The future of a statue honoring the Confederate soldiers of Sampson County, which stands outside the county’s courthouse and has since been damaged, will be under discussion by county leaders on Monday.
Will be discussed at Board of Commissioners meeting
County commissioners will discuss the future of the Confederate monument in downtown Clinton at their regular meeting Monday night, with public comments set to be heard on the issue.
The statue honoring Confederate soldiers of Sampson County has been at the heart of controversy and was the subject of peaceful protests in early July. Proponents for the statue’s removal say it symbolizes a dim and heinous past of racism, while those against its removal maintain that it honors soldiers and represents Southern heritage.
The statue 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.
The statue was damaged in the early morning hours of July 12 and was subsequently removed and taken to a secure location, with county officials citing “public safety.”
The statue atop the monument was leaning backward following the damage, pried partially from its pedestal with a piece of rope left around its neck. The pedestal, which has the inscription and the Confederate flags on it, is still there.
Sampson County History Museum’s board members have shared their willingness to receive the monument as a part of the museum’s Civil War exhibit.
The Clinton City Council in early July 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 been addressed by the Sampson County Board of Commissioners, which would be responsible for any decision on its relocation.
That will change Monday.
The Sampson County Sheriff’s Office released a statement following the vandalism, citing its respect for citizens’ First Amendment right to peacefully protest and the Sheriff’s role to enforce laws that include vandalism, which the office noted is a crime. However, sheriff’s officials have been mum on the issue ever since. No arrests have been made.
Public comments
The Sampson County Board of Commissioners will hold its meeting this Monday, Aug. 3, at 6 p.m. in the Sampson County Auditorium. A modified public setting format will be used that allows in‐person citizen input while observing current restrictions on mass gatherings and social distancing.
The public will be able to hear the entire meeting via an audio link to Zoom, and the meeting will be broadcast live via the county’s newly established YouTube page, https://bit.ly/3f5LlOq. The Facebook page for Sampson County is not allowing the county to post, so public notifications have not been possible through that social media platform.
According to the county rules, the maximum number of participants allowed in the auditorium at any one time will be 10 people. To accommodate agenda presentations and a public comment period, speakers will be admitted to the meeting room individually to present or comment.
Given the modified public setting, the board is expected to adopt temporary public comment rules that modify and supplement their existing Rules of Procedure and Conduct and Public Comment Policy.
Written comments will be read into the record. That period will last no more than 30 minutes. The public comment period will then be extended for another 60 minutes to receive oral comments.
Persons who wish to appear in person at the public comment period had to register in advance of the meeting by emailing their request to [email protected] no later than 5 p.m. Friday, July 31.
The clerk was to confirm the registration and provide a registrant number by return email. That confirmation has to be provided in order to speak, the county said in a statement that was sent to various officials and posted to the county website.
“Individuals who have duly registered and presented their confirmation will be allowed to address the Board of Commissioners, in the numerical order of registration, for no more than 2 minutes each, until such time as the hour allocated for Public Comment has expired,” the county stated. “To ensure the maximum number of speakers can be accommodated within the allocated time, speakers will not be allowed to address the board if their comments were received in written form and read into the record in the previous 30‐minute period.”
Citizens planning to attend the meeting for the purpose of speaking during public comment will be asked to remain outside the meeting room and will be expected to comply with social distancing of six feet, even if it requires persons to remain outside the building until the time of their presentation/comment, the county stated.
“Masks will be required any time persons are within the building and cannot social distance, except when actually addressing the board from the podium,” the county’s notification stated.
To watch the meeting on YouTube, go to https://bit.ly/3f5LlOq. Those wishing to call in and listen to the meeting via Zoom, can call 646-558‐8656. The Meeting ID is 839 3589 3134 and the Passcode is 330982906.
Editor Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137 ext. 2587.