In 2017, various far-right groups gathered together in Charlottesville, Virginia, for the so-called "Unite the Right" rally that turned violent and resulted in the murder of counterprotester Heather Heyer, who was struck by a vehicle driven by a self-identified white supremacist. One of the primary catalysts for the rally was opposition to a push to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. On Saturday, nearly four years later, that statue was removed from its stone pedestal, as was another statue of Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
As the Lee statue was about to come down, CBS News reports, Charlottesville 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 statues aren't being destroyed, however. Instead, they'll be kept in a secure location until Charlottesville's city council decides what to do with them long-term.
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