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Multiple residents urge removal of Confederate monument at courthouse during public comment
Summary
Several residents, including NAACP leaders and veterans, urged commissioners to relocate the Confederate monument at the courthouse, arguing it contradicts the values of justice and harms people of color; speakers urged moving the statue to a museum or replacing it with a justice symbol.
During the public-comment period at the March 24 meeting, a string of residents urged the Gaston County Board of Commissioners to remove the Confederate monument from the courthouse grounds.
Speakers included Neria Philpot, Debbie Clay, Deonna Graham (vice president, NAACP Gastonia Branch 5394B), Dr. Tasha Prieto (veteran and property owner), and Thomas Gillespie (Council of Understanding). They framed the monument as a symbol that preserves the Confederacy’s legacy of slavery and said its placement at a courthouse is inconsistent with ideals of blind justice.
Deonna Graham said plainly: "The Confederacy was established to preserve slavery," and asked commissioners to consider how the monument's presence affects residents' sense of fairness when they enter the courthouse. Several speakers suggested alternatives, including moving the statue to a museum or replacing it with a scales-of-justice monument.
There was no formal motion recorded during the meeting to remove or relocate the monument; these were public comments urging the board to consider action. Thomas Gillespie cited a prior vote he said had approved relocation and called again for the board to act.
The public-comment remarks were recorded during the meeting and will be part of the public record; commissioners did not take immediate formal action on the monument at the March 24 session.
