A statue of a Confederate soldier on the University of North Carolina’s campus known as “Silent Sam” was toppled by protesters Monday night after they gathered to support a student who is facing punishment for defacing the statue. The News and Observer reports the statue came down at 9:15 p.m., after police briefly clashed with the demonstrators. Someone reportedly threw a smoke bomb into the crowd, which prompted police to chase one protester and arrest another for “resisting, delaying, and obstructing an officer.” Demonstrators took control of the area soon after and put up banners to cover up the statue while police developed a perimeter around them. Maya Little, a doctoral student who is facing criminal and university honor-court charges for throwing red ink and blood at the statue, spoke at the event about a black man who was killed on UNC’s campus in the 1970s. “It’s time to build monuments to honor those who have been murdered by white supremacy,” Little said. “It’s time to tear down Silent Sam. It’s time to tear down UNC’s institutional white supremacy.” WRAL reports that more than 300 protesters gathered on Monday night, and some people behind the toppling of a Confederate monument in Durham were at the event.
