“Some of those who say they are worried about erasing history are really objecting to decisions about monuments being taken down by a small group of people, whether protesters or officials. Ideally, communities as a whole should decide, but you cannot impose this as a requirement without the existence of a real process for having these conversations. Today, what we are truly in danger of losing is not history but rather the chance to use monuments, whether fallen or still standing, as paths to get to a better future” GovernmentProcessDebateDecisionsAmerican HistoryStatuesConversationsMonumentsParticipatory Democracy Book:Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America's Public Monuments Source: Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America's Public Monuments
“When there is no process, people lose hope that their voices will be heard. And then they take action, even if there's no legal route to do so. But this action might not be the one they really want to take. Perhaps they want to have a community-wide conversation about a monument or make some changes to it. Understanding and reconciliation can happen in many ways - but when authorities refuse to listen to calls for removal, some people will think they have no choice but to topple a monument.” ProcessProtestAmerican HistoryReconciliationCivil DisobedienceLegal SystemMonumentsIconoclastia Book:Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America's Public Monuments Source: Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America's Public Monuments