DECATUR, Ga. (AP) — A large bronze statue of the late civil rights leader and Georgia congressman John Lewis was installed Friday on the exact spot where a controversial Confederate monument stood in the town square for more than 110 years before it was dismantled in 2020.
Work crews carefully placed the 3.7-meter-high statue in place while internationally renowned sculptor Basil Watson watched attentively.
“It’s exciting to see it come to life and exciting for the city because of what it represents and what it replaces,” Watson said as he oversaw the installation process.
Lewis was known for his role at the forefront of the civil rights movement, urging others to get into “good trouble” for a cause he believed was vital and necessary. In DeKalb County, where the Confederate monument stood for more than a century, protesters have denounced “good trouble” as they demand the swift removal of the obelisk.
In 2020, the stone obelisk was lifted from its base with straps to the jeers and shouts of “Just drop it!” from onlookers in Decatur, Georgia, who were kept at a safe distance by sheriff’s deputies. The obelisk was erected in 1908 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
A large bronze statue of the late civil rights leader and politician John Lewis stands Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Decatur, Georgia, where a monument to the Confederacy was torn down in 2020 following the death of George Floyd. (AP Photo/Ron Harris)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Ron Harris
Groups such as the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights and Hate Free Decatur had been pushing for the monument’s removal since the deadly 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The memorial was among those across the country that became flashpoints for protests against police brutality and racial injustice following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis. The city of Decatur then asked a Georgia judge to order the removal of the memorial, which has often been vandalized and defaced with graffiti, saying it had become a threat to public safety.
The statue of Lewis will be officially unveiled on August 24.
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