*Activists lifted a modern sculpture of a pregnant African-American “Lady Liberty” onto the empty pedestal where a monument to Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson was removed overnight.
The new statue is not sanctioned by the City of Baltimore, which owns the site, but there was no immediate rush to remove it by police or city officials.
Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, who ordered the removal of the Lee-Jackson monument and three other Confederate statues, told reporters her decision to do so under the cover of darkness was a matter of public safety after violence in Charlottesville, Va. involving white supremacists and counter-protestors jumped off over a statue of Robert E. Lee there.
The Lee-Jackson statue had stood on its pedestal in Wyman Park since 1948. Pugh said the monuments have been moved to safe locations for storage, but she did not say where. One city council member is calling for the destruction of the statues. Pugh suggested the possibility they could be relocated to Confederate cemeteries. However, she said no decision has been made.
Watch the statue removals below:
Crane is here at #Tubman (Wyman) dell park to remove the #JacksonandLee monument pic.twitter.com/rU8hqVYAcB
— Baltimore BLOC (@BmoreBloc) August 16, 2017
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
