MONROE, Mich. — There's a new push to take down confederate statues in many parts of the country. But an online petition is circulating among the Monroe community to move its monument of General George Custer out of the downtown area.
Supporters believe such a controversial figure does not equally represent all of Monroe.
"I feel like this white man is looking down on me and he hates me and he doesn't even know me," petition organizer Katybeth Davis said.
Davis, a Monroe native and person of color, said she believes the statue does not represent the best of her city.
The statue has been around for over 100 years.
"Our country is in the middle of two pandemics that people talk about," she said, "one is the COVID and the other is the racism."
She started a petition on Change.org to have the statue removed from downtown. It has collected over 9,000 signatures. She said the city should not be glorifying a man that participated in the genocide of Native Americans.
"We have a whole entire week contributed to Custer," she said. "We have schools named after him, roads named after him."
RJ Feist has lived in Monroe his whole life can trace his ancestry back to the tribe that first lived in present-day Monroe.
"As a member of the tribe Anishinabe, walking down the street I feel like I'm behind enemy lines, standing in front of it, looking at it," Feist said.
Two petitions are also up online calling for the statue to stay.
But Graham Denton said they're just trying to move it to a place with more context like a museum. Denton is descended from the Cheyenne tribe. Custer and his soldiers were responsible for a brutal attack on a Cheyenne camp in the Battle of Washita, also known as the Washita Massacre. The Cheyenne tribe had been seeking peace.
"I don't want to erase history," Denton said. "His part in Gettysburg and everything else is so important because again that stopped slavery. But we can also teach that icons in history can be polarizing figures who can do good and bad."
The group plans to bring the petition to the next city council meeting.
Meanwhile, the city of Monroe responded to our request for comment with the following:
"The City of Monroe is aware of recent online petitions circulating both for and against the removal of the statue of General George Custer currently located at the southwest corner of West Elm and North Monroe. The statue of General Custer has been part of the Monroe community since its dedication at what is now Loranger Square in 1910. It was subsequently moved to Soldiers and Sailors Park in 1923, and then to its current location in 1955. The statue was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
It is recognized that General Custer has been a controversial figure in US history. The statue was dedicated on June 4, 1910 by President William Taft in recognition of the heroism and valiant efforts of the Michigan Brigade at Gettysburg in 1863. The Brigade led by General Custer turned the tide of battle making it one of the most decisive victories for the North during the Civil War.
To date, there has not been any discussion with the City Council, City Administration, or the broader Monroe community regarding the removal of and/or relocation of the Custer Equestrian Monument.
Vincent Pastue, City Manager"