Durham's Confederate Statue Toppled by We the People

Around 7 p.m. Mon., a group of protesters, inspired by the violent riots over the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, decided that if Durham County was in no hurry to take down their statue of a rebel soldier they’d do so themselves. As County commissioners met inside the courthouse building, a group of protesters wrapped a yellow rope around the statue and pulled. In what might seem a blunt metaphor for the fate of Confederate symbols in progressive Southern cities like Durham, the statue tumbled down with barely any effort, crumpling at the feet of its imposing granite pedestal.  ... a crowd stood in wonder, taking pictures of the ruined statue. For some, the meaning of the moment was immediately clear. “All those years, black people had to go to court, walk past this sign, and think you were going to get justice?”