4 Confederate statues make their return — but their fate hangs in the balance

On the eve of the Juneteenth observance, it was reported that several Confederate statues, which were removed almost a decade ago, have made a quiet return to Baltimore, Maryland.

The Baltimore Sun reported Thursday that four Confederate statues have made their return to the city, but many details remain unknown.

‘They are being stored in a secure facility. We will not be disclosing their location.’

The statues, which were taken down before dawn on August 16, 2017, just days after the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, were most recently stored in California. They were on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

Just after the statues were pulled from their pedestals, they were stored for years in a Baltimore impound lot, during which time vandals cost tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to the collection.

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Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott Nathan Howard/Getty Images

The statues are: the statue of Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson that originally stood outside Wyman Park Dell, the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument that stood on Mount Royal Avenue, the Confederate Women’s Monument, and the Roger B. Taney Monument.

The Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument sustained the most damage during the storage period after vandals “chopped off an arm and a Confederate flag and doused the whole thing with bright red paint,” according to the Sun.

But now, officials have confirmed that the statues have been returned to their original city, though questions remain.

“The Confederate monuments are back in Baltimore,” Lauren Schiszik, executive director of the city Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation, told commissioners during a June 9 briefing session, according to the Baltimore Sun.

“They are being stored in a secure facility. We will not be disclosing their location.”

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) has been at the forefront of the removal efforts since before they were taken down by his predecessor Mayor Catherine Pugh (D).

Scott has consistently held that these statues and those like them have “ties to the dark side of America’s past.”

In a resolution at the time, then-Councilman Scott wrote, “Monuments with ties to the dark side of America’s past have come under increased scrutiny in recent years with cities across the country debating on whether they should be removed. Following the acts of domestic terrorism carried out by white supremacist terrorist groups in Charlottesville, Virginia, this past weekend cities must act decisively and immediately by removing these monuments. Baltimore has had more than enough time to think on the issue — it’s time to act.”

Scott’s press office did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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