Confederate monument outside Arizona Capitol relocated

PHOENIX — A Confederate monument that sat outside the Arizona Capitol was relocated to private property, state officials said early Thursday.

The removal of the monument at Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza in downtown Phoenix and a second monument near U.S. 60 in Gold Canyon came after the United Daughters of the Confederacy requested the move.

The monuments were hauled away late Wednesday.

The private organization sent a letter to the Arizona Department of Administration June 30 saying the monuments needed repair but that “due to the current political climate, we believe it was unwise to repair them where they are located.”

The United Daughters of the Confederacy, which originally placed the monuments on state property, said they would handle all expenses related to their removal.

State leaders and Arizona veterans have called for the removal of the monuments in recent weeks as racial tensions continue to rise across the country.

More than 200 veterans signed and sent a letter to Gov. Doug Ducey on July 1 calling for all Confederate monuments in the state to be removed.

“These monuments dishonor and disrespect all of the African-American heroes that have served the United States in every war since the American Revolution,” the letter said.

Secretary of State Katie Hobbs had previously called for the downtown Phoenix monument to be removed from public display and placed into long-term storage indefinitely.

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