UDC Files New Motion To Block Move Of Winston-Salem Confederate Monument

The group behind Winston-Salem's Confederate monument is once again asking a local court to block the city's efforts to move it from its prominent downtown location.

The statue's presence has sparked vandalism, protests and counter-protests. But Winston-Salem's Confederate monument remains in the same spot that it's been in since 1905, despite a deadline from city officials to move it by the end of January.

The United Daughters of the Confederacy have gone to Forsyth County superior court to block the move once. A judge denied their request.

This week, the group filed a new motion. They say the city is creating a manufactured crisis.

The Daughters of the Confederacy wants the courts, not the city, to decide the fate of the monument.

“The Mayor and the City of Winston-Salem do not have any legal standing or right to remove or alter the statue in any way as this is a state, county and UDC issue,” the group said in a release Thursday.

City officials say they're going ahead with their relocation plans but aren't saying when that will happen.