The reason why the call to remove statues has gone nowhere is because the mob takes it to irrational extremes. Grant is a perfect example. Many historical figures are complex, as is our nation’s history. I support the removal of Confederate monuments explicitly placed as a protest to the civil rights movement, and there is societal momentum to do so. I do not support removing statues to leaders who were imperfect, or don’t pass some ridiculous modern woke test.
You need political momentum to enact lasting change. You lose momentum when you are unwilling to chastise those who are undermining the message.
Take San Francisco for example, perhaps one of the most socially liberal places on the planet. I am sure it would have been relatively easy to enact a legislative solution to Golden Gate Park. Even the nation of Spain is scratching its head over some of the targeted statues given our shared history in California.