‘Time for change has come.’ Macon protesters to demand removal of Confederate statue

A protest to move the statue of a Confederate soldier at the corner of Cotton Avenue and Second Street is scheduled for 5 p.m. today in downtown Macon.

The protest is set to run from 5-9 p.m. as organizers discuss concerns about the statue and its location.

“Black people were sold as slaves at this site in downtown Macon,” the description of the Facebook event read. “We cannot allow relics of a hateful past to be honored in our city center when we are trying to move forward as a society.”

There is also a fundraiser that has been set up through GoFundMe that has already raised nearly $2,500 that would pay for the statue’s removal. The statue would be relocated to a more appropriate location, according to organizers.

“The time for change has come,” The GoFundMe page read. “Help us peacefully and respectfully move this amalgam Confederate soldier to live forever with his fallen brothers in Rose Hill Cemetery... or similar suitable location if necessary.”

The Confederate solider statue, which doesn’t represent a specific individual, was erected in the late 1800s. The statue originally was installed at the corner of Mulberry and Second streets in 1878. It was moved about 75 yards away to its current location at the corner of Cotton Avenue and Second Street in April 1956. There have been previous efforts to remove the statue, according to Telegraph archives.