A crowd erupted in cheers and song Wednesday as work crews hoisted an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E.
Lee off the giant pedestal where it has towered over Virginia's capital city for more than a century.
The piece, one of America's largest monuments to the Confederacy, was lifted away just before 9 a.m. as one of the construction workers who helped strap harnesses to Lee and his horse lifted his arms in the air and counted down, "Three, two, one!" to jubilant shouts from a crowd of hundreds. Gov. Ralph Northam ordered the statue taken down last summer, citing the pain felt across the country over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis after a white police officer pressed a knee into his neck. But until a recent court ruling cleared the way, Northam's plans had been tied up in litigation.
"This is a historic moment for the city of Richmond. The city, the community at large is saying that we're not going to stand for these symbols of hate in our city anymore. And it was important for me to be here to see this historic moment," said Rachel Smucker, 28, a Richmond resident who was at the viewing site early Wednesday with her sister.
"We put things on pedestals when we want people to look up," Northam said in June 2020 when he announced the removal plan. "Think about the message that this sends to people coming from around the world to visit the capital city of one of the largest states in our country. Or to young children." A previous wave of resistance to the statues came in 2017 when a rally of white supremacists in the city of Charlottesville erupted into violence. Other Confederate monuments started falling around the country.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Richmond, Virginia to remove largest Confederate statue of Robert E. Lee remaining in U.S.The statue will come down on Wednesday, September 8, 131 years after the statue was put in place. It will be placed in storage until its future is determined.
Leer más »
Statue of Confederate Robert E. Lee coming down in VirginiaThe state of Virginia has brought in a deconstruction crew surrounded by a heavy police presence to remove one of the nation's largest remaining monuments to the Confederacy
Leer más »
Statue of Confederate Robert E. Lee coming down in VirginiaBREAKING: After years of resistance and a long court battle, the statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee was being pulled from its prominent perch in Richmond, Virginia. Many consider the statue an offensive tribute to the South’s slave-holding past.
Leer más »
Robert E. Lee statue on historic Virginia street to come downVirginia on Wednesday is set to take down a towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, the last Confederate statue remaining along Richmond's historic Monument Avenue.
Leer más »
Robert E. Lee statue on historic Virginia street removedVirginia on Wednesday took down a towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, the last Confederate statue remaining along Richmond's historic Monument Avenue.
Leer más »
Virginia to take down Robert E. Lee statue on WednesdayA statue of Confederate Civil War General Robert E. Lee that towers six stories over Richmond, Virginia, and was a centerpiece of protests over racial injustice, is coming down this week.
Leer más »