A Confederate war memorial on the grounds of Old City Hall on Trade Street has been defaced.
Someone spray painted “Racist” on the memorial, which was installed in 1977.
The vandalism comes as the nation debates the appropriateness of the Confederate battle flag and Confederate monuments.
The incident is believed to have happened between 6 p.m. Tuesday and 6:45 a.m. Wednesday, according to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police news release.
When asked whether the city has any plans to move the monument, the city of Charlotte said that the City Council has not discussed the issue. It referred questions about the vandalism to the police, who asked for the public’s assistance in identifying the person responsible.
The monument says: “Mecklenburg County remembers with honor her gallant sons who fought in the armies of the Confederate states. With the other brave soldiers of the South, they struggled nobly for the cause of independence and constitutional self-government. Their heroic deeds will be forever honored by patriotic men and women.”
The monument also has an etching on the Confederate battle flag.
Earlier this month, Mecklenburg commissioners debated whether an obscure Confederate memorial on county property should be removed. The memorial is near Memorial Stadium in North Kings Drive.
Commissioners did not make a decision about the monument.
Anyone with information concerning the memorial defacing is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.