A plane flew over Chapel Hill on Sunday with a trailing banner that had a Confederate flag and the words “RESTORE SILENT SAM NOW” attached.
Pictures of the plane were shared on social media.
The Confederate monument known as Silent Sam was pulled down from its pedestal on the UNC – Chapel Hill campus during a rally on August 20. Protesters have been calling for the monument’s removal for years. A law passed by the Republican-led General Assembly in 2015 limits the movement of “objects of remembrance” from public grounds.
UNC Chancellor Carol Folt has cited that legislation in saying that the university does not have the authority to move the statue.
The UNC System Board of Governors initially placed a November 15 deadline for Folt and the campus Board of Trustees to submit a plan for the future of the monument. At least one member of the Board of Governors said in the aftermath of the monument being toppled that state law required it be placed back atop the pedestal on McCorkle Place.
The Board of Governors on Friday announced the board was granting a request for an extension to the campus. The board still anticipates receiving a report and discussing the plan with campus officials prior to its December 14 meeting, chairman Harry Smith said Friday.
There have been several protests on the campus after the statue was toppled bringing groups with opposing views face-to-face. More than two dozen arrests have been made over the course of those rallies, most of which are still making their way through the court system in Orange County.
Photo via Colin Schultz
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