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DeKalb to solicit proposals for relocating Confederate monument

There are plenty who want this Confederate monument removed from the Decatur square. But city officials say they don’t want it re-located to the Decatur cemetery, partly because there’s no room left and partly because they belive it’s DeKalb County’s problem. Bill Banks file photo for the AJC
There are plenty who want this Confederate monument removed from the Decatur square. But city officials say they don’t want it re-located to the Decatur cemetery, partly because there’s no room left and partly because they belive it’s DeKalb County’s problem. Bill Banks file photo for the AJC
By
Jan 9, 2018

DeKalb County, in a plan unveiled Tuesday, will solicit proposals from outside groups interested in taking responsibility for a Confederate monument located in the heart of Decatur.

The county would open a 30-day window to solicit these proposals, which would require interested parties to explain where the monument would be moved, how public access will be maintained and a strategy for communicating the real intent behind the obelisk erected in 1908.

The full Board of Commissioners still must sign off on the removal plan, but five of seven members attended Tuesday’s committee meeting where the proposal received an initial okay.

DeKalb Commissioners discuss soliciting proposals for the removal of a Confederate monument near the old county courthouse during a meeting of the Planning, Economic Development and Community Services Committee on Jan. 9, 2018.
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“We need action,” said Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson, who has lead the charge to remove the 30-foot-tall monument from such a prominent location on county property.

It has been the site of protests in recent months.

About the Author

Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief. In this role, she writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.

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