A 30-foot obelisk Confederate monument, which had stood for 112 years, was taken down in the downtown Decatur square in response to a judge’s order.
After many incidents of vandalism and citing safety concerns for its potential removal by the people, DeKalb County judge Clarence Seeliger ordered the monument removed.1 In the prior year, the monument had been subject to legislative debate, wherein the State of Georgia increased penalties for vandalizing statues and restricted the ability to “recontextualize” them.2 A decision was made to install a plaque adding context to the obelisk, referencing its installation by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.3
Local officials voted to remove the monument in 2018, one of the many monuments nationwide which received additional scrutiny following the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.4 Local activists with Hate Free Decatur have long been advocating for its removal.