A symbol of the racist, treasonous Confederacy, as well as the rallying point for the deadly 2017 white supremacist riot in Charlottesville, VA, is finally coming down by order of the Charlottesville City Council last night. The statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee will be removed from the park in the city that was the scene of violent KKK and other white racists clashes with protesters. In addition, the statue of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson will also be removed from another park by order of the City Council. Both sites were rallying points for KKK and other white supremacist groups.
The Virginia State Supreme Court cleared the way a few weeks ago for Charlottesville to remove the racist statues, which were erected during a period a century ago when Jim Crow laws were passed and bigots in the South erected them to intimidate African-Americans and enforce segregation.
Following the deadly riot in which a white supremacist drove his car into a crowd of anti-white supremacist demonstrators killing Heather Heyer, the "former guy" infamously commented that there were "very fine people on both sides" of the conflict. President Biden has said it was that comment that convinced him to run in 2020.
(photo: Tiki-torch bearing white supremacists gather at Lee's statue in Charlottesville in 2017. from CNN)
