• The National Park Service plans to reinstall the Albert Pike statue by October 2025.
• Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton opposes the statue's reinstallment, calling it morally objectionable.
• The statue was removed during the George Floyd protests in 2020, citing its association with racism and the Confederacy.
• This decision aligns with executive orders from the Trump administration aimed at preserving monuments and historical figures.
• Public opinion is divided, with calls for statues to be displayed in museums rather than public spaces.

The National Park Service (NPS) has announced plans to restore and reinstall the statue of Albert Pike, a Confederate general, which was toppled during the Black Lives Matter protests in June 2020. The restoration is expected to be completed by October, with the statue being reinstalled in Judiciary Square, just blocks from the National Mall. This action is part of the NPS's commitment to historic preservation and aligns with President Trump's executive order aimed at beautifying the nation’s capital and reinstating historical monuments, according to NPR and The Hill.

The statue of Pike, dedicated in 1901, was the only memorial to a Confederate figure in the nation's capital prior to its removal. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has strongly criticized the decision to reinstall the statue, labeling it "morally objectionable" and calling for its permanent removal, stating that it honors a "racist and a traitor." Her office has indicated plans to reintroduce legislation aimed at taking the statue down permanently and designating it for a museum, according to ABC News and The Hill.

The controversy around Pike's statue intensified after the protests that followed George Floyd's death in May 2020, during which it was pulled down and burned. Pike, who became a brigadier general in the Confederate Army, was also known for his connections to Freemasonry, leading to its initial dedication in honor of his contributions to that organization. The NPS has stated that reinstalling the statue complies with historical preservation laws and both Trump's "Making the District of Columbia Safe" and "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" executive orders, which aim to restore monuments removed in recent years, as noted by ABC News and The Hill.