Hit-and-run driver strikes fence around Alamance County Confederate statue
A white pick-up truck struck the fence surrounding the Confederate monument in downtown Graham during the early-morning hours on Independence Day.
“At this time it does not appear to be intentional,” the Graham Police Department said in a news release.
The unknown driver ran into the fence in front of the courthouse at a low speed and left the scene.
The hit and run took place around 4:26 a..m. Monday but was not reported to police by Alamance County employees until Wednesday, according to the news release.
Damage is estimated at $2,000.
The crash was captured on surveillance camera footage, but police have no leads on the driver yet.
A contested statue
The courthouse square around the Confederate monument has attracted demonstrators for and against removing the statue for years.
Tensions heightened in 2020 during Black Lives Matter protests, with the largest drawing over 700 people that July. Activists and other community members demanded that Alamance County leaders remove the symbol erected by white supremacists in 1914.
Located on the north side of the Alamance County Courthouse, the 30-foot monument is of a nameless Confederate soldier meant to commemorate the 1,100 soldiers from Alamance County who fought in the Civil War for the Fonfederacy.
There are no recent immediate plans from the Alamance County Commissioners to remove the statue.
Graham police ask that anyone with information about the hit and run contact the department at 336-570-6711 or the Alamance County Crimestoppers at 336-229-7100.
This story was originally published July 7, 2022 at 3:37 PM.