A rebel monument in Alabama is pending removal due to a lawsuit, but a Confederate heritage group is opposing the potential move. 

A step in removing the monument is underway thanks to Macon County, which asked a court in Tuskegee to give them the deed to the downtown square. 

However, the statue is owned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, who wants the monument to remain in the city. 

“All of those members have ancestors who are honored by that monument,” said Jay Hinton, an attorney for the group. 

The memorial has stood in front of the county courthouse in the city for 115 years, which looms large in the eyes of the 97% Black community. 

The Tuskegee monument has been the topic of discussion in multiple protests and meetings to have it removed for decades. The argument for the removal of Confederate statues was due to those seeing the statues as symbols of racism and oppression towards Black people. 

A reckoning ensued after the death of George Floyd, which sparked an outcry to remove all Confederate statues.   

Related: Gov: ‘The Largest Confederate Monument in the South is Coming Down’ 

According to city records, Macon County gifted a plot at the center of Tuskegee to the Confederate group in 1906 as the site of a rebel monument. The plot of land was considered a park for white people. 

Macon County has presently switched stances, stating the transfer of the land was unconstitutional, partly because of the racial history. 

The United Daughters of the Confederacy said it was never their intention to exclude anyone from the park because of their race or ethnicity. The group, which consists of about a dozen members, said they find the racial restriction offensive. 

However, the group doesn’t believe the past language shows that Macon County should get the land back. 

“We believe we have owned and still own the square,” Hinton said. 

 Related: South Carolina Confederate Monument Protection Law Upheld