Students have been camped out at Silent Sam on UNC’s McCorkle Place since the first day of classes last Tuesday calling for the Confederate monument to be removed from the campus.

While others – including Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger – have asked that the statue be removed, the university has maintained it does not have the legal authority to do so.

The Chapel Hill – Carrboro Chamber of Commerce weighed in on Monday by also calling for the removal of Silent Sam.

In a statement signed by members of the chamber leadership team, the organization writes that “like many Americans,” they are “saddened and alarmed by the recent events” in Charlottesville, Virginia – referencing the white supremacist rally where a counter protester was killed.

The statement reads in part:

“The Chapel Hill – Carrboro Chamber of Commerce believes a statue honoring those who fought to secede from our nation and for the right to enslave human beings, alienates our visitors, students, business leaders and community members. The memorial’s central position on our campus undermines our community’s shared commitment to diversity and inclusion.”

The statement says that the chamber is petitioning the North Carolina Historical Commission with the goal of removing the statue from the campus to be placed in a new location with additional context. While a petition can be put before the commission, the General Assembly appears to hold ultimate authority on approving the removal of any monuments thanks to a 2015 law.

Going beyond calling for the removal of Silent Sam, the chamber’s statement says the group “acknowledges and apologizes for opposing the integration of public accommodations in Chapel Hill and we regret our role in supporting segregation that did not end until ordered so by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

Students who have continued to sit at the base of Silent Sam and place banners and signs on the pedestal say they will remain there until the statue is removed.

You can read the full statement from the chamber here.

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