BENTONVILLE -- Police closed streets around the downtown square Sunday because of protesters there who rallied in support of a Confederate statue.
Both the city Police Department and the Benton County Sheriff's Office closed the streets immediately surrounding the square around 11:30 a.m. Sunday. The statue recognizes Confederate soldiers and a plaque on one side of the statue honors James Berry, who served as a second lieutenant in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He also was elected the state's 14th governor in 1882.
The closing was a precaution because of the events where vehicles have been used to kill people by plowing through crowds, said Gene Page, community relations officer for the Police Department.
Heather Heyer, 32, was killed and another 19 injured when a car rammed into a group of counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 12. The counterprotesters were there to oppose a group of white nationalists supporting a Robert E. Lee statue in Emancipation Park.
Confederate statues around the country have been in the spotlight since. Some have been vandalized. Others have been removed. The one on the Bentonville square still stands, but is the topic of debate within the community. There are dueling petitions -- one for its removal and one for it to remain -- circulating social media platforms.
The petitions began after Ozark Invisible held a rally on the square Aug. 13.
At least eight members of the Brotherhood of the Southern Cross were at the square in support of the statue Sunday, Page said. Other small groups were around. Some were wanted to see it stay while others wanted it removed.
"You saw the varying sides," Page said, adding it didn't seem to be an organized event.
There were about 31 people in a photo in front of the monument on the Brotherhood of the Southern Cross Facebook page. The group is dedicated to honoring Confederate veterans and is not a hate group, according to the description.
Law enforcement didn't see any paraphernalia or Confederate flags, Page said.
There were no issues or arrests Sunday, and the roads were reopened around 7 p.m. as people left, he said.
Page said the Police Department will continue to monitor activity around the square and send officers when needed. He said the department has gotten calls from organizers when they plan to be there as well as from the public when they hear or see on social media a potential gathering regarding the statue.
The James H. Berry chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy erected the statue more than a century ago, according to county records. The group was given the right to "control and occupy" the park for the purpose of maintaining the monument. The chapter was "no longer active," and the county transferred the authority to beautify and maintain the square to the city in 1996, according to a county court order. The county retained ownership of the square under both arrangements.
George Spence, county attorney, said the statue most likely is owned by Benton County as a "donation," but there may be some restrictions on what the county can do with it. Spence said he would have to research the question to be certain.
NW News on 08/22/2017