Elected officials in both Tarrant and Denton Counties on Tuesday voted to remove Confederate monuments that sit near their courthouses.
Debates over the monuments had been renewed by the worldwide protests over the death of George Floyd, a black Minneapolis man who died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes.
In Tarrant County, some community members expressed support for keeping the monument, which sits in front of the county courthouse and was erected in 1953. The Commissioners Court voted 4-0 to remove it, with Commissioner J.D. Johnson abstaining.
Commissioner Roy Brooks presented the motion to remove the stone. He said it was not a memorial, but a reminder of who held the power in the Jim Crow era.
"I would argue that it has a chilling effect on justice," he said.
Brooks suggested the monument be taken down until it can be displayed elsewhere with more historical context.
Johnson said his feelings about the monument were mixed, and that it commemorates more people than just those who fought over the issue of slavery.
"As I was not here in '53 when the monument was placed, I didn't vote for it, I'm not gonna vote to remove it. I'm going to abstain," he said.
Commissioner Devan Allen said, as a student of history, her feelings on the monument were complicated, too — but it had to come down.
"I'm here because people ask me to think about our future, and while I certainly want to be sensitive to our history, I have to be much more concerned about our future," she said.
In Denton County, commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to start the process to remove and relocate the Confederate memorial. The soldier atop a ceremonial arch has stood in front of the county courthouse since 1918.
For the past several days, residents across the country have been protesting police brutality and systemic racism – and pushing for the statue's removal. During Tuesday's commissioners' meeting, several people spoke in support of removing the statue.
"Something happened when Mr. Floyd died, these citizens rose up,” County Commissioner Bobbie Mitchell said. “And I could see the hurt that they were having. And if removing this statue would help heal some of that hurt, I'm all for it.”
Denton County Judge Andy Eads says the statue will be preserved and used as an "educational tool.”
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