Bill could remove Confederate images from Stone Mountain, but leave iconic carving alone

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — Some DeKalb County lawmakers want to remove all of the Confederate Imagery from Stone Mountain Park.

Stone Mountain is officially designated as a Confederate Memorial Site by state law. A new bill filed by three lawmakers would change that, if approved.

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Channel 2′s Richard Elliot learned that the bill would require the state to drop the word ‘memorial’ from the official title of Stone Mountain Memorial Park.

It would also require the state to stop maintaining the iconic carving on the side of the mountain. The bill would allow nature to take its course and eventually wear down the carving of Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.

It would also no longer require the sale of Confederate memorabilia at gift shops.

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Stone Mountain lawmaker Billy Mitchell thinks it is past time for this change to be made.

“I think it to be wholly inappropriate for the state to invest public money in memorializing the Confederacy,” he said.

The bill will have to wait until next year to move forward.

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