CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – On Tuesday night, the Charleston City Council held a virtual public hearing to discuss the removal and relocation of the John C. Calhoun monument in Marion Square.

Council voted unanimously to remove the monument.

Before the meeting, Council received calls from 291 people in favor of the removal, 50 opposed, four in favor of relocation, and one to purchase the statue.

41 citizens spoke for one minute each during the meeting, voicing opinions in favor and against the removal of the monument. Those opposed to the removal said that to remove the statue would be to erase the history of Charleston, and puts us on a slippery slope of rewriting history.

Councilmember Karl Brady, a history major, countered that point: “as someone who studied history, I do not want to see history erased.”

Mayor Tecklenburg agreed, promising that Council will be very careful about respecting history; an advisory task force is expected to assist in deciding an appropriate new home for the statue.

Last Wednesday, Mayor Tecklenburg initially announced plans to bring a resolution before Council calling for the removal of the monument. The announcement was followed by protests and vandalism of the statue.

On Monday night, protests over the monument continued, with two rival groups demonstrating in Marion Square: one group in favor of the removal, and one group opposed.

City leaders did not announce when the removal of the statue will take place.