Black leaders in Arizona are calling for the swift removal of the state’s Confederate monuments, joining an overall cry across the nation by those who know that the monuments celebrate slavery and racism.
This battle against Confederate symbols and monuments came to the forefront two years ago when white supremacist Dylann Roof killed nine black parishioners and injured several in a historical black church in Charleston, S.C.
As The Republic (Arizona) notes, several statues and monuments across the nation have been subject to vandalism and been the center of intense protests that sometimes break out into fights. The contractors who have been charged with removing some of the monuments have gone as far as to cover up identifying information on equipment to protect employees, the news site notes.
Arizona lack leaders and officials intend to make their formal request for the state’s six Confederate monuments to be removed on Monday.
“(We will) discuss the meaning of Confederate monuments, how they impact the community and why Gov. (Doug) Ducey should immediately begin the process of removal,” the leaders said in a statement.
According to The Republic, Patrick Ptak, spokesperson for Gov. Ducey said that the governor’s office started looking into the process of a memorial removal or a name change “a week or two ago,” as rumblings began to stir.
Curt Tipton, an adjutant with the Arizona division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, told the Arizona newspaper that getting rid of Confederate statues “because somebody is offended is ridiculous.”
The national organization specifically honors Confederate soldiers but “totally opposes” taking down historical monuments of any kind in Arizona, Tipton said.
“We will fight any removal attempts,” he said.
The Confederacy claimed the lower half of what is now Arizona before it became a U.S. territory or state. More than 300 Confederate soldiers are buried there, according to the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
