Cooper seeks to move 3 Confederate monuments from Capitol grounds

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper is going ahead with trying to move three Confederate monuments from the old Capitol grounds to a Civil War site.

A Cooper Cabinet secretary formally asked the state Historical Commission on Friday to authorize their relocation to the Bentonville Battlefield, about 45 miles away from Raleigh. The commission meets September 22.

A 2015 state law prevents the removal of Confederate monuments on public property without legislative approval and severely limits their relocation.

Administration Department Secretary Mechelle Sanders contends in her petition the battlefield would qualify for the exception to relocate them to a site of similar prominence, honor, and visibility. She says action needs to be taken to ensure their preservation.

Cooper last month called for Confederate monuments to be taken down from public property.