CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- A protest was sparked following the UNC Board of Trustees recommendation to not return the Silent Sam Confederate monument to its previous site after being knocked down in August.

RELATED: UNC Board of Trustees Recommends Removing Silent Sam to Onsite Education Center

Not everyone was happy about the board's decision and a protest ensued where the statue once stood.

Some protesters who knocked down Silent Sam in August now plan to use shovels to dig up the plaque that says Jefferson Davis Highway. Davis was the first and only president of the once Confederate States of America, which also included North Carolina at the time.

The school says they wish they could move the monument off campus but that does not comply with current state laws, which say schools cannot get rid of any objects of remembrance on their campus. It was suggested that they add a new history and education center that will cost about $5 million to put in place.

Some students believe having the statue still on campus makes the university an unwelcoming place for black people.

 

 

Maya Little, 26, and Mark Porlides, 31, were both arrested and charged with assault on an officer. Little received an additional charge of inciting a riot, and Porlides is also charged with resist, delay or obstruct of an officer.
UNC Board of Trustees Rec­om­mends Removing Silent Sam to Onsite Education Center
UNC Board of Trustees Rec­om­mends Removing Silent Sam to Onsite Education Center
UNC Board of Trustees Rec­om­mends Removing Silent Sam to Onsite Education Center
UNC Board of Trustees Rec­om­mends Removing Silent Sam to Onsite Education Center