(All of these questions were developed in 2017 and answered in 2017 within the context of the process at that time.)
City Council records from July 8, 1924, indicate that the local chamber of commerce petitioned the City Council to remove the block, claiming it had no associations to slavery and did not give a favorable impression of the community. In effect, they were arguing against the authority of local historian Sylvanus J. Quinn, who had died in 1910. The Daily Star newspaper from July 22, 1924, however, noted that several citizens claimed that they had witnessed slaves being sold from the block. At its meeting on August 12, 1924, the City Council’s Public Interest Committee recommended that “no action be taken” to remove the slave auction block and none was taken. The question of removal comes up again every now and then, usually when there are issues such as a stolen plaque (1984) or damage (2005) and the newspaper carries letters to the editor both for and against removal.