Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 22 augusT 2017
Texas college could influence other Confederate statue moves

By JIM VERTUNO the 14-campus University of
Associated Press Texas System and Fenves’
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The boss, supported moving
University of Texas’ abrupt the statues and said they
decision to remove Con- are better suited for a histo-
federate statues in the mid- ry museum. He also noted
dle of the night after the the potential for violence
violence in Charlottesville, as the national debate
Virginia, raises the question over Confederate memori-
of whether other public uni- als intensifies.
versities, cities and towns “The safety of our students
across the state will follow and a higher learning en-
its lead. vironment that promotes
Texas wasn’t the first promi- civility, unity and diversity
nent school to take down must prevail, and the re-
such monuments — Duke moval and relocation of
University removed a dam- the statues is an important
aged Confederate Gen. step forward,” McRaven
Robert E. Lee statue Sat- said.
urday — but its stature as The Texas A&M University
one of the country’s larg- System, which includes the
est public universities could historically black Prairie
influence others. And in A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee is removed from the University of Texas campus, View A&M University, will
early Monday morning, Aug. 21, 2017, in Austin, Texas. University of Texas President Greg Fenves
a state that has the most ordered the immediate removal of statues of Robert E. Lee and other prominent Confederate review its history artifacts,
Confederate symbols ex- figures from a main area of campus, saying such monuments have become “symbols of modern Chancellor John Sharp
cept for Virginia, accord- white supremacy and neo-Nazism.” said. However, he and Tex-
ing to the Southern Poverty (AP Photo/Eric Gay) as A&M University President
Law Center, a movement a catalyst for his Sunday mer Gov. James Stephen symbolize,” Fenves said. Michael K. Young insisted
to get similar symbols re- night order to move statues Hogg, whose likeness will “Erected during the period that the statue of former
moved could gain momen- of Lee, Confederate Gen. be placed in another spot of Jim Crow laws and seg- school president, Texas
tum. Albert Sydney Johnston on campus. regation, the statues rep- governor and Confeder-
University of Texas Presi- and Confederate Postmas- “The historical and cultural resent the subjugation of ate Gen. Lawrence Sullivan
dent Greg Fenves, who ter John H. Reagan from significance of the Confed- African-Americans. That re- “Sul” Ross — the oldest one
said such monuments have a main area of the Austin erate statues on our cam- mains true today for white on the flagship campus —
become “symbols of mod- campus to a history muse- pus — and the connections supremacists who use them will remain.
ern white supremacy and um. Crews had them down that individuals have with to symbolize hatred and Dedicated in 1918, the
neo-Nazism,” cited the in just a few hours and also them — are severely com- bigotry.” Ross statue is considered a
Charlottesville violence as removed a statue of for- promised by what they Bill McRaven, chancellor of good luck charm. q

Feds: Texas man tried planting
bomb on Confederate statue

By JUAN A. LOZANO ate statue resulted in three
Associated Press deaths, and the removals
HOUSTON (AP) — A Hous- of other statues nation-
ton man has been arrest- wide, including at Duke
ed after he was allegedly University and late Sunday
caught trying to plant ex- evening at the University of
plosives on a Confederate Texas at Austin.
statue at a Houston park, Schneck was charged with
authorities said Monday. attempting to maliciously
Prosecutors allege 25-year- damage or destroy proper-
old Andrew Schneck was ty receiving federal finan-
caught on Saturday eve- cial assistance. He made
ning near a statue of Rich- his initial court appearance
ard Dowling, a lieutenant in on Monday and was to re-
the Confederate army. A main in federal custody un-
Houston park ranger found til a detention hearing on
Schneck holding two boxes Thursday.
with duct tape and wires Philip Hilder, Schneck’s at-
as well as a bottle and torney, declined to com-
a small tube containing ment Monday.
compounds that tests later The statue in Houston, lo-
revealed were explosive cated in Hermann Park, is
materials, according to a of Richard W. “Dick” Dowl-
criminal complaint. ing, an Ireland-born Hous-
Schneck’s arrest comes af- ton saloon owner. His Con-
ter events in Charlottesville, federate unit defeated
Virginia, where a white su- a Union invasion force at
premacist rally over the the Battle of Sabine Pass in
removal of a Confeder- 1863. q