Virginia is set to remove Richmond’s Lee statue on Wednesday

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A towering statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee successful Richmond is astir to travel down. The imposing, 21-foot (6.4-meter) gangly bronze likeness of Lee connected a equine sits atop a granite pedestal astir doubly that precocious successful the grassy halfway of a postulation ellipse connected Richmond’s famed Monument Avenue. Gov. Ralph Northam announced plans to instrumentality down the statue successful June 2020, 10 days aft George Floyd’s decease sparked nationwide protests against constabulary brutality and racism. The plans were stalled for much than a twelvemonth by 2 lawsuits filed by residents opposed to its removal. But rulings past week by the Supreme Court of Virginia cleared the mode for the statue to beryllium taken down. Administration officials said they program to region the monolithic sculpture Wednesday.