, the controversial confederate monument that stood on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s campus .
Demonstrators initially gathered last night in support of who faces criminal charges for defacing the statue. Hours later demonstrators pulled down Silent Sam with ropes as an estimated 250 protesters surrounded the site. Removal crews arrived later to collect the toppled statue using pulleys and a backhoe.
Silent Sam was part of the university's landscape for more than 100 years and has been contentious for decades. Host Frank Stasio speaks with who was at the scene last night.