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Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee Statue removed in Charlottesville: What you need to know
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s statue was removed on Saturday in Charlottesville, VA, and was sent to a storage facility. This comes almost 4 years after the discussion of the removal of this statue started a white supremacists moment in the city which led to 1 death and several people injured.
The process of removal of the statue was started Saturday morning amid the crowd gathered to see the event. There was a heavy police presence and the streets around the area were blocked to avoid any violent clashes.
City Mayor Nikuyah Walker said, "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.”
The infamous "Unite the Right" rally in August 2017 was triggered due to this statue, which led to a debate in the US about racial equality. Former President Donald Trump said in one of the press briefings in 2017 that “there were fine people on both sides”.
Apart from one heckler, the event was peaceful. The stone pedestals below the statue are still not removed and the decision about that will be made by the city council.