Petition calls for removal of Confederate monument in Haywood Co.

HAYWOOD COUNTY, Tenn. — Residents in one local community are asking for a statue to be removed from county property.

“The courthouse is a place that’s supposed to represent all people, but having a Confederate statue is not representing everybody,” said Haywood High School senior Trey Cunningham.

Cunningham created a proclamation and petition to get a Confederate statue removed from the property of the Haywood County Courthouse.

“This wasn’t a big issue until yesterday,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham says the statue was recently cleaned and feels that was insensitive, considering the current spotlight on racial issues across the country.

“With all the stuff that’s going on in the U.S. with Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, like I said in my proclamation that was a metaphorical slap in the face,” he said.

Haywood County Mayor David Livingston said it’s standard for the statues to be cleaned.

“We had a complaint that some of the statues were filthy and one of the janitors brought it to my attention, and it had nothing to do about anything other than just normal maintenance,” Mayor Livingston said.

Cunningham says he doesn’t necessarily want the statue to be destroyed, but says it shouldn’t be on government property.

“It can be moved into a museum and somewhere built for things like this, not in front of our county courthouse, cause it doesn’t represent everybody here,” Cunningham said.

Mayor Livingston said he values the opinions of all residents, but ultimately the decision to remove the statue is not his to make.

“The decision on Haywood County property will have to be done by Haywood County Commission, and before it can be moved, the Tennessee Historical Commission will have to receive a petition,” Mayor Livingston said.

As of Wednesday, the petition for the removal of the statue has collected more than 500 signatures.