GRAHAM, N.C. — The fight over removing a Confederate monument from an Alamance County courthouse continued this week.

What You Need To Know

The fight over removing a Confederate monument from an Alamance County courthouse continued this week

On Tuesday, a Superior Court judge dismissed a lawsuit

The North Carolina NAACP is advocating for the statue's removal and filed a lawsuit against the county and its commissioners

On Tuesday, a Superior Court judge dismissed a lawsuit filed from the North Carolina NAACP against the county and its commissioners.

Vietnam War veteran Eddie Mercer says he's lived in Graham for over a decade. He says he loves his town and wants to preserve its history.

Mercer says he's been a counterprotester at a number of rallies and marches since the summer of 2020 with hundreds calling for the statue's removal and the end of racial injustice.

Mercer says he was arrested twice for assault during the protests, in what he says, was defending the statue.

"I just wish that we could live a simple, normal life just as a quaint normal town that's quiet and friendly. And I just want it to be left alone," Mercer said.

On the opposing view, is the Rev. Donna Vanhook who has lived in Alamance County her entire life and tells us the statue is atrocious. She says the racial divide in the city is ever present and the statue is a constant reminder of that.

"It can be a part of history, just move it. It reminds us of, the statue when you just look at it, it's just hovering over. There's white supremacy looking over our county and reminding us, people of color, what has happened," Vanhook said.

Vanhook says moving the statue will help people here come to terms with their history and help others heal.

According to the nonprofit North Carolina Advocates for Justice, there are 42 Confederate monuments at North Carolina courthouses.