Today, the People’s Alliance Board & Race Equity team wrote to the County Commissioners urging them to assign zero value to the Confederate statue that was removed by protesters.

It is our understanding that the County Commissioners have been asked to provide the District Attorney's office with an assigned value for the confederate statue that was removed by protesters last month. On behalf of the People's Alliance Board & Race Equity team, we are asking each County Commissioner to make the following public commitments in advance of their Sept. 25th meeting:

• Value the statue at zero dollars because, while the estimated cost of replacement may be higher, the harms to the community presented by the symbolism of the statue give it no value;

• Not replace the confederate statue; and

• Ask the District Attorney to not require the protesters to pay restitution.

If they do not make all or any these commitments, we have ask them to provide an explanation for us to share with our membership and the community.

PA has been working for over 4 decades to build a more just and equitable Durham and our members elect leaders who we believe represent PA’s vision. As we wrote after the removal of the statue, PA views the removal of the confederate statue an act of civil disobedience by activists committed to dismantling white supremacy and removing symbols of hate. This action has created a pivotal moment for us all to choose how we will respond and for our elected officials to choose how they will lead.

When the PA members endorsed each of the County Commissioners, it was with the belief that they would take bold progressive leadership and stand on the side of justice and equity. We view this as a pivotal moment for them to display this leadership.