Sorry, not sorry -- UNC student government weighs in on 'Silent Sam' toppling

CHAPEL HILL, NC (WTVD) -- Members of UNC's student government are demanding university leadership speak out publicly on the toppling of the "Silent Sam" statue.

"At the end of the day, our job is to be the voice for the students and help them have the best time at Carolina they can," said Torin Edwards, secretary of UNC's Executive Board.

The morning after "Silent Sam" came down, the group penned a statement supporting the statue coming down.

"This wasn't just about what happened the other night -- this has been years of dedicated work," Edwards said. "We wrote a statement that showed that those student activists and concerned citizens were looking for a way for so long to find a resolution. Unfortunately, what happened the other night happened, but we stand with those students who have been working tirelessly to make this a more inclusive Carolina."

Edwards said student government supported Gov. Roy Cooper's proposal to move the statue to a battlefield.

READ MORE: Full coverage of the "Silent Sam" controversy

"To have that statue of bigotry gone and removed from this campus is something we wholeheartedly support and stand by," Edwards said.

The News & Observer said that UNC's Board of Governors is hiring an outside firm to look into the actions of the university and the police Monday night. The university will still not say where the statue is located for security reasons.

The N&O also reported that one of the board of governors -- Thom Goolsby -- made a YouTube video where he's critical of what happened on Monday night. Goolsby even asks what steps are being taken to reinstall the monument.

The chair of the board of governors said the "goal is to get to the facts."