The sun was setting on the courthouse square in the rural college town of Murray, Kentucky, after another sweltering July day. The town bills itself as the “friendliest small town in America,” but recent controversy around the removal of a Confederate monument have complicated that image.
The city of Murray had unanimously passed a resolution to remove the monument, which features a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and a memorial to the Confederate soldiers from the county. The local university and governor of Kentucky also supported removal. Yet, county government on July 15 passed a resolution — again, unanimously — saying the monument would stay.
Following that vote, dozens descended on the monument in protest that evening, including the Murray State University football coach who sparked the recent calls to remove the statue.
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