KKK-style cross burning on Alabama’s I-85 being investigated after 120-year-old Confederate statue is removed
MACON COUNTY, ALABAMA: The Macon County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a burning cross after it was found on a highway bridge. Andre Brunson, a sheriff from Macon County, said they got to know about the incident after several motorists noticed the fire on Interstate 85 at around 9.30 pm on Thursday, June 4.
Brunson said one of the motorists called the police who then worked to extinguish the fire. The sheriff said the cross was made out of makeshift wood that was set on fire on top of the bridge, as reported by WSPA.
One of the motorists who first saw the fire has been identified as John Bolton, who reportedly called 911 as he was driving home on the interstate. Sharing his experience, Bolton said: “Two young men headed to Montgomery, and I, headed to Auburn, saw it as soon as it was set on fire. We pulled over immediately and started running towards it. It looked like a shadow began to run away as we were approaching. We were the first on the scene. I called 911 as one of the guys climbed up to the bridge to knock the cross down."
“The first officer arrived a few minutes later. The officer, the two young men, and I all climbed up to the bridge in order to put out the fire at that time. About five more officers and a female all arrived a few minutes later. Once the fires were extinguished, we could see that there were three total – a cross, a burning tire, and a fuel canister,” he added.
Brunson said no suspect has been identified in the case that remained under investigation. However, police have urged people to call the Macon County Sheriff’s Office if they have any information regarding the fire incident. Burning crosses are most often associated with a terror image used by the Ku Klux Klan, according to the Anti-Defamation League, an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States.
This comes as Alabama's port city, Mobile, removed a statue of a Confederate naval officer after days of protests over the May 25 death of George Floyd, with Mayor Sandy Stimpson saying the monument was a "potential distraction" to focusing on the city's future. The 46-year-old unarmed man died in police custody after a Minneapolis officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. The officer was later identified as Derek Chauvin, who has been charged with second-degree murder.
The statue of Raphael Semmes was reportedly removed overnight, which was noticed by residents on early Friday morning, June 5. The statue of Semmes was standing in the city for 120 years and had become a flashpoint for protest in the city. It was vandalized earlier this week during a demonstration but later it was cleaned by the city.
Reports said the removal of the statue was done overnight without any public notice. However, Stimpson in a string of messages sent on Twitter said he ordered the removal. The decision to remove Semmes’ statue was “not an attempt to rewrite history,” he wrote. "Moving this statue will not change the past. It is about removing a potential distraction so we may focus clearly on the future of our city," the mayor added.