Business demands removal of Confederate statue owned by city
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ATLANTA (WGCL) — A confederate statue owned by the City of Atlanta is sitting on borrowed time, now that the Norfolk Southern Company has requested that it be removed from their property in Midtown.
Hundreds drive by it every day, It’s held a spot in various Atlanta locations since 1910, but now this bronze statue of Samuel Spencer may need to find a new home.
“We’ve progressed into a new age, but you don’t want to forget history,” Atlanta Resident Frank Ebert said.
Many think the landmarks time is up, including Atlanta City Councilman Antonio Brown.
”I applaud the Norfolk Company for taking the necessary steps to address this,” Brown said.
Spencer was once the President of Southern Railway, known today as Norfolk Southern, which owns more 22,000 miles of railway across the county.
The railroad founder also previously served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War and Jim Crow era.
Now the Norfolk Company no longer wants Spencer sitting in the front of their current headquarters in Midtown.
“As enlightenment progresses, yea I think maybe moving it off the front porch and putting it in a place where you honor that thing,” Ebert said.
Documents show the company has even offered to pay for its removal and relocation to their new warehouse.
However, since the City of Atlanta owns the statue, Spencer’s future will now be up to council members.
“I would definitely be in support of Norfolk Southern moving the statue, especially if the statue is going to moved into a storage facility. To me this is a no brainer given the climate that we are in specifically around the social justice movement,” Brown concluded.
The council will vote on what to do with this statue on Monday.
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