CHARLOTTESVILLE — Charlottesville residents could effect a monumental change if renewed protest over a nearly 100-year-old statue gains enough support.
On Tuesday, community leaders will come together and call on the city’s elected officials to rename Lee Park and remove the statue of the park’s namesake, Gen. Robert E. Lee, of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.
The news conference is being spurred by a number of recent local and state developments regarding Confederate monuments and the legacy of Lee and Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.
Several months after the city council unanimously decided city hall would no longer observe Lee-Jackson Day, a state holiday that honors the Confederate generals, the phrase “Black Lives Matter” was spray-painted on the Lee memorial last summer.
The council decision and the vandalism incident were the most recent flash points in an ongoing debate over Confederate imagery.
In a news release, Councilor Wes Bellamy said a recent veto of a bill attempting to limit localities’ authority to remove war-related monuments, including Confederate markers, has shone a light on the issue once again.
Although the bill was vetoed on March 11, state legislators will have an opportunity to override the veto April 20. A two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate would be needed to defeat Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s veto.
The bill passed the House on an 82-16 vote, but the Senate was almost evenly split with a 21-17 vote.
“This action has been discussed on several occasions, and with the recent development in Richmond, the city of Charlottesville has an opportunity to act,” Bellamy said. “The goal of this press conference is to show a united front to the constituents of Charlottesville, while also asking for city leaders to make a concerted effort to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all throughout the city.”
Opposition to the proposal mounted quickly. On Monday morning, The Virginia Flaggers, a Richmond-based group that seeks to preserve memorials to Confederate history, took to social media to condemn the proposal to remove the statue.
