The argument that offensive statues should be left standing because they are a part of our history is disingenuous.
Nobody argues that we should erect a statue to Adolf Hitler or Joseph Goebbels, and these are men who inspired many Americans to fight (and die) so that other people could be free from murderous tyranny. They are a part of our history.
We don't have statues of Hitler and Goebbels, not because they were not American, but because they represent values that Americans abhor. So do all of those Confederate leaders.
Peaceful petitioning for the statues to be removed is slow and ineffective and, when petitioning is effective, it creates a new problem — what to do with the removed statues.
When a statue is smashed while being pulled down, it empowers the pullers and the viewers and it sends a clear message repudiating the racist values of the Confederacy. It also solves the future problems of the poor museums which would have to make space for these oversized relics.
Debra Scott, Salt Lake City