Letter to Bridget Donnell Newton, Mayor of Rockville - Remove the Statue of a Confederate Soldier from the Red Brick Courthouse

Letter

Dear Mayor Newton and Members of the Rockville City Council:

I am writing to express my support for efforts to remove the statue of a Confederate soldier near the lawn of the Red Brick Courthouse, one of Montgomery County's most historic landmarks. I stand with County Executive Leggett in supporting immediate action to remove the statue from the lawn.

Last month, I traveled with President Obama and some of my Congressional colleagues to Charleston, South Carolina, where we stood in solidarity with the families of the men and women tragically gunned down at Emanuel AME Church. We mourned with those families and were uplifted by the President's powerful eulogy, in which he called for transformative action.

As you know, earlier this month South Carolina voted to take down the Confederate flag that had hung in front of its Statehouse for over fifty years. Beyond the Confederate battle flag, there is no place for other symbols of a shameful era of institutionalized racism in public spaces -- including the statue near the Red Brick Courthouse.

I urge immediate removal of the statue from its current location.

Sincerely,
Chris Van Hollen

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