Charlottesville Removes Confederate Statues
Along with the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee which led to far-right violence in the 2017 Unite the Right rally city officials approved the removal of two more monuments. CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA – JULY 10: Passing by the location of a slave auction block, a statue of Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson is removed on a flatbed truck from the Charlottesville and Albemarle County Courthouse Historic District July 10, 2021 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Initial plans to remove the statue, and one of Robert E. Lee, four years ago sparked the infamous “Unite the Right” rally. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Another monument, to Confederate general Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, was also removed.
July 12, 2021
A statue of Confederate general Robert E Lee located in Charlottesvilles is lifted off its pedestal in Market Street Park in Charlottesville, VA on July 10, 2021. Photo: John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images.
The city of Charlottesville, Virginia, has removed its memorial to Confederate general Robert E. Lee, a central symbol in the ongoing debate over public statuary in the U.S.
The nearly 100-year-old monument was the site of a violent rally organized by Neo-Nazis in 2017.
Municipal workers took down the memorial and a similar one erected in honor of Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, another Confederate general, during a public event Saturday, July 10. The two statues will remain in the care of the city until the Charlottesville council decides their fate.
Daily Times
July 12, 2021
The southern US city of Charlottesville on Saturday took down controversial statues including two honoring Civil War pro-slavery generals which had become the focus of protests.
The statues of generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson are among hundreds of Confederate monuments in the United States now widely considered symbols of racism, even if their supporters argue they are a historical legacy.
Workers in the Virginia city used a crane to remove the statues which depicted Lee and Jackson in uniform mounted on horses as a crowd watched and cheered. No violence was immediately reported.
“Taking down this statue is one small step closer to the goal of helping Charlottesville, Virginia, and America, grapple with the sin of being willing to destroy Black people for economic gain,” Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker, who is African American, told reporters before the monuments’ removal.
By SARAH RANKIN
Associated Press
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) â Cheers erupted Saturday as a Confederate statue that towered for nearly a century over downtown Charlottesville was carted away by truck from the Virginia city where it had become a flashpoint for racist protests and deadly violence.
It was a day of palpable joy and immense relief for scores of residents and visitors who lined neighboring streets to watch the larger-than-life figure of Gen. Robert E. Lee as it was hoisted from its pedestal and taken â at least for now â to storage.
The statue s removal came more than five years after racial justice activists had renewed a push to take down the monument, an initiative that drew the attention of white supremacists and other racist groups, culminating in the violent âUnite the Rightâ rally in 2017.
Charlottesville takes down Confederate statues in middle of infamous rally thehill.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thehill.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.