Marchers push for the removal of Confederate monument in Decatur. An estimated 3. 00 or more people marched through Decaturs downtown this weekend carrying all manner of homemade posters and banners denouncing fascism, Trumpism, slavery, the Confederacy and those monuments honoring it. Later as darkness fell Sunday, and the speechifying wound down on the citys square, a stark, white lettered message flashed on the old De. Kalb County Courthouse reading, Dismantle White Supremacy. The predominant object of scorn A Confederate obelisk thats resided either in front or behind the courthouse for 1. A group called Hate Free Decatur, a collective calling for the immediate removal of that landmark, organized the march. The group also is behind a petition effort that has more than 2,4. Several days before the event, one of the groups founders, Sara Patenaude, expressed frustration with what she perceived as willful inaction from government officials. Politicians, she said, are hoping if they delay long enough, the interest will go away. There was no sign waning interest Sunday. Hate Free Decatur seemed to morph into something transcending the monument. The 2 hour event featured at least 2. NAACP, the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, the Council on Islamic American Relations, the Atlanta chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, the Jewish Voice of Peace, Black Lives Matter and Black Alliance for Just Immigration. What youre seeing, Patenaude said as she marched, is that monument as a catalyst, a symbol for every group thats been affected by white supremacy. Sundays crowd was diverse, both racially and age wise. Not only did adults participate, but children on bicycles and teenagers chanting, This is what community looks like and This is what Decatur looks like. There were plenty of elderly residents too, including some who, as the speeches forged on, sat down on the base of the monument. The route, culminating in the square, began at the Beacon Hill Municipal Center, located in what was the heart of the citys African American business district from the early 2. Former Mayor Elizabeth Wilson has said this was more or less the track taken by the Klan in the 1. Though no one spoke Sunday favoring the monument, plenty within the city have written or remarked about its complex history. Meantime, local resident Barry Colbaugh has circulated a petition, now reportedly with more than 2,0. The Fest 16 takes place October 2729, 2017. The Selma to Montgomery marches were three protest marches, held in 1965, along the 54mile 87 km highway from Selma, Alabama to the state capital of Montgomery. Buzz Drivers For Pc. That Confederate memorial symbolizes the courage of thousands of Southerners who fought bravely during that conflict, longtime Decatur High teacher Chris Billingsley told city commissioners two weeks ago. That doesnt mean you dont make changes down the road. But I think that, in this political climate we are in right now, this is no time to change something thats more than 1. It appeared no elected officials were present Sunday, though a pro march message sent from Rep. Renitta Shannon, D Decatur, was read aloud. When reached by phone Sunday night, Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett reiterated that the monuments fate wouldnt be determined anytime soon. Part of this is due to a complicated state law passed in 2. De. Kalb property from removing the obelisk. Last Thursday, Garrett and fellow Decatur Commissioner Tony Powers met with two De. Kalb commissioners and a representative from CEO Michael Thurmonds office. They had a discussion about the monument and the media coverage surrounding it, she said. But she added there is no timetable or specific plan is in the works. In terms of removing it, she said, Im not aware of any way it can be removed under the current state statute. And as I understand it, the soonest the statute can be changed would be during next years legislature. The Night Marchers' title='The Night Marchers' />Elle Reeve of Vice News talks to CNNs Anderson Cooper about her experience on the ground in Charlottesville, Virginia, during a white nationalist rally. About 300 protesters took to the streets of Charlotte, North Carolina, in a fourth night of demonstrations on Friday, calling on authorities to release the tapes of.