West Palm Beach Confederate monument vandalized

Merely a week after the deadly Charlottesville, VA protests, a Confederate monument at a West Palm Beach Cemetery was vandalized, according to reports.

Although the monument stands in a public cemetery, the statue is owned privately by the The United Daughters of the Confederacy. The city of West Palm Beach has made attempts in the past to contact the organization regarding the removal or relocation of the monument, but have not had success.

It was discovered to have been defaced on Sunday; red spray paint containing expletives and anti-fascist remarks covered the carved Confederate flag. Damage was also noticed to the stone itself. The cemetery reports that this is not the first time this monument has been vandalized.

The monument was placed in Woodlawn Cemetery in 1941. Sources say it is the only Confederate monument in Palm Beach County.

Representatives for the cemetery expect the paint to be removed today and that the city has been in contact with the Daughters of the Confederacy regarding the monument’s future.

Monuments around the country are under scrutiny as the debate over Confederate historical markers continues to rise. Places such as Baltimore have proactively removed their statues. Cities throughout America are following the pattern set by Baltimore. The statues are being removed in the overnight hours, so as to cause as little disruption as possible.

President Trump has spoken about the Confederate memorials and about the protests. He has placed blame on both sides of the debate and has aided in escalating the contentious nature of the battle by not immediately denouncing the violence that occurred during the Charlotesville protest.