Charlottesville to remove Confederate statues that helped break out a deadly mob | Virginia

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A statue of a Confederate general who helped spark a violent demonstration of white supremacy in Charlottesville in 2017 is to be removed Saturday.

In a press release, the City of Virginia said an equestrian statue of General Robert E. Lee and a nearby statue of General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will be removed from storage. Dedicated public viewing areas were to be created for the removals.

Lee led Confederate forces during the American Civil War, which the Confederates fought between 1861 and 1865 in an effort to preserve slavery. Jackson became famous in the early years of the conflict before he was killed by his own men.

A statue of Jackson was erected in 1921 and a statue of Lee in 1924, nearly 60 years after the war ended in total defeat for the Confederacy but in an era of formal apartheid across the southern states.

The statues will be toppled more than five years after calls for their removal began gaining momentum. In 2016, Zyahna Bryant, then a 16-year-old high school student, was given a task that asked her to describe something she could change. I started a petition to remove the statue of me.

In response, the city council established a commission on race, memorials, and public spaces. In February 2017, the council voted to impeach, angering white supremacist groups.

Lee’s statue became a rallying point for such extremists, culminating in the “Unite the Right” rally in August of that year. Neo-Nazis and other white supremacists gathered in Charlottesville to defend a statue of Lee and killed the counter-demonstrator, 32-year-old Heather Heyer. A white supremacist was convicted of her murder.

Due to litigation and changes in state law, the city was not able to act before public hearings were held and the statue displayed on any museum, historical community, or battlefield. This week, the city said it had received 10 such statements, “six from out of state and four within state all under review.”

Take, for example, “Em Down CVille,” a group that campaigns for racial justice, which has applauded news of the planned exclusion.

“The messages from the audience were moving and powerful,” she said. “Nobody thinks removing the statues will end white supremacy but this is an important step – and it’s long overdue.”

The city said that preparations around the gardens included the installation of a protective fence, adding that the two statues will be stored in a secure location on city property until the council makes a final decision on their relocation.

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