Confederate monument near Durham courthouse vandalized

DURHAM, NC (AP) — Someone has spray-painted graffiti on the Confederate monument at the old Durham County Courthouse.

WTVD-TV reported someone painted the words “black lives matter” on the monument overnight Tuesday.

Confederate monuments around the South have been vandalized since the shooting of nine black members of a church in Charleston, South Carolina, last month. The suspect, 21-year-old Dylann Roof, has been seen on social media with Confederate flags.

The Durham monument features a statue of a soldier on top of a granite tower decorated with the Confederate seal. Four cannon balls and two lighted lamps are at the base. It has been there since 1924.

Workers were pressure washing the monument Tuesday morning to remove the graffiti.

Similar incidents have been reported in Durham and Chapel Hill since July 1.

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