ATLANTA — The Lion of the Confederacy monument, also known as the Lion of Atlanta statue and the Confederate Obelisk, will be removed from Oakland Park Cemetery at a cost, according to an Atlanta City councilwoman.
The Atlanta Ladies Memorial Association constructed the monument in 1873 and dedicated it to the unknown Confederate soldiers.
However, in recent years the Lion of the Confederacy monument has been a point of contention.
In February, several monuments, including the Lion of Atlanta statue, which is considered in the Civil War section of the cemetery, were vandalized and defaced with spray-painted graffiti and racially offensive remarks.
Councilwoman Natalyn Archibong said the monument will be removed in the next 30 days, and it will cost taxpayers up to $30,000 for it to be relocated.
According to Georgia law, if a monument is removed, it "must be relocated to a site of similar prominence, honor, visibility, and access within the same county or municipality.” The law also states, "they can’t be moved to a museum, cemetery, or mausoleum unless that’s where it was originally placed."
"Our history cannot be rewritten. The city has taken great pains to distance itself from that hateful narrative. State law would have to change, and it would take the people of our state to rise up, but at the current time, this is the best that we can do," Archibong said.
