I'LL HAVE ANOTHER LOOK AT
YOUR WEDNESDAY MORNING COMMUTE
COMING UP IN ABOUT FIFTEEN
MINUTES..
YOU TOM EIGHTY SIX TO TWO
THIS MORNING AS CALLS FOR
RACIAL JUSTICE.
CONTINUED TO FILL STREETS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE HAVE
SEEN A MOVEMENT TO REMOVE
CONFEDERATE STATUES SOMETIMES
THROUGH VANDALISM UP SOMETIMES
THROUGH A CITY PROCESS. HERE IN
WEST MICHIGAN IT'S NO DIFFERENT.
THERE WAS A MONUMENT IN ALAN
DIEHL THAT HAS GAINED SOME
ATTENTION. IT DEPICTS A UNION
SOLDIER CONFEDERATE SOLDIER AND
A SLAVE AND THERE ARE CALLS FOR
IT TO BE REMOVED.
NEWS ACE JUSTIN COOLER IS
LIVE THIS MORNING AT THE STATUE
HE SPOKE WITH A GROUP WHO'S
WORKING TO GET IT REMOVED AND
THE GROUP THAT THINKS THAT
THESE KINDS OF STATUES SHOULD
STAY SUGGEST WHAT'S THE
CONVERSATION AROUND? THIS
STATUTE CASES WE SPOKE WITH
TOWNSHIP LEADERS HERE IN
HALLANDALE TOWNSHIP AND THEY
SAY THEY WERE PUT OFF BY THE
PROTEST GROUP IN THE CASE
AIRING THEIR COMPLAINTS BEFORE
GOING TO THE BOARD ITSELF NOW
BEFORE ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN WITH
THIS STATUE WHETHER THAT BE
STAY OR GO. THE BOARD HAS TO
VOTE ON IT. NOW MUCH LIKE THE
CIVIL WAR ITSELF YOU'LL FIND
PEOPLE PEOPLE BOTH IN FAVOR AND
OPPOSED TO THE STATUE ARE SPLIT
RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE ROUGHLY
FIVE HUNDRED MILES AWAY FROM
THE NEAREST CIVIL WAR
BATTLEFIELD.
THIS STATUE IS DIVISIVE
NESTLED IN ALAN DALE TOWNSHIPS
VETERANS MEMORIAL GARDEN OF
HONOR. IT IS OFFENSIVE.
. YOU'LL FIND THIS STATUE
DISPLAYS A SYMBOL OF HATRED.
A CONFEDERATES SOLDIER
HOLDING HIS FLAG BACK TO BACK
WITH HIS UNION COUNTERPART
COWERING BENEATH THEM A
BAREFOOT SLAVE. THIS SLAVE BOY
IS KNEELING ON THE GROUND
WEARING A COTTON PICKING SUCH.
WHAT COULD BE MORE DEMEANING TO
AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THIS IMAGE.
MITCH KALE REPRESENTS THE
MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF CIVIL
RIGHTS ACTIVISTS HE AND. HIS
GROUP WANT THIS STATUE GONE
WHAT THIS STATUTE DOES..
VETERAN AND UNION SOLDIERS
AS AMERICAN VETERANS WHEN IN
FACT CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS ARE
NOT AMERICAN VETERANS THEY WERE
TRADERS TO THE UNITED STATES.
THEY WERE ENEMIES OF FREEDOM.
WE ARE ASKING FOR THIS STATUE
TO BE REMOVED.
HOWEVER IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE.
GROUPS LIKE THE SONS OF
CONFEDERATE VETERANS WHO HAPPEN
TO HAVE A GRAND RAPIDS CHAPTERS
SAY REMOVAL OF THE STATUE WOULD
BE AN ACT OF UNJUST CULTURAL
GENOCIDE. THEY ENCOURAGE OTHERS
WHO FEEL AS THEY DO TO.
. CONTACT THOSE ENTITIES
INVOLVED TO RESPECTFULLY
EXPRESS THEIR UNFAVORABLE VIEW
OF THESE ACTS.
ENTITIES LIKE ELLENDALE
TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR ADAM ELLEN
BOSS. EDS.
CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE ON
I GUESS YOU SAY THEY'RE FAR
ENDS OF THE SPECTRUM AND
EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN.
NOT TO BE VERY CLEAR THE
STATUES WERE BUILT TO REPRESENT
THIS BETTER TO GLORIFY THE
CONFEDERACY.
THE SONS OF CONFEDERATE
VETERANS SAY THE SOUTHERN
SOLDIERS WHO FOUGHT FOR THE
CONFEDERACY QUOTE PERSONIFIED
THE BEST QUALITIES OF AMERICA.
THEY SAY THE PRESERVATION OF
LIBERTY IN FREEDOM WERE THE
MOTIVATING FACTORS IN. THE
SOUTH DECISION TO SECEDE MAKING
NO MENTION OF THE ATROCITIES OF
CHATEAU L SLAVERY ISN'T THAT
OFFENSE. THAT IS SO OFFENSIVE
FOR A GROUP OF ESSENTIALLY
WHITE RACES TO COME IN HERE AND
SAY THAT REMOVING A SYMBOL OF
HATRED AGAINST BLACKS IS
OFFENSIVE. OR THAT IT'S SOMEHOW
CULTURAL GENOCIDE. I'LL TELL
YOU WHAT GENOCIDE WAS THAT WAS
THE AFRICAN SLAVE MARKET.
DISPLAYING A REBEL SOLDIER
HERE IN A PLACE OF HONOR WITH
OTHER VETERANS FURTHER COMPELS
KALE THAT REMOVAL IS THE ONLEY
OPTION MOVING FORWARD.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO LISTEN TO
WHITE RACES AND LISTEN TO THEM
AND SAY THAT TRY TO TWIST THIS
AROUND AND MAKE IT LOOK LIKE
THE CONFEDERATE ARMY WAS
SOMEHOW SOMETHING GOOD FOR
AFRICAN AMERICANS OR SOMEHOW
GOOD FOR THIS COUNTRY. THIS
STATUE HONORS THE ENEMIES OF
FREEDOM AND TREASONOUS
AMERICANS WHO LEFT THIS COUNTRY
AND WENT ON TO FIGHT TO
PRESERVE FLAVOR. AND THAT'S WHY
IT NEEDS TO BE REMOVED..
CASEY INJURY SO WE RAN A
POLL ON TWITTER? IT'S STILL
ACTIVE IF YOU'D LIKE TO
PARTICIPATE THEY'RE POSING. THE
QUESTION DO YOU FIND? THIS
STATUE OFFENSIVE AND IF YOU DO
SHOULD IT BE REMOVED? AFTER
GATHERING NEARLY SEVEN HUNDRED
FIFTY VOTES YOU CAN SEE JUST
HOW EVENLY SPLIT PEOPLE. STILL
ARE ON THE TOPIC OF CONFEDERATE
IMAGES AND STATUES NOW TOWNSHIP
SUPERB. ELLEN BOSS TELLS ME THE
BOARD WILL MEET TO DISCUSS THE
FUTURE OF THIS STATUE NEXT
MONDAY JUNE TWENTY SECOND IN
THE. MEANTIME THOUGH IF YOU
HAPPEN TO HAVE IN A PIN IN
SUPPORT OR AGAINST THIS STATUE
HE'S PROVIDED HIS EMAIL ADDRESS.
HE WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU YOU
CAN SEE THAT ON THE BOTTOM OF
YOUR SCREEN RIGHT NOW WE'RE
GOING TO CONTINUE TO FOLLOW
THIS DEVELOPING STORY AND WE'LL
BRING YOU THE LATEST.