A Confederate statue that has towered over downtown Charlottesville for over a century was hauled away by truck from the US city where it had become a hotspot for racist rallies and deadly violence, eliciting cheers.
The larger-than-life figure of General Robert E Lee was hoisted from its pedestal and taken – at least for the time being – to storage. It was a day of palpable joy and immense relief for scores of residents and visitors in the state of Virginia who lined neighboring streets to watch it being hoisted from its pedestal and taken – at least for the time being – to storage.
A Confederate statue that has towered over downtown Charlottesville for over a century was hauled away by truck from the US city where it had become a hotspot for racist rallies and deadly violence, eliciting cheers.
The larger-than-life figure of General Robert E Lee was hoisted from its pedestal and taken – at least for the time being – to storage. It was a day of palpable joy and immense relief for scores of residents and visitors in the state of Virginia who lined neighboring streets to watch it being hoisted from its pedestal and taken – at least for the time being – to storage.
The removal of Lee's statue and one of Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson shortly after went down without a hitch. It was a project that had been stalled for years due to a protracted legal battle and modifications to a state law that protected military memorials.
Removed as well A statue of Sacagawea and explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark was unveiled on Saturday (Sunday NZT), which has been criticized for presenting the Native American guide and interpreter as subservient and feeble.
Onlookers included couples, families with little children, and campaigners. As progress was accomplished pretty fast, the crowd chanted and cheered intermittently. Hymns could be heard wafting down the street from the front steps of a church at one point.
Jim Henson, a resident of a nearby village who came to see the "historic" occurrence, described the mood as "good vibes, good energy."
Ralph Dixon, a 59-year-old Black man born and bred in Charlottesville, was capturing the events with a camera hanging over his neck.
Dixon claimed he was taken to the park where the Lee statue stood as a child. “All of the teachers, at least my teachers, were always praising what a wonderful person this was,” he said.
He claimed his knowledge of Lee's legacy and the meaning of the statue grew as he grew older. He stressed the importance of understanding that the statue was created during the Jim Crow era (which imposed segregation in the southern US) when Black Americans' rights were being snatched away.
He said there was no reason it should stay, especially after the violence of August 12, 2017, which left 32-year-old Heather Heyer dead and dozens more injured after a car plowed into a throng of peaceful counter-protesters. That same weekend, a Virginia State Police helicopter assisting with the rally crashed, killing the pilot and a trooper.
“Unite the Right” brought neo-Nazis, skinheads, Klansmen, and other racist groups for what was at least a decade's largest gathering of far-right extremists.
Before the automobile attack, they gathered at the base of the Lee statue and brawled with anti-racist counter-protesters in the streets nearby. The violence spurred a debate over racial equity, which was fueled by former US President Donald Trump's assertion that "both sides" were to blame.
The most recent campaign to remove the Lee memorial began in 2016, thanks in part to a petition started by Zyahna Bryant, a Black high school student. A lawsuit was promptly launched after the City Council voted to remove it, putting the plans on hold. The problem was subsequently exploited by white extremists.
“To the young people out there, I hope that this empowers you to speak up on the issues that matter, and to take charge in your own cities and communities,” Bryant said before the removal work began, standing alongside Mayor Nikuyah Walker. “There is no place for white supremacy. Racism has no place at this stage. And there is no place for hate.”
At least a few opponents of the removal were present on Saturday, including a guy who heckled Walker after she spoke. However, there was no obvious, well-organized demonstration. Many opponents of removing Confederate monuments argue that doing so amounts to erasing history.
In a phone conversation, Charles "Buddy" Weber, a local attorney who was a plaintiff in the city's lawsuit, wondered if history would judge the movement to remove monuments as a real and effective attempt at racial reconciliation.
“In my opinion, this act will not improve the lives of anyone in the city of Charlottesville,” he stated.
Only a day before, the city had publicized the plans for Saturday. Charlottesville had completed the administrative processes required under a new state statute to lawfully commence the removals earlier this week.
Following the dismantling of the Lee statue, both workers and the audience moved to a park about two blocks away for the removal of the Jackson statue. After a crane pulled the monument off its pedestal, it took nearly an hour to load it onto a vehicle and secure it. Instead of shrinking, the audience grew, with many people watching it be taken away with rapt attention.
“It's been a long day. After the truck rumbled away, hauling the Jackson monument away, Rabbi Tom Gutherz of nearby Congregation Beth Israel observed, "It's just a feeling of relief to see that statue be dragged out of here backward and back into history where it belongs."
On Saturday, only the statues were taken, not their stone pedestals. They'll be kept in a safe place until the City Council takes a final decision about what to do with them.
“Folks in this community have been trying to get these statues down for a hundred years,” said Kristin Szakos, a former Charlottesville City Council member.
“I believe we are finally ready to be a community that does not telegraph through our public art that we are pretty fine with white supremacy,” she continued.
