.

He and others described the statue as symbolizing “a dim and heinous past” of racism. However, while he felt the statue should be removed, he told those in attendance during a July 6 protest, there was a right way and wrong way to remove the monument.

“I’m so proud to see that it didn’t take us having to come up here with markers and spray paint and vandalizing this thing,” he said then. “We didn’t have to take a rope, throw it on it and drag it down the street, and hang it on the light pole. There is a way that we can do it legally. That way, you show dignity and respect.”

Bryant took to social media Sunday, reacting to the incident of vandalism.

“We wanted this statue to be removed and made all attempts to do it legally; however, there were those who fought against it and there were those who felt our process was taking too long,” he stated in the Facebook post. “Remember our agenda is to invoke peace and not discord … justice not lawlessness … to demonstrate love and not hate.”