Black North Carolinians Sue Over ‘Unsafe’ Confederate Monument Honoring ‘Faithful Slaves,’ Claim They’re Getting ‘Armed Threats’
It’s the latest legal clash in a national debate — especially prevalent in the South after the 2020 killing of George Floyd — over what should be done with symbols of the Confederacy.
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Is a monument outside of a county courthouse dedicated in appreciation of “faithful slaves” racially discriminatory and “unsafe” government speech? That is the central question in a legal battle unfolding at Tyrrell County, North Carolina, a coastal county near the Outer Banks that’s dominated by wildlife refuges and is the least populated county in the state.
A group of Black residents argues that the unusual monument, gifted in 1902 to the courthouse by a member of a formerly slave-holding family, expresses government speech that is in violation of the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause and endangers their safety.
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