I think the issue here is that in today's society what you do for one you must now do for all (ACLUs motto) so all statues in that sense will offend someone. We have to realize people acted in the historical context of their times, and are now being judged by the standards of today which puts everyone in a flawed light. Thomas Jefferson for instance owned slaves, quite possibly abused them, etc.  Every historical figure would have a blemished record when judged by the standards of today. Statues are constructs of a society and meant to write a historical narrative. And I understand these groups wanting to take down these parts of the narrative that they feel are offensive. But none of these statues were put up yesterday or recently. These are all quite old. What a society chooses to memorialize is a reflection of itself at that point in time, and is thus a teaching tool. Public memory should be debated and discussed, not covertly erased in the middle of the night.