The work to remove the statue honoring Gen. Robert E. Lee started Saturday morning. Crews also took down a statue of Gen. Thomas Stonewall Jackson.
The park was surrounded by hundreds of spectators, who cheered when the Lee statue was lifted from its pedestal. Visible police officers were present, and streets were closed off to traffic due to heavy trucks and fencing.
As the crane approached the monument, Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker delivered a speech to reporters and other observers.
Walker stated that “Taking down the statue is one step closer to helping Charlottesville, Virginia and America grapple with the sins of being willing to kill Black people for economic gains.”
After years of litigation, anguish, and contention, the statues were removed. The removal of the statues was delayed for many years by a long and complicated legal battle, as well as changes to a state law that protects war memorials.
The removal of the Jackson and Lee statues on Saturday comes almost four years after violence broke out at the “Unite the Right” rally. Heather Heyer, a peaceful protester, was killed in the violence. This sparked a national debate about racial equality, further fueled by former President Donald Trump insisting that there was “blame on both”
As couples, families with young children, and activists watched from the blocks around them, it seemed that the work was moving along smoothly. As the workers made their progress, the crowd cheered and chanted. A pair of musicians playing hymns from a nearby church emitted music that drifted down the street.
At most, there were a few opponents to the removal, including one man who heckled her after her speech. However, there was no organized, visible protester presence.
Ralph Dixon, a Black man, was documenting Saturday’s removal work with a camera around the neck.
Dixon claimed that he was a school-aged boy who was brought to the park, where the Lee statue stood.
He said, “All my teachers, including mine, were always talking to me about how great he was.”
As an adult, he said that his understanding of Lee’s legacy evolved and that the statue’s message changed. He stated that it was important to understand the context in which the statue was built. Heyer died, and he said there was no reason why the statue shouldn’t be left.
He said, “It had to be done.”
Saturday’s removal will only be of the statues and not their pedestals. They will be kept in a safe place until the City Council decides what to do with them. The city was required by state law to invite interested parties during an offer period that expired Thursday. It received 10 replies to its solicitation.
An activist coalition praised the city for taking the statues down quickly after the offer period expired. The coalition called Take ‘Em Down Cville stated that as long as the statues are “remaining in our downtown public places, they signal our community tolerated white supremacy” and the Lost Cause these generals fought to defend.
Jim Henson, a local resident, stated Saturday that he was there to witness an “historical” event. Although he said he did not have a strong opinion on the matter of Confederate monuments, he stated that he believed Charlottesville was happy to end the story.
He said, “Good atmosphere, positive vibes, and good energy.”
Zyahna Bryant, a Black high school student started a petition to remove the Lee monument.
Bryant, a student at University of Virginia, said that “this is well overdue”.
“No platform for white supremacy. No platform to promote racism. There is no platform for hatred.
Kristin Szakos was a Charlottesville City Council former member and watched the statues being removed. She said that “folks from this community have been trying for these statues down since a hundred years.”
She said, “I think we’re finally ready for a community that doesn’t telegraph via our public art that white supremacy is pretty fine.”
