ROCKY MOUNT, Va. — Officials in southwestern Virginia’s Franklin County have voted to keep a Confederate monument in place outside the courthouse.
The Roanoke Times reports that the county supervisors took the vote on Tuesday. The statue of the Confederate soldier stands outside the Franklin County Courthouse in Rocky Mount, which is south of Roanoke.
The vote followed a nonbinding referendum on Nov. 3 that asked voters to weigh in on whether the statue should be moved to a a museum or another site.
About 69% were in favor of leaving the statue where it is. Residents who wanted the statue moved have pointed out that only about 8% of the county residents are Black.
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