A monument honoring Rockdale County's Confederate soldiers was placed at the corner of the county courthouse on Main Street on April 26, 1913. On June 30, 2020, just over 107 years later, the monument was removed following an executive order from Rockdale County Commission Chair Oz Nesbitt Sr.
Nesbitt said he had received numerous emails, phone calls and texts from people wanting the monument removed and wanted to follow the "letter of the law" in doing so. But, Nesbitt said, after receiving word about possible threats to the monument, he made the decision to take it down.
Roper and Sons Crane Company began taking the monument down after a brief ceremony at 10 p.m. Tuesday night. Nesbitt said they decided to do it then because they did not want to interrupt court services or downtown businesses during the day, but wanted to give citizens a chance to come out and watch.
Nesbitt said he is in talks with the city of Conyers about placing the monument in the city cemetery. Nesbitt said the monument will be kept in an undisclosed location for it safety until it can be put in a new location.
The Confederate soldier is removed from atop the monument in Olde Town Conyers.
Debate over whether the monument should stay or be removed went on before the ceremony began. Deena Watkins stated the monument is a part of the history of everyone in Rockdale County and it should be studied, not erased.
Anthony Smith (left) and Alonzo Hill (right) said the monument is not being destroyed, just moved, and that having it in front of the courthouse makes Black people feel they don't have equality in the justice system.
District One Commissioner Sherri Washington watched the monument come down.
Rockdale County Public Relations Director Jorge Diez.
Rockdale County Commission Chair Oz Nesbitt Sr.
Dr. Dave Benson, pastor of Conyers First United Methodist Church.
Father Pablo
Pastor Eric Lee of Springfield Baptist Church.
Conyers Police officers and Rockdale County Sheriff's deputies have people move from around the monument before the work on it begins.
The crowd was kept behind police tape for their own safety.
A crane was brought in to remove the monument.
A worker holds up telephone lines for the crane to back in closer to the monument.
Workers put straps around the statue of the Confederate soldier.
The statue and other pieces were placed on the crane truck.
The cap piece is removed.
A flatbed was brought in to haul the pieces of the monument to an undisclosed location for safekeeping until a new site for it is found.
A second cap is removed.
The main tower piece of the monument is removed.Â
A worker removes one of the granite cannon balls from the monument. The other three were left on.
The third cap is removed.
The upper base with the cannon balls is removed.
The upper base is placed on the truck with the other pieces.
Larry Stanford
Senior Reporter
Born and raised in Decatur, Ga. Graduated from Shorter College in Rome, Ga. in 1979 with B.A. in Communications. Worked in community newspapers for 26 years. Started at Rockdale Citizen/Newton Citizen in January 2016.
(7) comments
I propose these Jim Crow monuments, especially the ones with the word "noble" inscribed, be pounded back into sand, but left on the squares - for those who feel the need to keep their head in it.
Give anyone an inch and they will take a mile. Street names, schools, bridge and town names are next. Each removal feeding the power until they come for your thoughts or beliefs. At that point momentum is on their side and they will hunger for the win.
Sad day in Rockdale county. The history is erased and it is guarantied to be repeated. The NCAAComunistP and the terrorist defending and promoting DNC have taken over because the American southerners allowed this garbage to take a footprint. in the south. The press is also much to ignorant to actually report the truth not propaganda.
Welcome to the bolshevik revolution 2.0.
This makes me sick to my stomach, all of it does. Removing or destroying historical monuments has NOTHING to do with police brutality and taking people's lives. I agree things do need to change. The only changes I have seen is destroying or removing anything that has to do with Confederacy, how is that related to the issues with law enforcement. Things do need to change.... In closing white people face racism every day...
Welp. How are monuments and statues to losers relevant now? The only reason for the statues is keep alive that ideology that the confederacy was founded upon that's where our issues with them lay. But if you had a great grandfather that fought and died for the losing side then I guess I understand why you care so much in 2020.
There is more to life bud than winners and losers. Guess you need a bit more experience to figure that out.
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