Summary
The National Park Service plans to reinstall a statue of Albert Pike, a Confederate general, in Washington, D.C. This statue was originally pulled down by protesters during Black Lives Matter demonstrations in June 2020. Some people, including Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, oppose its reinstallation.
Key Facts
- Albert Pike's statue is the only Confederate general statue in Washington, D.C.
- Protesters toppled the statue on June 19, 2020, during Black Lives Matter protests.
- The National Park Service will restore and reinstall the statue.
- The statue's reinstallation follows federal historic preservation laws and recent executive orders.
- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton plans to reintroduce a bill to remove the statue permanently.
- Some histories suggest Pike was a post-Civil War leader of the Ku Klux Klan, though his role is debated.
- The D.C. Council had called for the statue's removal since 1992.
- The plan is to return the statue to its original location by October.
