Confederate monument moved from Madison County courthouse grounds

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - On Friday, Huntsville city workers relocated the confederate monument that stood outside the courthouse to the 200-year-old Maple Hill Cemetery.

David Person with the Rosa Parks Day Committee says it’s surreal not seeing the confederate monument at the Madison County courthouse.

“What you’ve been working for, hoping for, something you never knew was going to happen in a timely fashion...you have to process that," Person said.

For years, Person and the Rosa Parks Committee have been advocating for the monument’s removal.

“It was always a problem to me that we would have a statue attributed to the confederacy on public property," Person said. "Specifically, on public property that is supposed to be the center of legal matters and the adjudication of legal matters for the people of this county.”

Person says moving the statue is a great first step.

He says the next step is to repeal or amend the 2017 Alabama monument preservation act, which requires local governments to get the state’s approval to rename or remove a monument.

State representative Laura Hall agrees.

“It should be repealed. There’s been a bill introduced by Representative Givan and I’m looking forward to that happening," Hall said.

Representative Hall says she’s also focusing on tearing down what she calls barriers to ensure equality in Alabama.

Not everyone is grateful to see the monument moved, though.

The original donors of the statue attempted to block the move, filing an injunction to keep it outside the courthouse.

A judge denied the request, saying the request did not meet state rules of civil procedure.

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