Confederate monuments are once again coming down in the South. Relics of the Old South have been removed from public display in Birmingham, Alabama amid continuing protests over the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. (June 2) AP Domestic
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In the predawn darkness Tuesday, Mayor Lenny Curry ordered city workers to remove the bronze statue of a Confederate soldier in winter uniform that had hovered above Hemming Park in downtown Jacksonville for more than a century.
Then, hours later, Curry, pledged to a crowd of peaceful protesters that he would order the removal of all remaining public Confederate monuments throughout the city.
The unannounced move was a remarkable pivot for the city’s Republican mayor who had previously avoided taking a position on the controversy. Just as remarkable is what seems to have played a role in changing Curry’s mind: The voices of NFL players from the Jacksonville Jaguars who have joined protesters in recent days to demand police reform and renewed efforts to tackle inequality in Florida's most populous city.
“I’m happy to see black and whites out here together doing this, and it’s a wonderful thing,” said Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette, who led Tuesday's peaceful protest, joined by Sheriff Mike Williams. “The biggest thing is that I didn’t grow up being racist or my parents teaching me racism. We’ve got to stop that. ... That’s bad, man. It’s hard being black out here right now. It’s tough. I want to be that voice for people like George Floyd, you know Alton Sterling, guys like that.”
'Symbols of white supremacy': Is this the end for other Confederate memorials?
The surprise dismantling of the Confederate monument in Hemming Park marked the beginning of an eventful — and historic — day in Jacksonville.
In the afternoon, State Attorney Melissa Nelson announced her office was working on updating its policy for releasing body camera footage in officer-involved shootings — a key demand of protesters in recent days. In the evening, the city council approved a law intended to protect the city’s LGBTQ residents from discrimination.
Protesters welcomed removal of the monuments but some also voiced displeasure that Curry, the former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, has been actively campaigning to hold the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville. They also vowed to continue their demonstrations until their demands for the faster release of police body camera footage and other reform measures were taken up.
Last week, Jaguars players and staff marched to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office headquarters, where wide receiver Chris Conley made an impassioned speech that noted the presence of the Confederate monument in Hemming Park, just feet away from City Hall.
Name game: Army to consider changing names of forts named after Confederate generals
“The confederate monument is gone. And the others in this city will be removed as well,” Curry said Tuesday morning. “We hear your voices. We have heard your voices.”
After a man hit and killed a woman with a car during the 2017 white nationalist protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, then-City Council President Anna Lopez Brosche called for confederate monuments to be removed from public property.
At the time, however, Curry said he wouldn’t use the bully pulpit of his office to weigh in on the issue, and the idea to remove the monuments failed to gain traction.
Brosche, who eventually ran unsuccessfully against Curry, later proposed installing a memorial next to the monument to honor lynching victims, although the city council in 2018 formally rejected the idea.
“I am grateful for this day in Jacksonville,” Brosche said in a statement. “It is my hope we may begin the process of healing and reconciliation that respects every single individual and sets a path for the realization of racial equity, including the promises made during consolidation.”
The removal of monument from Hemming Park was 'a long time coming'
Jacksonville did not play a prominent role in the Civil War, and it was occupied by Union soldiers on four separate occasions. But, like many southern cities, Jacksonville adopted public memorials to the failed insurrection in the decades after the war.
The 62-foot Vermont granite monument was installed in Hemming Park in 1898 after the park’s namesake, Civil War veteran Charles C. Hemming, donated the statue. Confederate Park sits on the edge of the Springfield neighborhood and also has a highly visible memorial to “Women of the Southland.”
Wells Todd, an activist with Take ’Em Down Jax, which has been calling for the removal of Confederate monuments for years, credited a movement of people calling for change.
“It was a long time coming,” he said. “What those statues stand for and stood for is white supremacy.”
N.V. Pharaoh, a 36-year-old Jacksonville native, said he was proud to be a part of history. He said he was the victim of brutality by corrections officers when he was incarcerated and vowed to fight for justice upon his release 4 1/2 years ago.
He questioned why the mayor and sheriff waited until now to march.
“Why weren’t they part of a movement in the city? I think he [Curry] wants to listen. He’s not going to have a choice but to listen because the people aren’t going to accept injustice.”
NFL's Jaguars take leading role in bringing change to Jacksonville
The Jaguars became the first professional sports franchise to have an organized protest last week, and team owner Shad Khan wrote an op-ed that decried racism and its impact on people, communities and dreams.
“Kudos for Leonard for putting us together and knowing the resources that he has and for him to get with the mayor so people can shout their questions and shout their disgruntled things,” Jaguars defensive tackle Abry Jones said.
“We’re trying to show them that we can get behind the city and do our part,” Jones added. “We’re just trying to stay in front and say that we agree with the same people that live in the city and the problem that’s going on and talked about Chris’ [Conley] great speech [during last week’s protest march] talking about voter registration and getting more people to vote.”
![The afternoon sun illuminates the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Ave in Richmond, Va., Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. A Richmond judge heard arguments in a lawsuit over the Governors' order to remove the statue.]()
1 of 128![A group of anti-racist counter-protestors hold signs and chant at pro-Confederate flaggers from a group called "Flags of the South" as they hold a protest in front of The Confederate Defenders of Charleston statue at The Battery in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina on Oct.17, 2020. On one side, a General Robert E Lee look-alike waves a large Confederate flag, facing off against counter-protesters on the other bearing placards that say "Racism kills" and "KKK Go Away." As the United States heads into an election after a summer of protests over racial injustice, a reminder of the era when slavery tore the nation apart can be seen playing out on the streets of the picturesque city of Charleston every week.]()
2 of 128![An image of George Floyd is projected on a screen in front of the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue on July 28, 2020, in Richmond, Va. Change.org and the George Floyd Foundation officially launched "A Monumental Change: The George Floyd Hologram Memorial Project" in Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War.]()
3 of 128![Crews work to remove the Confederate Soldiers & Sailors Monument in Libby Hill Park Wednesday July 8, 2020, in Richmond, Va. The 17 ft statue stands on a 73 foot pedestal overlooking downtown. The statue is one of several that will be removed by the city as part of the Black Lives Matter reaction.]()
4 of 128![Crews attach straps to the statue Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart on Monument Avenue July 7, 2020, in Richmond, Va. The statue is one of several that will be removed by the city.]()
5 of 128![Richmond residents spent the night listening to music, eating food and watching projections on the Robert E. Lee Monument on Saturday, July 4, 2020, in Richmond, Virginia. Protesters renamed the area the Marcus-David Peters Circle, after the Black man killed by police during an interaction while Peters was experiencing a mental health issue.]()
6 of 128![The monument was painted with slogans against slavery, white supremacy and police, and the statue of Stonewall Jackson was removed on July 1, seen here at the Stonewall Jackson Monument on Monument Avenue on Saturday, July 4, 2020, in Richmond, Va.]()
7 of 128![Protesters take part in a sit-in after nightfall at the Robert E. Lee Monument, which the people have renamed Marcus-David Peters Circle, on Monument Avenue on Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Richmond. Peters was a Black man killed by police during an altercation while Peters was experiencing a mental health issue.]()
8 of 128![People celebrate as contractors bring down the Stonewall Jackson Monument at Monument Avenue on Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in Richmond.]()
9 of 128![A statue of confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson on Monument Avenue is prepared to be removed in Richmond, Va. on July 1, 2020.]()
10 of 128![Construction workers remove the final soldier statue, which sat atop The Confederate War Memorial, Wednesday, June 24, 2020, in downtown Dallas. A state appeals court granted a request from the City of Dallas to immediately remove the memorial from the park. The city had planned to remove it in February 2019, but was sued by a group called Return to Lee Park, led by former City Council candidate Warren Johnson, to keep the 65-foot obelisk in place.]()
11 of 128![The statue of John C. Calhoun atop the monument in his honor is prepared for relocation from Marion Square on June 24, 2020 in Charleston, South Carolina.]()
12 of 128![A Confederate monument with orange paint splattered on it in front of the Anderson County Courthouse in downtown Anderson, S.C. Wednesday, June 24, 2020.]()
13 of 128![Protesters stand in front of a memorial for confederate Arizona troops at the state capitol and call on Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to tear it down after marching in celebration celebration of Juneteenth on June 19, 2020. Protesters also called for systemic police reform.]()
14 of 128![People attend a rally in support of removing the Confederate statue near the Rutherford County Courthouse in Murfreesboro Saturday, June 20, 2020.]()
15 of 128![J. J. Nichole, center, talks to demonstrators about the statue of Confederate General John Brown Gordon, in background, during protests outside the Georgia capital building in Atlanta, Ga., Sunday afternoon June 14, 2020.]()
16 of 128![Workers prepare to remove the Jefferson Davis statue from the Kentucky state Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., on Saturday, June 13, 2020. A Kentucky commission voted to take down a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis from the state Capitol. The panel supported a push from the governor as the country faces protests against police brutality following the deaths of African Americans in encounters with police.]()
17 of 128![Members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans organization removed a historic marker about the Confederate veterans buried in this small section of the Old City Cemetery in Jacksonville, Fla., on June 13, 2020.]()
18 of 128![A statue of Confederate States President Jefferson Davis lies on the street after protesters pulled it down in Richmond, Virginia, on June 10, 2020. The symbols of the Confederate States and its support for slavery are being targeted for removal following the May 25, 2020, death of George Floyd while in police custody.]()
19 of 128![The statues on the Confederate monument are covered in graffiti and beheaded after a protest in Portsmouth, Va., June 10, 2020. Protesters beheaded and then pulled down four statues that were part of a Confederate monument. The crowd was frustrated by the Portsmouth City Council’s decision to put off moving the monument.]()
20 of 128![Paint and protest graffiti covers the Jefferson Davis Memorial in Richmond, Va., June 7, 2020, following a week of unrest in the U.S. against police brutality and racism in policing. Jefferson Davis was the president of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.]()
21 of 128![In this photo taken with a drone, a large group of protesters gather around the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue near downtown Tuesday, June 2, 2020, in Richmond, Va. The crowd protesting police brutality chanted "Tear it down."
The statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that has towered over Richmond for more than 100 years will be removed "as soon as possible," Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced June 4, 2020.]()
22 of 128![An unidentified man walks past a toppled statue of Charles Linn, a city founder who was in the Confederate Navy, in Birmingham, Ala., on June 1, 2020, following a night of unrest. People shattered windows, set fires and damaged monuments in a downtown park after a protest against the death of George Floyd. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25.]()
23 of 128![Robert Walker poses for a photograph on the remains of a Confederate memorial that was removed overnight in Birmingham, Ala., on June 2, 2020. The city took down the more than 50-foot-tall obelisk following protests over the police death of George Floyd and a night of vandalism in the city.]()
24 of 128![Graffiti, toilet papers and eggs are seen on and around the Confederate Monument in downtown Norfolk, Va., on May 31, 2020. Protesters sprayed paint on the monument on Saturday night protest on May 30, 2020.]()
25 of 128![A protester spray paints graffiti on the downtown Athens Confederate War Memorial after the main protest ended in downtown Athens, Ga. on May 31, 2020. The protest was organized to demonstrate against the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25, sparking demonstrations and riots around the country.]()
26 of 128![Protest messages are painted on the downtown Athens Confederate War Memorial after the main protest ended in downtown Athens, Georgia, on May 31, 2020.]()
27 of 128![A tarp covers part of a Confederate monument Monday, June 1, 2020, on the University of Mississippi campus in Oxford, Miss. The monument, vandalized Saturday evening, is surrounded by barricades.]()
28 of 128![Workers remove a Confederate monument after demonstrators failed to knock it down following nights of protest at Linn Park in Birmingham, Ala. on June 1, 2020.]()
29 of 128![A monument to Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond, Va., is covered with graffiti on May 31, 2020, after overnight protests over the death of George Floyd. Many of the cityÕs most prominent Confederate monuments were tagged with similar graffiti.]()
30 of 128![Demonstrators hold signs near the graffiti covered statue of Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart after two previous nights of unrest due to the death of George Lloyd Sunday May 31, 2020, in Richmond, Va.]()
31 of 128![A women tries to stop John Miska from cutting off the black tarp that was put over the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that stands in the center of Emancipation Park (formerly Lee Park), on Aug. 23, 2017 in Charlottesville, Va. Earlier this week the Charlottesville city council voted unanimously to cover Confederate statues.]()
32 of 128![Workers tighten black canvas draping a large statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on horseback at Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Va. Aug. 24, 2017. =]()
33 of 128![A man takes a picture of a statue of Confederate General Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson that has been covered by black tarp by the city, at Justice Park in Charlottesville, Va on Aug. 24, 2017. The city draped black canvas over statues of two Confederate generals on Aug. 23, at Emancipation Park and Justice Park following the violence that occurred at the on Aug. 12 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville. A vehicle, who police say was driven by James Alex Fields Jr., smashed into a crowd of counter-protesters 12 August, resulting in the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer and the injury of more than two dozen others. The city council has voted to remove the Lee statue but a lawsuit has put that action on hold.]()
34 of 128![With the Confederate Monument in Woodlawn Cemetery already on a flatbed truck, workers remove the base on Aug. 22, 2017 in West Palm Beach, Fla.]()
35 of 128![With the Confederate Monument in Woodlawn Cemetery already on a flatbed truck, workers remove the base on Aug. 22, 2017 in West Palm Beach, Fla.]()
36 of 128![This Aug. 21, 2017 photo shows the Confederate monument in Woodlawn Cemetery after it was vandalized over the weekend. Workers have started taking down the memorial at the city-owned cemetery in West Palm Beach, Fla.]()
37 of 128![Bert Cambron, left, and Mark Wilson employees of Dayton National Cemetery move the vandalized Confederate soldier statue that stood in Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery on Aug. 22, 2017, in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus police say vandals appear to have climbed on an arched memorial at Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery and toppled the statue atop the monument to the ground. The soldier's head and hat were knocked off. Police say the vandals took the head but left the hat.]()
38 of 128![Bert Cambron, an employee of Dayton National Cemetery, moves a hat closer to the vandalized a Confederate soldier statue that stood in Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017, in Columbus, Ohio.]()
39 of 128![A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee is removed from the University of Texas campus on Aug. 21, 2017, in Austin, Texas. University of Texas President Greg Fenves ordered the immediate removal of statues of Robert E. Lee and other prominent Confederate figures from a main area of campus, saying such monuments have become "symbols of modern white supremacy and neo-Nazism."]()
40 of 128![Confederate statutes removed from the University of Texas are secured to a traile on Aug. 21, 2017, in Austin, Texas.]()
41 of 128![Onlookers celebrate as a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee is removed from the University of Texas campus, early Monday morning, Aug. 21, 2017, in Austin, Texas.]()
42 of 128![A pedestal wrapped in plastic that had held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee which was removed from the University of Texas campus early Monday morning is photographed on Aug. 21, 2017 in Austin, Texas.]()
43 of 128![A woman yells at counter protestors during a protest held at the former Durham County Court House, following rumors of a march planned by the KKK and other white supremacy groups, in Durham, N.C.]()
44 of 128![Counterprotesters march against a potential white supremacists rally on Friday, in Durham, N.C. The demonstration comes a week after a fatal clash during a 'Unite the Right' rally between white supremacists and counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Va.]()
45 of 128![Protesters gather in front of the old Durham County Courthouse where days earlier a confederate statue was toppled by demonstrators.]()
46 of 128!['Death To The Klan' is written on what's left of a monument statue of a Confederate soldier toppled by protesters on Aug. 14, 2017, as counterprotesters arrive in front of the former Durham County Court House, Friday.]()
47 of 128![People march in the streets protesting against a possible march by the Ku Klux Klan in Durham, N.C. Hundreds of anti-racist demonstrators gathered in a North Carolina city in response to rumors of a white supremacist march.
The sheriff had issued a statement that he was investigating the rumors, but no gathering of white supremacists was apparent by mid-afternoon. However, officers blocked streets and businesses closed.]()
48 of 128![Demonstrators burn a Confederate flag replica in reaction to a potential white supremacists rally in Durham, N.C.]()
49 of 128![A protester looks down from where a Confederate statue once stood in front of the old Durham County Courthouse.]()
50 of 128![Barbra Paulk, 77, listens to protesters speak at the former Durham County Court House.]()
51 of 128![Artist Hattie Pink marches with her anti-confederate artwork in reaction to a potential white supremacists rally in Durham, N.C.]()
52 of 128![A counter demonstrator is overcome with emotion during a march in reaction to a potential white supremacists rally in Durham, N.C.]()
53 of 128![In this Aug. 14, 2017 file photo, a protester kicks the toppled statue of a Confederate soldier after it was pulled down in Durham, N.C. Bombarded by the sharpest attacks yet from fellow Republicans, President Trump on Aug. 17, 2017, dug into his defense of racist groups by attacking members of own party and renouncing the rising movement to pull down monuments to Confederate icons.]()
54 of 128![The defaced Gen. Robert E. Lee statue stands at the Duke Chapel on Aug. 17 2017, in Durham, N.C. Duke President Vincent E. Price said in a statement that he had already been meeting with members of the Duke community to discuss how to deal with strong reactions to the statue. But he says its wrong for an individual to vandalize a house of worship.]()
55 of 128![Tampa For Justice member Kelly Benjamin, right, leads a news conference in front of the Confederate memorial while protester Gary Snow, left, uses a bull horn to try and disrupt the event in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 17, 2017.]()
56 of 128![John Raymond Alvarez, who favors moving the confederate monument, left, argues with Gary Snow, who favors leaving the monument, after a news conference in front of the old county courthouse in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 17, 2017.]()
57 of 128![From left, Ngoc Loan Tran, 24, Peter Gull Gilbert, 36, and Dante Emmanuel Strobino, 35, leave a courtroom in the Durham County Courthouse after their first court appearance after being arrested Wednesday for the toppling of the Durham County confederate statue during a Monday protest, on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017, in Durham, N.C.]()
58 of 128![Dante Emmanuel Strobino, left, chants with Jason Bowers, center, and Kate Bowers, before a protest outside the Durham County Jail where many lined up to "symbolically" turn themselves in for the toppling of the Durham County confederate statue during a Monday protest, but officials at the jail, where the magistrate's office is located, blocked their entry into the buildings, on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017, in Durham, N.C. Protesters then supported Strobino, and three others, who then made their first court appearance for being arrested Wednesday for the vandalism.]()
59 of 128![Lamont Lilly symbolically turns himself in for the toppling of the Durham County confederate statue during a Monday protest, but officials at the jail, where the magistrate's office is located, blocked their entry into the buildings on Aug. 17, 2017, in Durham, N.C.]()
60 of 128![The defaced Gen. Robert E. Lee statue, center, stands at the Duke Chapel on Aug. 17 2017, in Durham, N.C. Duke President Vincent E. Price said in a statement that he had already been meeting with members of the Duke community to discuss how to deal with strong reactions to the statue. But he says its wrong for an individual to vandalize a house of worship.]()
61 of 128![This June 5, 2017 file photo shows a monument to Arizona Confederate soldiers, presented by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1961, amid other memorials at Wesley Bonin Memorial Plaza on the grounds of the Capitol complex in Phoenix. The memorial has been cleaned after it was defaced with paint a second time this week amid controversy over Confederate statutes and other honors.]()
62 of 128![Pro-statue protester Gary Snow, left, talks with statue removal protesters before the news conference in front of the old county courthouse in Tampa, Fla., Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. (James Borchuck/Tampa Bay Times via AP) /Tampa Bay Times via AP) ORG XMIT: FLPET102]()
63 of 128![A concrete slab remains where a stone and plaque memorializing the resting place of Confederate soldiers from the Civil War was removed at the Confederate Rest section of Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison, Wis., Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Madison Mayor Paul Soglin ordered the removal of the monument, as well as another at the site. Soglin said Thursday that the monuments to confederate soldiers are being removed because the Civil War was "a defense of the deplorable practice of slavery." (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP) ORG XMIT: WIMAW201]()
64 of 128![A monument memorializing the resting place of Confederate soldiers of the Civil War stands in the Confederate Rest section of Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison, Wis., Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017. Madison Mayor Paul Soglin ordered the removal of the monument, as well as another at the site. Soglin said Thursday that the monuments to confederate soldiers are being removed because the Civil War was "a defense of the deplorable practice of slavery." (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP) ORG XMIT: WIMAW202]()
65 of 128![Tampa For Justice member Kelly Benjamin, right, speaks in front of the Confederate memorial while protester Gary Snow, left, uses a bull horn to try and disrupt the event in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 17, 2017.]()
66 of 128![John Raymond Alvarez, who favors moving the Confederate monument, left, argues with Gary Snow, who favors leaving the monument, after a news conference in front of the old county courthouse in Tampa, Fla. ,on Aug. 17, 2017.]()
67 of 128![The defaced Gen. Robert E. Lee statue stands at the Duke Chapel on Aug. 17 2017, in Durham, N.C. Duke President Vincent E. Price said in a statement that he had already been meeting with members of the Duke community to discuss how to deal with strong reactions to the statue. But he says its wrong for an individual to vandalize a house of worship.]()
68 of 128![A protester kicks the toppled statue of a Confederate soldier after it was pulled down in Durham, N.C., on Aug. 14, 2017.]()
69 of 128![From left, Ngoc Loan Tran, 24, Peter Gull Gilbert, 36, and Dante Emmanuel Strobino, 35, leave a courtroom in the Durham County Courthouse after their first court appearance after being arrested for the toppling of the Durham County confederate statue during a protest on Aug. 17, 2017, in Durham, NC.]()
70 of 128![Dante Emmanuel Strobino, left, chants with Jason Bowers, center, and Kate Bowers, before a protest outside the Durham County Jail where many lined up to "symbolically" turn themselves in for the toppling of the Durham County confederate statue during a Monday protest, but officials at the jail, where the magistrate's office is located, blocked their entry into the buildings on Aug. 17, 2017, in Durham, N.C.]()
71 of 128![Lamont Lilly symbolically turns himself in for the toppling of the Durham County confederate statue during a protest.]()
72 of 128![The defaced Gen. Robert E. Lee statue, center, stands at the Duke Chapel on Aug. 17 2017, in Durham, N.C. Duke President Vincent E. Price said in a statement that he had already been meeting with members of the Duke community to discuss how to deal with strong reactions to the statue.]()
73 of 128![This June 5, 2017 file photo shows a monument to Arizona Confederate soldiers, presented by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1961, amid other memorials at Wesley Bonin Memorial Plaza on the grounds of the Capitol complex in Phoenix. The memorial has been cleaned after it was defaced with paint for a second time this week amid controversy over Confederate statutes and other honors. The state Department of Public Safety says troopers on Aug. 17, 2017, confirmed that the Confederate Troops Memorial at Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza had been painted. The DPS says a suspect described as a white man in his 40s was last seen riding a bicycle nearby.]()
74 of 128![Pro-statue protester Gary Snow, left, talks with statue removal protesters before the news conference in front of the old county courthouse in Tampa, Fla., Aug. 17, 2017.]()
75 of 128![A concrete slab remains where a stone and plaque memorializing the resting place of Confederate soldiers from the Civil War was removed at the Confederate Rest section of Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison, Wis., Aug. 17, 2017. Madison Mayor Paul Soglin ordered the removal of the monument, as well as another at the site. Soglin said that the monuments to Confederate soldiers are being removed because the Civil War was "a defense of the deplorable practice of slavery."]()
76 of 128![A monument memorializing the resting place of Confederate soldiers of the Civil War stands in the Confederate Rest section of Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison, Wis., Aug. 17, 2017.]()
77 of 128![Montreal Lambert protests in front of the Confederate monument in downtown Norfolk, Va., on Aug. 16, 2017.]()
78 of 128![Workers load statues of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson on a flatbed truck in the early hours of Aug. 16, 2017, in Baltimore, Md.
Statues of key figures in the Confederacy were removed overnight as a campaign to erase symbols of the Civil War-era, pro-slavery secessionist republic gathers momentum across the United States. The statues in Baltimore were removed four days after clashes in Charlottesville, Va., following a rally called by white supremacists to protest plans to remove a statue of Lee from a public park.]()
79 of 128![A city worker removes the detail sign at the former Roger B. Taney monument in Mount Vernon Place in Baltimore, Md., after it was removed by the city on Aug. 16, 2017.]()
80 of 128![Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh talks about the late night removal of four confederate statues in the city, Wednesday. The City of Baltimore removed four statues celebrating confederate heroes from city parks overnight.]()
81 of 128![Workers load statues of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson on a flatbed truck.]()
82 of 128![A monument featuring Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, left, and Robert E. Lee stands in Wyman Park in Baltimore, Md., near Johns Hopkins University. The monument was a gift from J. Henry Ferguson, a prominent local banker. Jackson and Lee were childhood heroes of Ferguson. The statue was erected in 1948, 24 years after Ferguson's death. Maryland was a border state during the Civil War. A slave state that did not secede from the Union and did not join the Confederacy.]()
83 of 128![A family takes photos at the Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson monument base in Wyman Park Dell in Baltimore, Md., after it was removed by the city.]()
84 of 128![Protesters gather at the base of the Confederate Monument in downtown Norfolk, Va., on Wednesday.]()
85 of 128![Susan Bro, mother to Heather Heyer, speaks during a memorial for her daughter, on Aug. 16, 2017, at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville, Va. Heyer was killed Saturday, when a car rammed into a crowd of people protesting a white nationalist rally to protect Confederate monuments.]()
86 of 128![Artist Sam Welty creates a chalk mural of Heather Heyer during her memorial service, in Charlottesville, Va, Wednesday. Heyer was killed Saturday, when a car rammed into a crowd of people protesting a white nationalist rally.]()
87 of 128![Multiple white nationalist groups march with torches through the UVA campus in Charlottesville. When met by counter protesters, some yelling "Black lives matter," tempers turned into violence. Multiple punches were thrown, pepper spray was sprayed and torches were used as weapons.]()
88 of 128![Multiple white nationalist groups march with torches through the UVA campus in Charlottesville on Friday.]()
89 of 128![This Aug. 12, 2017 image shows a white supremacist sporting a NAZI tattoo leaves Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Va.]()
90 of 128![Demonstrators hold a banner decrying white supremacist's at the entrance to Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 12, 2017.]()
91 of 128![A sign calling for Emancipation Park to be renamed after Heather Heyer is placed at the base of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, blocks from where she was killed and 19 others injured when a car slammed into a crowd of people protesting against a white supremacist rally, Saturday, in Charlottesville, Va.]()
92 of 128![White supremacist guarding the entrance to Emancipation Park, Saturday, as State Police monitor the situation, right, in Charlottesville, Va.]()
93 of 128![An injured white supremacist is helped, Saturday, in Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Va.]()
94 of 128![The statue of Confederat Gen. Robert E. Lee stands in the center of Emancipation Park, Sunday, the day after the Unite the Right rally devolved into violence in Charlottesville, Va. The Charlottesville City Council voted to remove the statue and change the name of the space from Lee Park to Emancipation Park, sparking protests from white nationalists, neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan and members of the 'alt-right.']()
95 of 128![Sen. Tim Kaine visits a makeshift memorial on Aug. 16, 2017, where Heather Heyer was killed Saturday when a car rammed into a crowd of people protesting a white nationalist rally Charlottesville, Va.]()
96 of 128![Marcus Martin, right, hugs his fiance Marissa Blair, left, during the memorial for Heather Heyer, at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville, Va. Martin pushed his fiance out of the way of the vehicle that killed Heyer last Saturday and was injured himself.]()
97 of 128![White supremacists come prepared to clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday.]()
98 of 128![Counter demonstrators clash with white nationalists at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday,]()
99 of 128![Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, at podium, speaks with the media after a memorial service for Heather Heyer, Wednesday, in Charlottesville, Va.]()
100 of 128![President Donald Trump speaks to the press, Tuesday, about protests in Charlottesville after his statement on the infrastructure discussion in the lobby at Trump Tower in New York.
Donald Trump found himself in the eye of a political storm Wednesday, again after his stunning remarks on the unrest in Charlottesville, which sparked unease within his own camp and could be a turning point in his already chaotic presidency. Just about 200 days into his term, the US leader crossed a red line in saying there was "blame on both sides" for the melee, which began when a rally by white supremacists over the removal of a Confederate statue turned violent, as they clashed with counter-protesters.]()
101 of 128![A paint-covered monument to Confederate soldiers who died in an 1863 battle stands along a road in Knoxville, Tenn., on Wednesday. Communities across the US are reconsidering whether their Confederate monuments should continue to stand in public places.]()
102 of 128![An empty pedestal remains where a statue of Roger B. Taney, former Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and majority of the Dred Scott decision, once was before city workers removed the statue August 16, 2017 in Baltimore, Md.]()
103 of 128![Baltimore city worker removes graffiti from the pedestal where a statue dedicated to Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson stood.]()
104 of 128![People look at the empty pedestal where the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument once stood, Wednesday, before city workers removed the statue in the early morning hours.]()
105 of 128![A student tour group poses at the site where a statue dedicated to Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson stood Aug. 16, 2017 in Baltimore, Md. The City of Baltimore removed four statues celebrating confederate heroes from city parks overnight, following the weekend's violence in Charlottesville, Va.]()
106 of 128![Mourners and clergy pray outside the memorial service for Heather Heyer, Wednesday.]()
107 of 128![Charlottesville resident Sina Kamlani walks through the Downtown Mall outside of the memorial service for Heather Heyer on Wednesday. "The world's going crazy but the good people need to stand up," she said.]()
108 of 128![A bystander takes a picture of the monument dedicated to the Confederate Women of Maryland after it was taken down early Wednesday, in Baltimore. Local news outlets reported that workers hauled several monuments away, days after a white nationalist rally in Virginia turned deadly.]()
109 of 128![Workers remove a monument dedicated to the Confederate Women of Maryland in Baltimore.]()
110 of 128![Natabious Wingfield, from left, stands with his cousins Mikiah, and Nikiah Wingfield outside of a memorial service for Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, Va.]()
111 of 128![Hillsborough County Commissioners meet about the possible removal of a Confederate statue, Aug. 16, 2017, in Tampa, Fla. If enough money isn't raised by private citizens to move a Confederate monument in Florida to a private cemetery it will remain on public property, officials decided Wednesday, casting doubt on an earlier vote to remove it. The Hillsborough County Commission's vote came just days after a deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va.]()
112 of 128![The Rays, Lightning and Bucs are all donating funds toward the removal of a Confederate statue in Tampa.]()
113 of 128![Steve Damron, 50, of Spring Hill, Fla., holds up a sign during a Hillsborough County Commission meeting about the possible moving of a Confederate statue Wednesday.]()
114 of 128![Butch Fox of Tampa, who takes care of the Confederate Memorial Park grounds in Seffner says this is the worst incident that's happened here on Aug. 15, 2017. "We're not a racist organization," said Fox. "We don't condone what happened in Charlottesville." The Confederate Memorial Park was vandalized over the weekend in response to the incident in Charlottesville, Va., where three people died during a white-nationalist rally.]()
115 of 128![Jacksonville resident Terri Smith prays at the base of the Woman of the Southland statue in Jacksonville's Confederate Park at the end of a rally in Jacksonville, Fla, on Aug 15, 2017. "I was saying a prayer to heal all the anger and racial divide. It's clouding the peoples judgement. We should be celebrating our veterans" said Smith. Several organizations wanting the removal of confederate monuments and have the names changed on schools and bridges met at the base of the Woman of the Southland statue in Confederate Park North of downtown Jacksonville. Roughly 30 demonstrators against the monuments and around 10 who wanted them left alone were kept in check with the presence of around a dozen members of the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office.]()
116 of 128![The issue of removing Confederate monuments isn't new. Members of the public hold signs both for and against moving a Confederate monument called Memoria In Aeterna during a Hillsborough County Commission meeting in Tampa, Fla., on July 19, 2017. One month after deciding not to move the 106-year-old Confederate memorial from public property, the Hillsborough County Commission on Wednesday is taking up the issue again.]()
117 of 128![Members of the Take Em Down Jax organization hold a banner with the list of offending confederate monuments, Tuesday, as well as buildings and locations they want renamed during a rally in Jacksonville's Confederate Park in Jacksonville, Fla,. Several organizations wanting the removal of confederate monuments and have the names changed on schools and bridges met at the base of the Woman of the Southland statue in Confederate Park North of downtown Jacksonville. Roughly 30 demonstrators against the monuments and around 10 who wanted them left alone were kept in check with the presence of around a dozen members of the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office.]()
118 of 128![Joe Ross, with the Northside Coalition, looks at the statue in the Woman of the Southland monument in Confederate Park after a rally in Jacksonville, Fla., Tuesday.]()
119 of 128![Elechi Egwuekwe, 16, clenches her fist as she stands in front of the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue in Health Sciences Park, in Memphis, at the conclusion of a protest showing support for those who were injured or lost their lives on Saturday in Charlottesville, VA.]()
120 of 128![A reflection of Jefferson Davis's Confederate statue is seen in a puddle of water as protesters hold hands while surrounding the monument at Memphis Park on Tuesday. The action comes days following the death of Heather Heyer after the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. "We can not celebrate MLK50 with these statues in our city," said activist Tami Sawyer.]()
121 of 128![Protesters link arms as they surround the Jefferson Davis Confederate statue at Memphis Park on Tuesday.]()
122 of 128![Theryn C. Bond (center, left) receives a hug from Taylor Cook, Saturday, as they stand in front of the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue in Memphis, during a protest showing support for those who were injured or lost their lives on Saturday in Charlottesville, VA.]()
123 of 128![Activist Yuleiny Escobar quietly sits on Tuesday during a protest near the statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest, the late former slave trader, Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan member, early Tuesday morning. Escobar and a small group of protestors were told by Memphis police officers to leave the park because it was closed. "All of our events have been nonviolent, peaceful events and it doesn't matter if only five of us show up, they send twenty plus police officers," said Hunter Demster of Coalition of Concerned Citizens.
Last October, the Tennessee Historical Commission denied Memphis City Council's application to relocate Forrest's statue. A protest held at Health Sciences Park on Saturday continued the call to have the statue removed. The city is preparing to sue Tennessee to remove Memphis's two Confederate monuments: Forrest, in Health Sciences Park, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis, that is located at Mississippi River Park in Downtown, according to City Attorney Bruce McMullen. This news comes a day after Mayor Jim Strickland condemned white supremacists for the violence in Charlottesville.]()
124 of 128![A protestor holds a socialist flag, a symbol of socialism, left-wing politics and communism, at the base of the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue in Health Sciences Park, Saturday.]()
125 of 128![Elechi Egwuekwe, 16, and others hold "Black Lives Matter" signs in front of the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue in Memphis, Saturday.]()
126 of 128![Aleida Escobar, 9, sits at the base of the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue, in Memphis on Saturday, during a protest in support of the those killed and injured in Charlottesville, Va.]()
127 of 128![Protesters surround the Jefferson Davis Confederate statue at Memphis Park on Tuesday.]()
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