Supporters say Silent Sam will be replaced, protesters will be prosecuted

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The destruction of the Silent Sam statue has drawn strong reactions from both sides. Wilmington attorney Thom Goolsby, a member of the UNC Board of Governors, says a North Carolina state monument law protects where monuments are placed and moved.

Goolsby says these protesters broke the law, and he intends to see that they are punished to the full extent.

“You don’t discuss it if you destroy it. You don’t stack up the books you don’t like and burn them. You don’t torch somebody’s car because you don’t like them,” said Goolsby.

Goolsby says the root of the problem is discussion.

“Our past is our past. The good, the bad, the ugly. Whether you like Silent Sam or whatever monuments,” said Goolsby.

To Goolsby, the monuments are part of the nation’s history. He says we need to educate future generations.

But the disconnect is how these monuments are displayed and the picture they paint. In fact, supporters like the Sons of Confederate Veterans call them memorials.

“They were fighting to defend their homes, and they were fighting for their independence. They felt like they were carrying out what their fathers and grandfathers had done in 1776,” said Frank Powell, a spokesman for the group.

Powell says these memorials are the closest thing the historical figures have to gravestones. He acknowledges that slavery was alive, but says the monuments tell a different narrative.

“More monuments. More history. More talk. More context. Remembering our past. Honoring the folks that need to be honored in the past. And remembering, in context, the people that did other things is important,” said Goolsby.

Goolsby says the point of these monuments is not about a power struggle, but about education on every side of history.

“We don’t need to be frightened of our past. We don’t need to destroy our past. We need to contextualize it and see it for what it is. Period,” said Goolsby.