Updated at 2:45 p.m. – Someone spray-painted the words “Black Lives Matter” onto the Confederate statue at the Red Brick Courthouse in Rockville. The graffiti was discovered Monday morning.
Multiple Twitter users posted pictures of the vandalism Monday. The slogan has been used by protesters following the deaths of several black people after incidents involving police around the country.
The statue has been in the news for the past month as the use of Confederate symbols has been debated following the June shooting at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, that killed nine people.
Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett previously said the statue would be moved from its public position outside the Red Brick Courthouse. Leggett said it would be put into storage if an appropriate location can’t be found before it’s moved.
In a statement released Monday afternoon, Leggett called the vandalism "a despicable act."
"This crime is not in keeping with Montgomery County's long history of civil discourse and dishonors our veterans," Leggett said. "I urge the Rockville police to exhaust all remedies in bringing those responsible for this crime to justice."
Leggett said the county is working to remove the paint from the statue.
County Council President George Leventhal said there would be an "off-the-record meeting" between historical experts in the City of Rockville, black community leaders and other stakeholders as to where to put the statue once it's moved. Leventhal said no elected officials or members of the media will be at the meeting to allow for what he hopes will be an open conversation about the issue.
Some Rockville historians argued last week that the statue shouldn't be moved, despite Leggett's decision.
Leventhal said he agrees with Leggett's decision, but that he hopes all involved can come to some sort of mutual understanding.
"My colleagues on the County Council overwhelmingly agree that the statue should be moved, that to have it on county property in the county seat implies an endorsement. And [the statue] says 'We shall not forget to love the thin grey line.' We don't love the thin grey line in 2015," Leventhal said Monday. "This is a different day and whatever was going on in 1913, when the Daughters of the Confederacy commissioned the statue and erected the statue, we're in a very different place today."
The statue was first erected in Rockville in 1913 and was moved to its current location in 1971.
Confederate statue this morning in Rockville Maryland this morning #AllLivesMatter @MontgomeryCoMD pic.twitter.com/RCHBZspKsN
— Ching-Yao Yu ? (@nutzareus) July 27, 2015
Aaron Kraut contributed to this story
