UNC leaders said they were caught off guard with the protest Monday that resulted in the toppling of Silent Sam.

There have been approximately 35 protests on the campus of UNC – Chapel Hill during the tenure of Chancellor Carol Folt. The chancellor told reporters in a conference call on Thursday afternoon that the administration did not expect the most recent protest on Monday night to result in the Confederate monument known as Silent Sam from its pedestal on McCorkle Place.

“We had no anticipation of any plans to tear down the statue,” Folt said. “Our belief was that it was going to be an event of about 100 people in support of one of our students.”

Monday’s protest had been billed as being in support of UNC graduate student Maya Little, who was arrested this spring after pouring a mixture of what she said was red paint and her own blood on the statue. Little is facing criminal charges and an honor court violation that she said could result in her expulsion.

Folt said that the university believed it would be a rally “like many of those other 35 events” where protesters have sang and chanted as part of peaceful demonstrations.

“That is absolutely what we thought it was going to be,” Folt said. “And based on all the ways we collect information, that was the information we had.”

UNC workers removed the statue late Monday night after being pulled down, but Folt would not say where the statue is currently being held.

“We have to keep it safe right now, as we’re going through these other things,” Folt said. “But right now, I’m really focusing on safety in the community, securing the campus if there are future events and dealing directly with the immediate investigation.”

Supporters of Silent Sam have been criticizing UNC administrators and police for the reaction by law enforcement allowing protesters to reach the statue. Folt said that no order came from the administration telling the police to stand down on Monday night.

“Of course, I wasn’t sitting on the field,” Folt said. “I wasn’t giving any orders, nor do I ever try to tell the police how to deal with these sorts of situations.”

Folt said that she understands the frustration of protesters but that the state laws must be followed, including the 2015 legislation that prevents the moving of “objects of remembrance.”

“Sometimes, it takes a while to get a lawful process,” Folt said. “It isn’t always solved in the timeframe that the people want.

“I actually think we’ve done a very strong job in trying to follow the law; I think we’ve been trying to do everything we can to continue to contextualize the situation, keep people safe.”

One member of the UNC System Board of Governors has already publicly asked for a status report of Silent Sam being repaired and reinstalled. Folt said the priority at the moment was the investigation into Monday’s actions and that it was too soon to know the long-term future of the statue.

Folt did say that she was pleased that no one was injured in Monday’s protest, adding that safety was paramount amid expected continued protest.

Related Stories
‹
Chapel Hill to UNC: Relocate Silent Sam Away from the Town
Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger and members of the Town Council sent a letter to UNC following the voided lawsuit between the university and a pro-Confederate group. Last week, Judge Allen Baddour ruled that the Sons of Confederate Veterans lacked evidence to prove the group had legal standing to bring action against the UNC System and dismissed […]
Groups Celebrate Anniversary of Silent Sam Toppling at UNC
Singing and chanting started a rally Tuesday night celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Confederate monument on the UNC campus known as Silent Sam being toppled by protesters. A coalition of groups organized Tuesday’s event, including a land acknowledgment from a member of the Carolina Indian Circle and remarks from Barbara Sostaita with UndocuCarolina – […]
Silent Sam Decision Clouding Start of UNC Academic Year
Protesters pulled the Confederate monument known as Silent Sam down from its pedestal on McCorkle Place on the UNC campus one year ago. But the monument’s future – whether on or off campus – is still undecided. That event on August 20, 2018, was the culmination of protests calling for the university administration to remove […]
Silent Sam Decision Looms Over UNC, Search for Police Chief
Jeff McCracken’s retirement as UNC Police chief, which was announced earlier this year, is effective Monday, and the university has named Thomas Younce as his interim replacement. UNC – Chapel Hill Board of Trustees chair Haywood Cochrane said after a special meeting of the board last Thursday that the national search for a permanent police […]
After Tumultuous Academic Year, UNC Board Still Divided on Silent Sam
While the Confederate monument known as Silent Sam wasn’t officially on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting of the UNC System Board of Governors, it was still on the minds of many at the meeting. The initial mid-March deadline for a new plan for the statue that stood on the UNC – Chapel Hill campus for […]
UNC Governors Will Not Discuss Silent Sam at May Meeting
Continuing a series of delays, the UNC System Board of Governors will not discuss the future of the Confederate monument on the UNC – Chapel Hill campus known as Silent Sam at the board’s May meeting. Board chair Harry Smith made the announcement Tuesday afternoon. “In early March, we set the May meeting of the […]
UNC, Chapel Hill Planning for Possible Demonstrations Saturday
Officials from UNC and the Town of Chapel Hill are preparing for the potential for demonstrations in downtown where the campus and town meet on Saturday. The UNC administration sent a message to the campus community on Friday that said the university “is preparing for the possibility of opposing demonstrations on and near campus.” The […]
UNC Chair Says Faculty had Good Meeting Discussing Silent Sam with Board of Governors
Leslie Parise announced late last month that she would be stepping down from her role as faculty chair. She joked during her address to the Board of Trustees University Affairs committee on Wednesday that leaving two years into the three-year appointment was fitting with recent university turnover. “Because, as you know, interim is kind of […]
UNC Police: 'Permanent Marker and Urine' Used to Deface Unsung Founders Memorial
UNC Police have sworn out warrants for two suspects wanted in connection with two “racist actions” on the campus on Sunday. Authorities on Monday afternoon released incident reports for the two instances. The suspects used “permanent marker and urine” to vandalize the Unsung Founders Memorial on McCorkle Place. An outdoor art installment near the Hanes […]
UNC Investigating 2 'Racist Actions' on Campus Sunday
UNC Police are investigating multiple “racist actions” that were carried out on the campus on Sunday. “Two individuals defaced the Unsung Founders Memorial, writing racist and other deplorable language on it,” interim chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz wrote in a message to the campus Sunday evening. The Unsung Founders Memorial was a donation from the class of […]
›