County commissioners say Confederate monument in Asheville should be removed

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    ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Buncombe County commissioners voted unanimously Monday to accept a city-county task force recommendation to remove the Vance Monument from Pack Square in Asheville.

Next, the matter will go before the Asheville City Council. The monument is on city property, so whether it stays or goes is not a done deal.

The 65-foot stone obelisk was designed by Biltmore Estate architect William Sharp Smith erected in 1896 in honor of Weaverville native Zebulon Vance. Vance was a Civil War officer, North Carolina governor and U.S. senator. He also owned slaves.

The monument built in his name became a flashpoint for local protest after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement.

It was repeatedly vandalized, shrouded until the cover blew off, then officially declared a symbol of systemic racism which threatened public safety.

Then came the opportunity to hear from the public. But only about a half dozen people participated in comments that were taken by phone.

“Once the monument is down, it’s your fault,” one person said.

Those who spoke asked that the obelisk not be removed.

Some cited architectural reasons.

“The obelisk form is universal, it’s uplifting, it points to heaven, it’s inspirational,” one person said.

Others favored preserving heritage and history.

“It is silly to judge a historical figure by so-called enlightened modern standards,” another person argued.

“Generations of African-Americans have suffered and continue to suffer from the policies that started in Vance’s time,” another caller said, lashing out against Vance.

But that person also talked about the need to remember the past. She suggested using money saved from the cost of removal and putting it toward the local reparation effort. She also had an idea for repurposing the monument.

“I would suggest adding a plaque to the monument that specifically describes the history of the monument itself, stating that the city denounces the actions of Zeb Vance and what the city’s doing to remedy systemic racism,” she said.

The matter goes before The Asheville City Council on Tuesday night. But council members will not vote on removing the monument.

“We will vote to receive/accept the task force’s recommendation to remove and direct staff to do due diligence of the cost and logistics of removal and possible replacement. There will more votes to come,” mayor Esther Manheimer said.

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