North Carolina's 'Silent Sam' statue now owned by Confederate group

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WRAL) – A Confederate group now owns UNC-Chapel Hill’s controversial Silent Sam statue.

On Wednesday a judge approved a settlement agreement between the University of North Carolina System and the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

According to the agreement the SCV cannot put the statue in any county in which the UNC system has a school.

Additionally, the UNC System agreed to start a $2.5 million trust comprised of non-state funds that will be used to care for and preserve the monument.

Silent Sam has been a point of controversy throughout its history on campus. It was torn down by protesters in august of 2018.

Students and alumni said they’re glad to see the statue go, no matter how much it will cost.

UNC student Alyssa Wang, “I think that it’s a great development. It doesn’t belong on the UNC campus.”

UNC alum Nicholas Teder said, “I think it’s a victory that it’s no longer on university grounds, but I think it perpetuates the problem that it still could be put up somewhere else, even if it’s not in a county where there’s a university and it could still intimidate people of color.”