Citizens advocating both for and against the removal of the Confederate monument located on the Daviess County Courthouse lawn started showing up two hours before Thursday’s Fiscal Court meeting, and they remained long after a unanimous decision to ultimately relocate the statue.
Some verbal arguments got heated — especially after the vote was final — but with 15 Daviess County Sheriff’s Office deputies maintaining a presence, the scene was for the most part relatively without incident.
“We obviously had two factions that had very strong feelings and emotions,” Sheriff Keith Cain said. “There were no physical confrontations whatsoever. Obviously there were some angry words spoken on both sides, and I think that was to be expected, but, by and large, I think Owensboro-Daviess County lived up to my expectations and showed the Commonwealth — and the country — that differences can be resolved without violence and rioting that have occurred in other locations.”
The majority of those who in attendance who supported the removal of the statue said it represented oppression and racism against the Black community. To them, Fiscal Court’s decision to relocate the statue was a major win.
Antoine Smith-Rouse, who stood with the group in support of removing the monument, took time to calm the nerves of those arguing and screaming at each other.
With permission from the group wanting to keep the statue, Smith Rouse used their microphone to tell everyone in crowd the that Thursday’s protest was not the time, nor the place, for aggressive, antagonistic behavior.
“I can only speak for me at the end of the day, but I view [the vote] as a win,” he said. “I do not believe it needs to be at the bottom of the Ohio River. I do not believe it needs to be melted down. I believe it has a place. That place is not on public property. That statue — I 100% believe — does represent hate. I do not believe that I should have to see the statue when I come to the courthouse.”
While Smith-Rouse said he believed the statue should be placed in a cemetery or museum, he said he did not believe it should be somewhere so public.
Dale Roberts, who spearheaded the “Save the Confederate Statue” rally last week, said he was disappointed with Fiscal Court’s decision to have the statue placed somewhere else.
“I guess everybody is entitled to their opinion, but the statue has been here for 120 years,” he said. “It hasn’t burned its own neighborhood. It hasn’t burned a car. It hasn’t started a riot. It hasn’t murdered anybody. It hasn’t done anything like that. Are statues really the problem in America, and in that community?”
Roberts said the group in support of removing the statue needed to “work on other problems” instead of concerning themselves with a Confederate statue and its placement.
“Black lives matter — well, what about every weekend in Detroit, and east St. Louis, and Chicago, when it’s black-on-black murder every week,” he said. “You know, it’s not the white cop killing the black man. It’s the black man killing the black man. They’re shouting, ‘Black lives matter.’ That’s not even what this is about.”
Those in opposition of removing the statue blared music throughout the afternoon, playing songs such as ‘Born in the U.S.A.’
The crowd wanting the statue to be removed attempted chants such as ‘Take It Down’ in between songs, at times also trying to drown out the music.
Tempers and emotions were running high, but Smith-Rouse said the most important issue at hand wasn’t to fight with one another, but to let the community know where they stood on the matter in a profound yet peaceful way.
“Today’s easy to lose focus on why we’re here. But in my opinion, today is — on both sides — about letting the people of Daviess County and the County Commissioners know that we’re supportive on either this side, or that side,” he said. “Today is not to change other peoples’ minds. Arguing back and forth is not going to change anyone’s mind.”
