The United Daughters of the Confederacy is appealing a judge's ruling in May that dismissed the group's lawsuit against Winston-Salem and others over the removal of the Confederate statue from a street corner in downtown Winston-Salem.
And that explains why the city has not yet moved the statue to its new location in Salem Cemetery.
The UDC filed its notice of appeal on May 30, and has followed that with another step in the appeals process, the ordering of a trial transcript. Attorneys for the UDC informed the court on Aug. 9 that it had contracted to provide the transcript.
A hearing on the appeal has not yet been set.
The city removed the statue from the corner of Liberty and Fourth Streets downtown on March 12, citing public safety concerns because of the protests — pro and con — that took place at the site in the preceding months.
The UDC contested the city's right to move the statue and filed a motion with Forsyth Superior Court after the removal to force the city to put it back.
The group's effort had a setback on May 8, when Superior Court Judge Eric Morgan ruled that the UDC, in court terminology, lacked standing, and dismissed the UDC's case. The judge said the UDC did not claim ownership of the statue and did not assert any "legally protected interest" in it.
As a result, the judge said, the UDC lacked the right to sue.
Meanwhile, the Confederate statue has been in storage since it was taken down. City officials plan to relocate the monument to privately owned Salem Cemetery, which agreed to take the statue. The plan is to place the monument in a section of the cemetery where Confederate veterans are buried.
Winston-Salem City Manager Lee Garrity said nothing will be done until the legal issues are all resolved.
"We are just going to wait," Garrity said. "We don't want to spend any money on a new location until the case is settled. The statue is safe and sound in storage."
Opponents of the statues here and elsewhere have called them symbols of slavery, segregation and white supremacy, while defenders have said they represent heritage and are monuments to dead soldiers.
Protesters toppled statues in Chapel Hill and in Durham. Here, the statue was defaced in a couple instances of vandalism before the city took down the statue. Just this week, commissioners in Chatham County gave the UDC until Oct. 1 to come up with a plan to remove a statue on the grounds of the courthouse in Pittsboro.
Confederate statue
Mayor Allen Joines (top right, in yellow vest) watches as the soldier is removed from the top of the Confederate monument at the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue
Workers secure the top portion of the Confederate monument as they prepare to remove it from the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue
Mayor Allen Joines (top, right in yellow vest) watches as the soldier is removed from the top of the Confederate monument at the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue
Howard Snow shoots video of the gathering as workers prepare to remove the Confederate monument at the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue
Howard Snow shoots video of the gathering as workers prepare to remove the Confederate monument at the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue
Workers place webbing around the soldier on top of the Confederate monument as they prepare to remove it from the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019. The statue was lifted just enough for the workers to then place a custom-built protective support structure around the figure before removing it from the pedestal.
Confederate statue
The soldier from the top of the Confederate monument at the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets leaves the area on the back of a flatbed trailer on the way to a storage facility, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue
The soldier from the top of the Confederate monument at the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets is transported down N. Main Street on the way to a storage facility, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue
Signs were placed on the protective fencing as workers prepare to remove the soldier from the top of the Confederate monument at the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue
Tony Law stops to shoot photos as workers prepare to remove the soldier from the top of the Confederate monument at the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue
Workers from Guy M Turner, Inc. prepare to lift the soldier figure from the top of the Confederate monument at the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue
Construction workers inside the Pepper Building stop briefly to watch as the soldier is removed from the top of the Confederate monument at the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue
A small group watches as workers prepare to remove the soldier from the top of the Confederate monument at the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue
Keith Davis stops to shoot photos as workers prepare to remove the soldier from the top of the Confederate monument at the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue
Workers secure the top portion of the Confederate monument to the back of a flatbed trailer as the remove it from corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue
A worker prepares to secure the top portion of the Confederate monument as they prepare to remove it from the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue
The soldier figure from the top of the Confederate monument at the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets leaves the area on the back of a flatbed trailer on the way to a storage facility, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue removal
Workers secure the crane's rigging to a protective support structure surrounding the top portion of the Confederate monument as they prepare to remove it from the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue removal
A resident of 50 West Fourth, the former Forsyth County Courthouse, shoots video as the Confederate statue is removed from the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue removal
Guy M. Turner, Inc had two cranes at the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets for the removal of the Confederate monument, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue removal
A small group watches as workers prepare to remove the soldier from the top of the Confederate monument at the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue removal
Workers secure the top portion of the Confederate monument as they prepare to remove it from the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue removal
Fourth Street was blocked off for the removal of the Confederate monument, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue removal
Signs were put on the protective fencing as workers prepare to remove the monument March 12.
Confederate statue removal
A resident of 50 West Fourth, the former Forsyth County Courthouse, shoots video as the Confederate statue is removed from the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue
For the first time in more than 100 years the 50 West Fourth building (formerly the Forsyth County Courthouse, does not have a Confederate monument at the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets, Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Confederate statue
John Rogers speaks to kick off a gathering of 20 people who came Tuesday afternoon, March 12, 2019 to celebrate the removal of the Confederate monument from the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets.
Confederate statue
Wake Forest divinity school students Donnecia Brown (left) and Alexx Andersen call for reforms at Wake Forest during a gathering of 20 people who came Tuesday afternoon, March 12, 2019 to celebrate the removal of the Confederate monument from the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets.
Confederate statue
Destiny Blackwell (left) and Lillian Podlog lead a chant during gathering of 20 people who came Tuesday afternoon, March 12, 2019 to celebrate the removal of the Confederate monument from the corner of Fourth and Liberty streets.
Post a comment as
Report
Watch this discussion.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.