Task force members support removing Confederate monument

ASHEVILLE, NC (AP) — A majority of task force members appointed to consider the fate of a Confederate monument in a North Carolina city say they support removing it.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reports nine Vance Monument Task Force members want to remove the 50-foot monument to Zebulon Baird Vance, who was a Confederate military officer who served as North Carolina governor during the Civil War.

The co-chair of the task force says it will serve as a symbol of white supremacy if it’s not removed or altered beyond recognition.

The members made the comments ahead of Thursday’s official vote.

That vote will serve as a recommendation to the Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners.

Two members support relocating the figure.