Toppled Confederate statue returning to DC

A toppled statue dedicated to the memory of Confederate officer Albert Pike will soon be reinstalled in Washington, D.C., according to the Department of Interior. 

The statue will be back in Judiciary Square by October, according to The Washington Post, which first reported the move. It comes a year ahead of the nation’s 250th founding anniversary, a milestone President Trump has pledged to mark with tributes to American history in Washington through his “Making the District of Columbia Beautiful” executive order. 

In the order, Trump says “monuments, museums, and buildings should reflect and inspire awe and appreciation for our Nation’s strength, greatness, and heritage.”

Pike’s contributions to the country’s history fit the mold. 

“This project reflects our commitment to the responsible stewardship of public lands and the preservation of our nation’s cultural resources,” a spokesperson for the department said in a Tuesday statement to The Hill. 

But in 2020, demonstrators removed the sculpture by hand after police officers murdered George Floyd.

Pike’s 27-foot-tall bronze and marble statue was erected in 1901. The measure was aimed at paying homage to his history as a brigadier general in the Confederate army and prominent figure in Scottish Rite Freemasonry. 

He was also a member of the Know Nothing Party, known for its strong anti-immigration stance.

As the Trump administration lauds the statue’s reinstallment, local leaders remain in favor of keeping Pike out of street view. 

“I’ve long believed Confederate statues should be placed in museums as historical artifacts, not remain in locations that imply honor. A statue honoring a racist and a traitor has no place on the streets of D.C.,” Del. Eleanor Norton Holmes (D-D.C.) said in a statement to The Post. 

The D.C. Scottish Rite also said in 2017 the statue had become “the subject of contention and escalating controversy” and that the group would agree to its removal, per the outlet.