Fame has stood on her pedestal for decades in silent memory to Rowan’s fallen soldiers— not a monument to slavery or oppression but to simple sons and citizens who gave their lives in defense of their state.

Removing her will not solve Salisbury’s problems, which are far more pressing. Crime will not cease, shootings will not stop and the Empire Hotel will not burst forth with renewed commerce. Fame lies in the western part of town in the setting sun, she does not gaze northward in defiance. She belongs to Rowan Couny, not any group of outside agitators.

— James Bostwick

Salisbury