Q: A statue of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was unveiled Aug. 28 on the grounds of the Georgia State Capitol in the location where the sculpture “Expelled Because of Their Color” used to stand. Has the original statue been relocated?
—Cynthia Rintye, Atlanta
A: The sculpture, commissioned by the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus in 1976, still stands on the Capitol grounds, Carrie Ashbee, chair of the Capitol Arts Standards Committee, told Q&A on the News.
The bronze statue, by John Thomas Riddle Jr., was moved just a few yards away and can be found on the other side of the magnolia tree where it originally stood, on the northeast side of the Capitol. It was unveiled on Feb. 16, 1978, according to GeorgiaInfo, an online Georgia almanac.
Q: I am writing to inquire about the people that defaced the Peace Monument in Piedmont Park. An AJC article stated that Antifa protesters marched from downtown to the park on Aug. 13. Who led the protesters? Was anyone arrested for the defamation of the monument?
—Joanne Heath, Alpharetta
A: The protest, organized in response to the Charlottesville, Va., tragedy, was originally planned by anti-white supremacy activist group All Out Atl, according to the organization's Facebook page.
The AJC previously reported that the event attracted other groups of protesters, some of whom ultimately marched to Piedmont Park and spray-painted the monument, which was erected in 1911 to commemorate peace efforts between the North and South. No arrests were made in relation to the Aug. 13 incident, Atlanta Police Department spokesman Carlos Campos told Q&A on the News.
Fast Copy News Service wrote this column; Dillon Thompson contributed. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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