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Court decision clears way for removal of Confederate statue in Brunswick, newspaper reports

The monument, which has stood in the square since 1902, was the subject of controversy after the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, the Brunswick News reported.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Editor's Note: The video above is from a previous story dated Aug. 31 about a Brunswick committee's recommendations concerning the statue.

The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled against an attempt to block the removal of a Confederate monument in Hanover Square, according to The Brunswick News.

The monument, which has stood in the square since 1902, was the subject of controversy after the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, the newspaper reported. The monument was vandalized after the shooting of Arbery when someone spraypainted 'BLM' on it.

As the controversy grew, commissioners created a panel to debate what to do with the monument. The panel included community leaders, historians and descendants of Confederate soldiers. The panel's goal was to recommend to commissioners whether the monument should be left alone, removed or kept with added context.

First Coast News reported August 2020 the committee's meetings were sometimes confrontational. The committee later used a moderator to help conduct the meetings.

On Aug. 31, 2020, the committee voted 5-4 to recommend keeping the monument with context. However, the commissioners ultimately voted to remove the monument, according to the newspaper

A member of the Sons of the Confederacy filed a lawsuit to block the removal of the monument, citing a Georgia law that bans the removal of monuments recognizing military service and safety concerns with the monument's removal. 

However, the city argued that because the city does not own the monument but the monument rests on city property, it had the authority to have the monument removed, The Brunswick News reported.

It is unclear when the monument will be removed or where it will eventually end up. However, the city told The Brunswick News it does not want the monument on city property.

    

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