Judge Robert Ervin has ruled in a case pitting Gaston County against the NAACP., saying that the Confederate Monument in front of the Gaston County Courthouse can stay.
Gaston County sought a declaratory judgement that “the monument is dispute cannot be removed, relocated and/or altered in any way.” The NAACP had sought the removal of the monument.
Cutting through all the legalese, the ruling basically upheld North Carolina’s “Protection of monuments, memorials, and works of art” laws, which pretty much says any of the above cannot be removed or altered in any way. There are exceptions for building or highway projects, and other mundane reasons, but none address the NAACP’s core issues and concerns.
Chris Thomason, a plaintiff and President of the Gaston County NAACP had indicated that citizens had shared “the negative feelings that arise when they see the Monument and other offensive relics that stand for the same bigoted beliefs”.
