RICHMOND, Virginia – A 131-year-old Robert E. Lee memorial statue that served as both a symbol of Confederate heritage last summer and the unofficial ground zero of racial justice demonstrations in Virginia’s capital will be dismantled on Wednesday, according to the state Colonel The court has cleared the way for his removal.
On Tuesday evening, State Department of General Services crews will be installing a protective fence around the roundabout where the statue is located, and the City of Richmond will enforce no-parking zones along Monument Avenue.
On Wednesday at around 8 a.m., the crews will remove the plaques from the 12-meter-high base and lift the 12-ton, 21-meter-high statue of Lee on a horse from the base. The statue will be kept in a state warehouse until a decision is made to dispose of it.Governor Ralph Northam’s administration said it would seek public opinion on the statue’s future.
The base labeled with graffiti from the protests of 2020 will remain in the roundabout for the time being, said DGS spokeswoman Dena Potter. Richmond and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts are working on a project to redesign Monument Avenue so that the base will remain in place at least until that plan is developed.
“We are taking an important step this week to support the just cause and put the ‘lost cause’ behind us,” Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said in a statement. “Richmond is no longer the Confederation capital. We are a diverse, open and welcoming city and our symbols must reflect that reality. ”
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Local residents gather to say goodbye
Picturesque Labor Day weather brought people to the roundabout for one last look at the statue. Some took photos while others simply stopped to look at the scene.
Brian Grogan, who lives near the statue, took photos for the Historic American Buildings Survey, a Library of Congress initiative that has documented US history since the 1930s.
Seated under a canopy near the statue were members of the BLM RVA (Black Lives Matter of Richmond, Virginia), which renamed the Marcus-David Peters Circle in honor of a black man who was shot dead by the Richmond Police in 2018 while he was stuck in the middle of a mental crisis. Law enforcement killings like these, as well as the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, sparked protests in Richmond and across the country last year.
“We are pleased that this symbol of oppression is being removed, but there is still work to be done in Richmond and the United States,” said Lawrence West, CEO of BLM RVA. “We are not only committed to this work, but also to this work.”
West said his group wants the roundabout to be a place of healing. Several group members started a unit garden in the circle and a second garden in a Richmond church a few blocks away. BLM RVA was stationed at the roundabout, providing food, water and other resources to anyone who needed it, West said.
The distance is broadcast via live stream
Many South Confederate symbols were removed without public notice to avoid attracting protesters, but Virginia officials set up a protected viewing area on Monument Avenue east of the statue in anticipation of large crowds. The distance will be broadcast live on Northam’s Facebook page and Twitter.
“Virginia’s largest memorial to the Confederate Uprising will fall this week,” Northam said in a press release. “This is an important step in showing who we are and what we value as the Commonwealth.”
Potter said the road closures and parking restrictions will remain in place “until all items are removed from the site and it is safe to reopen.” Drones have been banned within 2 nautical miles of the statue by the Federal Aviation Administration until 11:59 p.m. Thursday.
The Lee statue was considered the crown jewel in a parade of Confederate monuments on Monument Avenue for more than a century. It was the only one owned by the state.
Northam announced that the Lee statue would be removed in June 2020 amid nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism following Floyd’s death. Local residents filed a lawsuit against the removal, but the Virginia Supreme Court ruled last week that the memorial could be dismantled.
Court decision:Virginia can remove the Robert E. Lee statue that was a focal point for protests
More:Virginia wrestles with Confederate names in back streets, counties differ in approach
More than a dozen other monuments – including those for Confederate Army Gens. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and James EB Stuart, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Admiral of the Confederate Navy Matthew Fontaine Maury – belonged to the City of Richmond and were removed shortly after the General Assembly passed a law allowing communities to pass over to decide how to deal with the Confederate monuments on public land.
Contribution: The Associated Press
Follow Kristi K. Higgins and Bill Atkinson on Twitter at @KHiggins_PI and @BAtkinson_PI.
