Public hearing tonight for Atlanta’s Confederate Monuments Advisory Committee

The committee appointed to hash out potential plans for Atlanta’s Confederate memorabilia will convene at 6 p.m. at City Hall for a public hearing. Residents and other interested parties are welcome to spitball ideas on how to deal with the Robert E. Lees and Rebel flags still decorating property in the city.

On Oct. 18, during the committee’s first gathering, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed thanked the 11-person panel selected by him and the City Council for helping determine what to do with symbols long associated with white supremacy. Reed told the group they’d have some 40 days to return to him with recommendations.

The national conversation surrounding monuments to the Civil War was reignited in August, after an alt-Right activist rammed a car through a crowd of progressive protesters in Virginia, killing one and injuring more. The debate has caught the attention of local politicos, namely mayoral candidate Peter Aman, who quickly called for Confederate effigies to be felled and placed in the appropriate “historical context,” such as museums.

Others, however, say people needn’t dwell on the symbolism. Civil Rights icon Andrew Young, during his official endorsement announcement for Council President Ceasar Mitchell’s campaign, said the community should instead focus on fostering conversation with “sick people” (bigots).

Swing by tonight, and let your voice be heard.