In Richmond, working brigades demolished the statue of Confederate soldiers and sailors, the sixth monument of the Confederation, which they decided to remove against the backdrop of national protests against police brutality and symbols that many consider racist.
The dismantling took place around 7 a.m. in the Libby Hill urban area, a monument erected in 1894. It depicts a Confederate soldier standing on top of a column.
The mayor of Richmond, Levar Stoney, citing his extraordinary authority on July 1, ordered the removal of all of the city’s Confederate statues. Crew removed the statue of General J.B. Stewart on Tuesday, and four other statues were removed last week.
The largest statue of Richmond, which remains in the parking lot, is on state soil, a huge monument to Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Its dismantling was ordered by Governor Ralph Northam and was blocked, at least temporarily, by injunction.