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.
Bull crap. A cowardly administration wanted to be let off the hook through their complicity.