It did not take long for UNC to act on the authorization from Chancellor Carol Folt to remove the remainder of the Silent Sam statue from campus.

Shortly before midnight on Monday evening, crews began working to remove the base and commemorative plaques from the Confederate monument site at McCorkle Place on the university’s campus. The statue itself was torn down by protesters in August, but the pedestal has remained on UNC’s campus while officials work to figure out a plan of action for the statue.

Despite the late hour at which crews began to work on removing the pedestal, a large crowd quickly began to form at McCorkle Place.

In attendance for the event were UNC provost Bob Blouin and university legal counsel Mark Merritt.

This came hours after Folt’s letter to the student body, in which she announced her resignation and authorized the removal of the remainder of the Confederate monument statue.

The presence of the remaining parts of the monument on campus poses a continuing threat both to the personal safety and well-being of our community and to our ability to provide a stable, productive educational environment,” Folt wrote in her letter.

Workers attached tow cables to the top of the pedestal, which was then taken apart piece by piece by a forklift and moved to a flatbed parked nearby. A loud cheer erupted from the crowd as the first section of the pedestal was removed.

The removal of the monument was not met without protest, however. One individual was taken away in handcuffs after rushing the vehicle moving the monument and shouting that those responsible for removing the statue were breaking the law.

While crews were working on removing the statue, UNC confirmed that the remainder of the monument has been moved to storage at a secure location.

Featured image via Blake Hodge