Posted on April 18, 2016

Council to Discuss Civil War Era Monuments, Protests Planned

NBC 29, April 17, 2016

Opponents of Charlottesville’s effort to remove the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee are planning a rally for Monday afternoon.

The Virginia Flaggers group is calling on supporters from across the commonwealth to come to Lee Park to protest the city’s Blue Ribbon Commission on race, monuments, and public spaces.  The Flaggers group plans to protest in the park from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday before heading over to City Council’s meeting.

There are five Confederate memorials in the city of Charlottesville. Two are at the University of Virginia. One stands along West Main Street, another is in the middle of Court Square, and the most controversial statue stands at the center of Lee Park.

Charlottesville City Council is trying to decide where the city, and its history, goes from here.

Monday night, City Councilors are expected to discuss the future of those Confederate memorials. Some of the questions on the table: should the city add, subtract, or change the statues?

A call to remove the Robert E. Lee statue and rename Lee Park ignited this discussion about what to do with Charlottesville’s Confederate symbols and memorials.

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