Savannah survey: Leave monument to Confederate dead alone
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - A large majority of survey respondents have told Savannah officials the city's 138-year-old monument to Confederate soldiers should be left alone.
City Hall conducted its survey after Mayor Eddie DeLoach proposed in August finding a way "to expand the story this monument tells" that's inclusive of all Savannah residents. The 48-foot (14-meter) monument was completed in 1879 to honor the Confederate dead.
Results of 4,901 survey responses released Friday showed respondents opposed any changes to the monument by a nearly 3-to-1 margin. Roughly half of the respondents identified themselves as Savannah residents.
City officials said in a news release that a task force is reviewing the survey responses and will make a recommendation to the mayor in early 2018. Georgia law prohibits taking down any Confederate monument.