Local faith leaders are the latest group to join the fight to remove the Confederate monument in front of the Madison County Courthouse.

They held a news conference Wednesday morning urging the Madison County Commission to move the monument.

Three pastors spoke and said there should be no reason for the delay. A couple dozen people in support of the monument's removal stood behind the speakers, some holding signs.

The pastors say the monument represents Huntsville's racist history and say it has no place in the community today. They say the statue is causing a divide in the community and commissioners should not wait any longer to move it.

The Madison County Commission did vote to move the monument, but because of the Monument Preservation Act, if they were to move it, they'd be fined $25,000.

A group raised the money for the fine, but the commission says they are asking the state for waivers to get the statue moved legally and will not remove it until they get one. The Alabama Attorney General's Office has said he will not give anyone permission to move the monument.